They all take to the name and from that point on, his name is no long Piscine but Pi. He goes by Pi instead because his schoolmates make a big deal out of calling him “pissing” instead as it sounds similar. Kumar is an inspiration to Pi.ĭeriving his full name (Piscine) from a world famous swimming pool in France, his parents are good friends with Francis Adirubasamy (from the author’s note), a world class swimmer who often goes on about the Piscine Molitor in Paris. His school is filled with amazing teachers, one of whom, Mr. Pi’s mother is an avid reader and introduces to him numerous literary works from which he learns the joys of numerous schools of thought. His father is the proprietor of the Pondicherry Zoo, where Pi learns much of the workings and raising of animals. He is constantly exploring new opportunities and learning many odd and exciting things. His response to the author’s claim that he needs inspiration is “I have a story that will make you believe in God.” After which he refers the author to Piscine Patel in Toronto, who immediately begins to tell his own story, starting in chapter one.Īs a teenager in Pondicherry, India, Pi Patel describes his family – himself, his parents, and his brother Ravi. The novel begins with the author describing in an author’s note his travels to India, where he meets a man named Francis Adirubasamy in a coffeehouse in Pondicherry. 'Infobox Book' name Life of Pi image image caption An American paperback edition of Life of Pi author Yann Martel country Canada language English genre Novel publisher Knopf Canada release date September 2001 media type Paperback, hardback and audiobook pages 336 isbn 0676973760 (first edition, hardcover), 0156027321 (US paperback edition) 1565117808 (audiobook, Penguin Highbridge) preceded by Self followed by We Ate the Children Last

Life of pi paperback