Yann Martel

I chose to attend the master class with Yann Martel in addition to the convocation, which can I add, was WAY better than Condoleezza Rice last year. An illusionist with a tiger AND the celebrated author Yann Martel, that blows away last years politician/professor who helped to falsely convince America that Iraq had WMDs.  I was stunned when ended his speech with "READ, because it will make you fragile." I'm still trying to figure out what he meant...  

Here's what I picked up from the master class...

"Faith is an interpretation of the facts of life" which nicely contradicts our class discussion on "life is an imitation of myth." I personally think it's a chicken and egg conundrum, we base our lives on these myths, but these myths have stemmed from our lives.

Empathy isn't necessary in creating art, "art is bearing witness", but empathy would be hard to live without in day-to-day life.

The abandonment of reason is necessary to avoid being creatively drained, "stop making sense and be the better for it." "It's easy to be reasonable" but I think more difficult to abandon it.

No contemporary writers for adults writes about animals or religion anymore, "what's childish about animals?" Mr. Martel added. Jack London and Kafka had no trouble creating phenomenal literature on the central idea on animals. And no one even touches religion, if they happen to brush against it they immediately recoil.

Author recommendation from Yann Martel: J.M. Coetzee

I'm still stoked on the tiger...

Bozeman Daily Chronicle