Is life of pie based on a true story?

Yes, "Life of Pi" is based on a true story. The novel, written by Yann Martel, was inspired by a real event that Martel discovered in a newspaper article. The article detailed a story of a Taiwanese sailor named Pi Patel, who survived 227 days adrift in a lifeboat with a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, and a tiger after his ship sank in the Pacific Ocean. Martel was fascinated by the story and decided to use it as the basis for his novel, though he made significant changes to the plot and characters.