Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Happy blue moon, everyone!
Yes, it is indeed the second full moon of the month which brings us a second May chapter of 3 Books.
This one features an author I’ve been hoping to have on our show for years.
Join me in welcoming the Booker Prize–winning novelist, deeply philosophical storyteller, and one of Canada’s most distinctive literary voices ... Mr. Yann Martel!
Yann is best known for ‘Life of Pi’, the global phenomenon that won The Booker Prize in 2002, sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into an Academy Award–winning film.
Born in Salamanca, Spain in 1963, Yann spent his childhood in Spain, Portugal, Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada.
Yann’s work is deeply shaped by a pulsing curiosity, philosophy, and research. He journeyed through India while developing ‘Life of Pi’, visited Holocaust memorial sites while writing ‘Beatrice and Virgil’, and even launched a "guerilla book club" called ‘101 Letters to a Prime Minister’, where he mailed books to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper every two weeks for four years.
Yann's newest novel, ‘Son of Nobody’, is a (new!) ancient retelling of the Trojan War told through the modern lens of a Canadian researcher who discovers this poem while exploring themes of homesickness, regret, ambition, love, and grief.
Tune in as we discuss Yann’s writing routines, the importance of stories, AI in the world of publishing, racism in Australia, art as a co-creation between writer and reader, the beauty of the prairies, and of course, Yann Martel's most formative books...
Let’s flip the page to Chapter 161 now...
-
0:00:00 - Welcome to Chapter 161 of 3 Books
02:48 – Who is Yann Martel?
05:10 – On Yann’s New Book, ‘Son of Nobody’
08:11 – Reflections on Travelling to Australia and Racism
13:56 – Yann’s ‘101 Letters to a Prime Minister’ project
19:40 – Book One: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
26:09 – How to Write with Detail?
28:42 – The Power of Footnotes
31:52 – Yann’s Writing Routine
34:50 – Yann Reveals an Early Prototype of His Upcoming Book
40:32 – On the Publishing Industry and Art as a Co-Creation
45:34 – Yann’s Thoughts on AI
49:25 – Book Two: Death Comes For The Archbishop by Willa Cather
54:38 – The Beauty of Living in the Prairies
1:00:58 – Book Three: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
1:01:18 – Bonus Book: New York Times Crossword Puzzles by Will Shortz (Specifically those in ‘The Star Phoenix’, Saskatoon)
1:03:08 – Yann’s Closing Advice for Writers
1:04:42 - Final Reflections
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
Happy blue moon, everyone!
Yes, it is indeed the second full moon of the month which brings us a second May chapter of 3 Books.
This one features an author I’ve been hoping to have on our show for years.
Join me in welcoming the Booker Prize–winning novelist, deeply philosophical storyteller, and one of Canada’s most distinctive literary voices ... Mr. Yann Martel!
Yann is best known for ‘Life of Pi’, the global phenomenon that won The Booker Prize in 2002, sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into an Academy Award–winning film.
Born in Salamanca, Spain in 1963, Yann spent his childhood in Spain, Portugal, Alaska, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Canada.
Yann’s work is deeply shaped by a pulsing curiosity, philosophy, and research. He journeyed through India while developing ‘Life of Pi’, visited Holocaust memorial sites while writing ‘Beatrice and Virgil’, and even launched a "guerilla book club" called ‘101 Letters to a Prime Minister’, where he mailed books to former Prime Minister Stephen Harper every two weeks for four years.
Yann's newest novel, ‘Son of Nobody’, is a (new!) ancient retelling of the Trojan War told through the modern lens of a Canadian researcher who discovers this poem while exploring themes of homesickness, regret, ambition, love, and grief.
Tune in as we discuss Yann’s writing routines, the importance of stories, AI in the world of publishing, racism in Australia, art as a co-creation between writer and reader, the beauty of the prairies, and of course, Yann Martel's most formative books...
Let’s flip the page to Chapter 161 now...
-
0:00:00 - Welcome to Chapter 161 of 3 Books
02:48 – Who is Yann Martel?
05:10 – On Yann’s New Book, ‘Son of Nobody’
08:11 – Reflections on Travelling to Australia and Racism
13:56 – Yann’s ‘101 Letters to a Prime Minister’ project
19:40 – Book One: The Sailor Who Fell From Grace With The Sea by Yukio Mishima
26:09 – How to Write with Detail?
28:42 – The Power of Footnotes
31:52 – Yann’s Writing Routine
34:50 – Yann Reveals an Early Prototype of His Upcoming Book
40:32 – On the Publishing Industry and Art as a Co-Creation
45:34 – Yann’s Thoughts on AI
49:25 – Book Two: Death Comes For The Archbishop by Willa Cather
54:38 – The Beauty of Living in the Prairies
1:00:58 – Book Three: The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri
1:01:18 – Bonus Book: New York Times Crossword Puzzles by Will Shortz (Specifically those in ‘The Star Phoenix’, Saskatoon)
1:03:08 – Yann’s Closing Advice for Writers
1:04:42 - Final Reflections
-
SUBSCRIBE: bit.ly/2HHWPYg
Hey there,
I'm Neil and I spend a ton of time thinking, writing, podcasting, and speaking about living intentionally. I'm the New York Times bestselling author of six books including The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. I've been lucky to speak at places like TED, SXSW, and Google. And I host a huge passion project called the 3 Books podcast.
Want more 3 Books? Check out my top interviews with:
Brené Brown youtube.com/watch?v=X5l-Auv7h8Y
Quentin Tarantino youtube.com/watch?v=VVFdvfiPB-w
David Sedaris youtube.com/watch?v=wzz8tqnz1mI
Want to read more of my stuff?
https://www.neil.blog/archive/
Want to check out my podcast?
3books.co
Want to learn about my live events?
globalhappiness.org/speaking
Want my monthly book recos?
1000awesomethings.com/reading-club
Want my articles on intentional living?
https://www.neil.blog/newsletter/
I am also on the following drugs:
Facebook: facebook.com/NeilPasricha
Twitter: twitter.com/neilpasricha
Instagram: instagram.com/neilpasricha
Lastly, thanks so much for watching this vid.
👊,
Neil
neil@globalhappiness.org
