Life of Pi Life of Pi Life of Pi is a Canadian fantasy adventure novel by Yann Martel published in 2001. The protagonist is Piscine Molitor "Pi" Patel, an Indian boy from Pondicherry who explores issues of spirituality and practicality from an early age. He survives 227 days after a shipwreck while stranded on a lifeboat in the Pacific Ocean with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The novel has sold more than ten million copies worldwide. It was rejected by at least five London publishing houses before being accepted by Knopf Canada, which published it in September 2001. The UK edition won
Life of Pi Pi" as "an elegant proof of God, and the power of storytelling." In October 2005, a worldwide competition was launched to find an artist to illustrate "Life of Pi". The competition was run by Scottish publisher "Canongate Books" and UK newspaper "The Times", as well as Australian newspaper "The Age" and Canadian newspaper "The Globe and Mail". Croatian artist Tomislav Torjanac was chosen as the illustrator for the new edition, which was published in September 2007. A 2012 adaptation directed by Ang Lee and based on an adapted screenplay by David Magee was given a wide release in the United