Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (novel)

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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a debut comedy novel by Paul Torday, published in 2007. It is told through a mix of letters, emails, interviews, newspaper articles, and other documents, making it an epistolary (story told through letters and reports) novel.

The story follows Dr Alfred Jones, a shy civil servant at the National Centre for Fisheries Excellence. He becomes involved when a wealthy Yemeni sheikh who loves fishing offers to fund a plan to bring Scottish salmon to Yemen’s desert rivers. At first Jones thinks the idea is silly, but the British Foreign Office sees potential and the project gains support from the government. The plot shows the political and media pressures around foreign policy during Tony Blair’s time in government, with Jones as the one person who understands how the plan might actually work.

The book satirizes government, bureaucracy, and foreign policy, while blending humor with social commentary.

Awards and reception:
- Won the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction (2007)
- Won the Waverton Good Read Award (2007)
- Shortlisted for the Galaxy British Book Awards Newcomer of the Year (2008)

Film adaptation:
- A screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy and produced by Lionsgate and BBC Films.
- The movie stars Ewan McGregor as Dr Alfred Jones and Emily Blunt as Harriet Chetwode-Talbot; Kristin Scott Thomas plays Patricia Maxwell (a gender-swapped character).
- The film presents the story as a romantic comedy. After its release, some British tourists asked Yemeni guides about a real salmon fishing industry.