A Special Edition of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday to celebrate Orion's 20th anniversary.
Winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction 2007. An unusual and delightful debut that all lovers of A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian will adore. Normally I find novels written in emails, memos, diary entries and the like, such as this is, irritating but this succeeds on all levels. The different strains of the madcap story, reported in different voices, works a treat and as the characters are developed and the plot unfolds, so your interest is held vice-like. Part political satire, part scientific experiment, part spiritual enlightenment and part love story, it is highly accomplished, lightly amusing, unexpectedly touching and very rewarding. I truly loved it.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: Orion 20th anniversary edition Synopsis
Below is a video of Ben Twiston-Davies discussing the sculptures he made for the 20th anniversay edtions of the Orion classics, specifically The Readerby Bernhard Schlink.
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 forever. 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.
Celebrating Orion's 20th Anniversary in chronological order by original publication date are:
1992 The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy The first novel published by Orion. A million copy seller from the world’s favourite storyteller. 1992 The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser Narrative non-fiction from one of our leading historians. This ground-breaking title is still the definitive book on the subject. 1993 The Black Ice by Michael Connelly The first Michael Connelly title published by Orion, showcasing our ability to build quality commercial crime brands. 1994 Horrid Henry by Francesca Simon The original Horrid Henry book was the start of a massive multi-platform entertainment brand demonstrating the breadth of our Children’s list. 1995 Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder A publishing sensation which brought translated literary fiction to the mass market and formed the kernel of the W&N literary fiction list. 1997 Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger, this novel cemented Ian Rankin’s status as the gold standard of British crime. 1997 The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Translated fiction which sold a million copies and became an award-winning film release, bringing recent history into sharp and unforgettable focus. 2000 A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer The original Misery memoir, Dave Pelzer’s story was shocking and controversial and founded a genre. 2000 Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds Science fiction on the grandest and most commercial scale from Gollancz, redefining space opera for the new century. 2001 Tell No One by Harlan Coben
The event publication which made SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller Harlan Coben a household name and cemented Orion’s ability to create commercial brands. 2003 Stalin by Simon Sebag Montefiore Winner of the Best History Book at the British Book Awards 2004, this narrative character-based history broke new ground. 2004 The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon A massive million plus bestseller in the UK and one of the bestselling books of all time in Spain – making translated fiction truly accessible. 2004 Himalaya by Michael Palin Selling over half a million copies in hardback and staying at No.1 for 11 consecutive weeks, this is the book that proved Michael Palin was not only a beloved television and film personality, he was a formidable travel writer as well. 2004 Wolf Brother by Michelle Paver Selling over half a million copies at the height of the Harry Potter years and with massive rights sales internationally, this title is one of the stars of our impressive Children’s list. 2005 Labyrinth by Kate Mosse A huge SUNDAY TIMES No.1 bestseller, this engrossing ‘time-slip’ novel combines brilliant storytelling and strong characters with a puzzle that has obsessed men for centuries: the secret of the Grail. 2007 Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday Winner of the PG Wodehouse Award, Torday is a unique and indefinable author whose debut won him a substantial, dedicated fan base. 2008 No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay A true must-read and a Richard and Judy favourite, this title announced the arrival of an exciting new thriller bestseller from Orion. 2009 Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris The first True Blood TV tie-in novel showing the diversity and commercial potential of the Gollancz list. 2010 Life by Keith Richards This once-in-a-generation memoir of a true rock legend was a formidable No. 1 SUNDAY TIMES bestseller. 2011 The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht Winner of the 2011 Orange Prize for Fiction, this debut novel has been almost universally praised as a triumph of modern literature and introduced a star of the future.
Paul Torday was our Guest Editor in April 2012 - click here - to see the books that inspired his writing.
Paul Torday was born in 1946 and read English Literature at Pembroke College, Oxford. He spent the next 30 years working in engineering and in industry, after which he scaled back his business responsibilities to fulfil a long-harboured ambition - to write. He burst on to the literary scene in 2006 with his first novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, an immediate bestseller that has been sold in 25 countries. Paul Torday died in 2013.
