Political Satire in Paul Torday’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Abstract

Contemporary English fiction has increasingly delved into political themes and the intricacies of British ruling elites, partly driven by the decline of the British Empire after World War II. This decline provided fertile ground for writers and critics to explore political issues. Fiction, uniquely positioned to delve into the inner circles of decision-making, scrutinizes the motivations of politicians in ways that non-fiction cannot. Paul Torday’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen exemplifies this type of politically tinged fiction. This research paper aims to uncover British political hegemony through a literary lens, re-examining the political satire within Torday’s novel. Torday effectively portrays the political dilemma faced by the British people. The paper critically analyzes political satire, capturing the scope of Torday’s narrative on British political life during that specific period. Drawing on oriental-occidental literary perspectives, the study sheds light on this important work.

Keywords: Political novel, Paul Torday, Spin, Satire, Yemen, Imperialism.

Highlights:

• Scrutinizing how Torday employs the genre of political satire to criticize the British political mechanism in the early twenty-first century
• Exploring Torday’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen as a poignant exploration and critique of the tragic consequences of British involvement in the Middle East
• Examining Torday’s depiction of the political themes and the intricacies of the British ruling elite in this novel
• uncovering the British political hegemony through a literary lens by re-examining the political satire within Torday’s novel.
• Shedding light on how Salmon Fishing in the Yemen serves as a reflection of British politics from within, highlighting how British politicians maneuver the game of politics through new, subtler forms of colonialism and hegemony