About the Book: Beatrice and Virgil Haunting, unforgettable and searingly original novel! Henry, an acclaimed writer, receives a letter from an elderly taxidermist that poses an irresistible puzzle. As he is pulled into the world of this strange and calculating man, Henry becomes involved with the lives of a donkey and a howler monkey-named Beatrice and Virgil-the taxidermist's 'guides through hell'. Together the three embark on an epic journey. This novel from Yann Martel's is a profound meditation on life, art and the liberating power of stories About the Author: Yann Martel Yann Martel was born in Spain in 1963. After studying philosophy at university, he worked at odd jobs and travelled before turning to writing at the age of twenty-six. He is the author of the internationally acclaimed 2002 Man Booker Prize?winning novel Life of Pi, which was translated into thirty-eight languages and spent fifty-seven weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. His collection of short stories, The Facts behind the Helsinki Roccamatios, and his first novel, Self, both received critical acclaim. He lives in Saskatchewan, Canada. Reviews 'An artful philosophical novella'- The Wall Street Journal 'Much ingenuity and inventiveness mark [this book]' . . . [Conveys] the horrors of experience and the greater horror of living to talk about it'- The Indian Express 'Wonderful . . . Brilliantly told'- First City 'Martel is a magician, a hypnotizer with words and images . . . [His] descriptions are vivid, alive, chilling and poignant' - The Statesman