PAPER CHASE: Life of Pi will debut at N.Y. film fest

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Suraj Sharma in a scene from Life of Pi, which debuts at the New York Film Festival on Sept. 28. (CP)

One of the biggest selling Canadian novels in history, Yann Martel's Life of Pi, will have its movie debut at the New York Film Festival Sept. 28.

The festival announced earlier this week that the 3D film, directed by Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain) will be this year's opening-night film.

Life of Pi stars newcomer Suraj Sharma as Pi Patel, a teenager who is stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger following the sinking of a ship carrying zoo animals. The movie also stars Gerard Depardieu in a role listed on IMDB.com as "Frenchman."

Martel's novel, published in 2001, won the 2002 Man Booker Prize.

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Winnipeg novelist Wayne Tefs will delve into his own -- and his fellow Canadians' -- fascination with hockey in his forthcoming non-fiction title, On the Fly, out in September from local house Turnstone Press.

Tefs (whose 2011 novel, Bandit, told the story of Manitoba's Flying Bandit, Ken Leishman) chronicles the return of NHL hockey to Winnipeg, and combines game-by-game reports on the return of the Jets with reflections on his own 50 years of experience as player, coach and fan. He launches the book Sept. 19.

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The growing ranks of seniors in an aging population represent a great spiritual resource, according to Winnipegger Elsie Rempel, author of Please Pass the Faith: A Guide to Spiritual Grandparenting.

Her book, published by the Herald Press, the Waterloo, Ont.-based publishing arm of the Mennonite Church Canada and Mennonite Church U.S.A, focuses on how seniors can nurture their own spiritual lives as they age and foster spiritual relationships with children and youth. Rempel is a teacher, with an MA in theology, and has served as a teaching mentor in Zambia, as well as working with Mennonite Church ministries.

She will launch the book Sept. 5 at McNally Robinson Bookersellers at 7 p.m.

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Manitoba's literary heritage is being showcased at the University of Manitoba in a display of rare and archival photos of authors.

The U of M's Archives and Special Collections assembled the exhibit to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Manitoba Writers' Guild.

Included in the exhibit, entitled Prairies, Pens and Poets, are photos of writers spanning the 20th century and up to the present, from E. Cora Hind and Gabrielle Roy to Ian Ross and David Bergen.

The exhibit is on the third floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library and is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until Friday.

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Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition August 18, 2012 J8