Stepping Away from Yann Martel

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Today’s Blog Post


Stepping Away from Yann Martel

As I turned the page to find what was happening next, I knew that the author had me in her clutches. I could not get loose and I was not about to put the book down.

As the story has unfolded page after page I could not put it down. Silly really how it has had such a control over my mind.

The story is happening far away and long ago. It likely is not a real story and is definitely under fiction… but yet it is so real. The author has taken me to places I have never been – and yet it is as if I am right there. It is so graphic and so vivid.

I have picked up other books not long ago and they have not done this for me at all. But this one has.

My adventure with books started early in my life. I can remember the first full novel that I read like it was yesterday.

I love reading.

Now it is at the point that I am enjoying a great book that I heard Yann Martel expound in a ridiculous way about his Harper Book Club. I heard him speak on a CBC program yesterday.

Yann Martel is something else.

For those that don’t know Yann, you need to know that he is “Man Booker Prize” winner for his book entitled, “Life of Pi”. Apparently it was supposed to be a good book. In fact I almost bought it.

But after listening to Yann expound in person yesterday on the CBC about his imaginations and concoctions he has developed about our Prime Minister Stephen Harper… he turned me completely off. I wouldn’t read his book… and I won’t buy it.

As quick as the good book I am reading at this minute turned me on… his comments and program to pull our Prime Minister down has turned me off.

Now some of you will never have a clue about what I write. It is not your thing to even delve into a silly story like this.

For the past four years Yann has sent our Prime Minister a book every two weeks along with a personal letter giving instructions to the Prime Minister. The number of books as of the last one is 100. At least that is what it sounds like.

In a big fan fair he has declared that he will no longer use books as political bullets against the Prime Minister. He has also told the world that Stephen Harper does not read, therefore he is unfit to be the Prime Minister… or in words similar to that.

The gall of this guy is something else!

Over the years in my work place I have had people bound up to me with their favourite book and tell me to read it. Note – it was “tell me to read it”. They have dropped off video tapes, CDs and Cassettes – all with the intention of making me read what they felt I should read… because they said so. I never read what they told me to read. I ignored them and finally they asked for their books back.

It didn’t work. I read what I like to read – not what you tell me read!

You might interest me in your idea of a book but I am not your foot soldier. I am an individual that has a wide range of subject matter that I enjoy… and that is probably covering one book per week. BUT THEY ARE NOT YANN’s suggestions.

Now that I’ve heard Yann, I don’t really like Yann. And whatever Yann writes in the future will be something that I KNOW I WILL NOT LIKE!

I imagine Stephen Harper has an opinion about him too… but because of the task that he has taken on, he doesn’t reply in anyway shape or form.

And that makes poor little Yann really unhappy.

Now as I thought about Yann and his efforts with sending books, it seems to me that his success with the “Life of Pi” went to his head… and then he tried to keep himself in front of the Canadian Public by doing his two person(actually one person) book club for Stephen Harper.

The author needs to consider the audience. They are turned on or turned off. I wonder if Yann thought of that special decision.

I have a choice in my country. I can chose to read what I like to read. And Yann can’t tell me what to read. And the Prime Minister knew that too.

I wasn’t the only one that thought weird things about poor Yann…

A person by the posted name of “Taxcutter” stated…
“Could there be a more pompously smug creature on this earth than Yann Martel? He expects the Prime Minister of a major industrial nation, who also happens to have a young family, to drop everything and pay homage to his flatulent musings and pseudo intellectual poses, and is outraged when he does not.

Our Prime Minister dwells in a world of statesmen, royalty and world leadership in a time of tremendous global turmoil. Yann Martel is a Can-Lit hack of fleeting stature, yet he feels that his impotent publicity stunt should take precedence over all this. Perhaps Mr Martel should take a book recommendation himself, namely the DSM guide to psycological disorders and look up the section on Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Canada is becoming a more Conservative country thanks to Mr Harper. The CBC, CanLit, Central Canadian cultural Marxism of the last 40 years are steadily eroding. It seems to me that it is Yann and not our Prime Minister that needs educating.”

Then “sunlightjoe” stated…
“What makes this guy(Yann) so important he can basically dictate to other people they should be reading and what they should be reading?!

I like reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz. Koontz almost always puts a really good dog character in his books too. I've also read the Koran, Shakespeare's plays, among other things. Yet I don't go sending books to elected officials expecting them to read what I think is good.

But at 100 books at say $20 a book let's say then Martel is out about $2,000 plus shipping. Yann Martel proves that a fool and his money are soon parted.”

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“Let me get this straight, You are saying that people should only read books that you read?

And that no one else knows what a good book is?

I am surprise that you would even lower your self to come on here and mingle with the unwash masses.”

End of quotes…
I wasn’t the only one thank goodness…

Maybe a Publisher will be able to get through to Mr. Martel. I know I couldn’t… and won’t be sending anything to him either.

Go Yann Go… go far away.

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/  

PS... For Yann - this is my 900th Posting and you haven't once visited my site. I have worked hard on this Blog for 2 and 1/2 years... and you have not commented once.  I think you are not a reader... sure you write and send books to the PM - but you can't read!  HA! Got Ya!

Resource
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2011/02/02/sk-author-yann-martel-harper-books-110202.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/931842