TC Tidbit: Yann Martel Ends His Four Year Tease

Ever since April 14, 2007, Canadian author Yann Martel has been sending Canadian Prime Minister every two weeks. Why? Because he found himself thinking, "Who is this man? What makes him tick? No doubt he is busy. No doubt he is deluded by that busyness. No doubt being Prime Minister fills his entire consideration and froths his sense of busied importance to the very brim. And no doubt he sounds and governs like one who cares little for the arts. But he must have moments of stillness. And so this is what I propose to do: not to educate—that would be arrogant, less than that—to make suggestions to his stillness. For as long as Stephen Harper is Prime Minister of Canada, I vow to send him every two weeks, mailed on a Monday, a book that has been known to expand stillness. That book will be inscribed and will be accompanied by a letter I will have written." But all of that is over now--Martel has decided to stop after sending 100 books, saying, "It was kind of fun to do it. I enjoyed it. I learned that I lived in a democracy, that I can tease my prime minister for four years and not be arrested. That was a good thing to know.”

Martel created a website for the project, recording his book selections and including the letters he wrote to go with them. You can check it out here.

*Bonus Tidbit*--The movie version of Life of Pi just began filming, in 3-D, with famed director Ang Lee at the helm!