Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
By (Author) Paul Torday
Orion Publishing Co
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
1st January 2008
14th June 2007
United Kingdom
General
Fiction
823.92
Winner of Waverton Good Read Award 2008 (UK)
Paperback
352
Width 129mm, Height 197mm, Spine 24mm
244g
This is the story of Dr Alfred Jones, a fisheries scientist - for whom diary-notable events include the acquisition of a new electric toothbrush and getting his article on caddis fly larvae published in 'Trout and Salmon' - who finds himself reluctantly involved in a project to bring salmon fishing to the Highlands of the Yemen - a project that will change his life and the course of British political history for ever.
With a wickedly wonderful cast of characters - including a visionary Sheikh, a weasely spin doctor, Fred's devilish wife and a few thousand transplanted salmon - SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is a novel about hypocrisy and bureaucracy, dreams and deniability and the transforming power of faith and love."A brilliant satire, leavened by genuine passion for its protagonist and his sport" -- REBECCA SEAL OBSERVER "A delight ... Paul Torday's sparkling debut uses spoof parliamentary papers to tell a splendidly dotty tale" -- SALLY COUSINS SUNDAY TELEGRAPH "Utterly charming and extremely funny" IRISH TIMES
Paul Torday was born in 1946 and read English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. He is married with two sons by a previous marriage and has two stepsons. He has spent most of his life in industry, but in the last three years has found the time to write. For the last fifteen years he has also been a keen salmon fisherman, and as he lives close to the River North Tyne, he has been able to indulge in this enthusiasm. He lives in Northumberland and has often visited the Middle East.