THE BOOKSMITH PRESENTS AN EVENING WITH YANN MARTEL and BEATRICE AND VIRGIL

The Author of The Life of Pi Returns

Fate can take many forms. For Henry it arrives in an envelope from a stranger containing a story by Flaubert, a play featuring two characters named Beatrice and Virgil, and a note signed "Henry," with an address in the same city. From the moment Henry finds the address and steps into the taxidermist's shop, a place unlike anywhere he has ever been, his life is changed. In this extraordinary feat of storytelling, Yann Martel poses enduring questions about life and art, truth and deception, responsibility and complicity. And just as in Life of Pi, Martel's wit, pathos, and probing humanity will hold readers in thrall.

A brilliant exploration of the limitations of language in understanding who we are and what we are capable of doing in order to survive, Beatrice and Virgil will elicit endless discussion among readers and is destined to become a storytelling classic. With all the spirit and originality that made Life of Pi so beloved, this brilliant new novel takes the reader on a haunting odyssey.

"Life of Pi could renew your faith in the ability of novelists to invest even the most outrageous scenario with plausible life."— The New York Times Book Review

"A story to make you believe in the soul-sustaining power of fiction."— Los Angeles Times Book Review

The award-winning author of four previous books, the most recent of which is What Is Stephen Harper Reading? Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963. He studied philosophy at Trent University, worked at odd jobs -- tree planter, dishwasher, security guard -- and travelled widely before turning to writing. He was awarded the Journey Prize for the title story in The Facts Behind the Helsinki Roccamatios. His second novel, Life of Pi, won the 2002 Man Booker, among other prizes. He lives in Saskatoon with the writer Alice Kuipers and their son.

Laura Fraser talks with Yann Martel this evening. Fraser is the author of An Italian Affair and the forthcoming All Over the Map, and an ardent Martell reader.

Sundance Kabuki Theater

1881 Post Street at Fillmore, San Francisco

(We will be in theater #3, upstairs; this theater is 21+ only. The Bistro Bar will be open to the public, including our group; booksigning will occur after the talk at the far side of the Bistro Bar.)

Tickets required: Brown Paper Tickets or 800-838-3006

Tickets are $12 per person;

your ticket offers a 20% discount onBeatrice and Virgil.