XXX Международный конгресс ИИСАА. 19–21 июня 2019 г. Т. 1

Секция VIII 364 XXX Международный Конгресс по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки Mikhail Suvorov (FAAS, St Petersburg University, St Petersburg) Two Yemeni novels about the information war on the eve of the 2011 Yemeni revolution Around the mid-1990s, President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s regime in Yemen began to realize the rapid decline in its popularity among the citizens. Total corruption, unemployment, unprecedented poverty growth, stagnation of all social services — all this turned the lives of most Yemenis into daily struggle for survival. In the conditions of growing discontent of the population, one of the regime’s instruments to keep control over the situation was the state media, which, with the help of false propaganda, tried in every possible way to improve the image of the government in the eyes of the citizens. At the same time, printed and electronic publications of opposition movements opposed the state media, revealing their lies and explaining to readers the authoritarian, corrupt nature of the ruling regime. This information war, which lasted until the fall of the regime in 2011, became the main theme of two Yemeni novels: “War under the skin” ( Harb tahta-l-jild , 2010) by Ahmad Zein and “Happy land of intrigues” ( Ard al-mu ʼ amarat al-sa ʻ ida , 2018) by Wajdi al-Ahdal. Both writers are well familiar with the work of mass media: Ahmad Zein works in Saudi newspaper “ al-Hayat ”, Wajdi al-Ahdal heads Yemeni magazine “ al-Thaqafa ”. “War under the skin” is written in the so-called “cinematographic” manner, which is very characteristic of Ahmad Zein, but is rather difficult to perceive. Its essence lies in the fact that the text of the work is composed of a mosaic of scattered scenes (or “frames”), the interaction of which causes the process of induction of meanings. The narrative in the novel is on behalf of the all-knowing author. The protagonist, journalist Qais, working in a governmental newspaper in Sana’a, is trying to write a study on the situation of akhdam — the lowest strata of Yemeni society. He received an order for this study privately from a Western human rights organization. Some of his acquaintances, especially journalists Shahir andAlya, sharply criticize the current situation in the country, which leads Qais to confusion.After all, it is with such people that his ideological mentor, the editor-in-chief of his newspaper, a devoted supporter of the ruling regime, is fighting an irreconcilable struggle. Qais is reluctant to believe in what he is told about: in anti-government demonstrations in South Yemeni, in attacks on independent journalists, in kidnappings of representatives of opposition media.All these facts contradict what Qais himself writes in his newspaper. However, as a result of this communication and of his gradual penetration into the issue of akhdam , Qais comes to an understanding that “under the skin” of Yemen there is a total war: between the regime and the opposition, between NorthYemenis and South Yemenis, between supporters of the archaic and supporters of modernization. Qais understands that he himself, while enthusiastically carrying out the instructions of