Sardines [Hardcover]

Nuruddin Farah (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1983

Winner of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature

Farah's landmark Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship trilogy is comprised by the novels Sweet and Sour Milk, Sardines, and Close Sesame. In this volume, the second of the three, a woman loses her job as editor of the national newspaper and then finds her efforts to instill her daughter with a sense of dignity and independence threatened by an oppressive government and the traditions of conservative Islam.

Sardines brilliantly combines a social commentary on life under a dictatorship with a compassionate exploration of African feminist issues.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A chilling exploration of corruption and terror . . . Mr. Farah has given us a powerful political statement that moves constantly toward song." --The New York Times Book Review

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Nuruddin Farah was born in 1945 in Baidoa, in what is now the Republic of Somalia. His Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship trilogy consists of the novels Sweet and Sour Milk, Sardines, and Close Sesame. His other books include From a Crooked Rib, A Naked Needle, and Maps. In 1991, he received the Swedish Tucholsky Literary Award, given to literary exiles, and he was the recipient of the German DAAD fellowship in 1990.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Schocken Books (June 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805281266
• ISBN-13: 978-0805281262
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,023,404 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Women in Somalia, May 26, 2000

By 

Brian Thomas Beekman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sardines: A Novel (Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship) (Paperback)

Sardines offered a tantalizing portrayal of African life under a military dictator. In particular, this book was strong in portraying women's issues in Somalia. The female gender is still actively oppressed in Somalia and Sardines illustrates this idea in a subtle, yet captivating way.

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark and metaphorical, February 9, 2011

By 

Sharlene T (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sardines: A Novel (Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship) (Paperback)

A difficult read this one, mostly because it is dark, grey, very internal, with an oppressive government just looming behind everyone. Sardines follows the lives of Medina, who loses her job as the editor of the national newspaper of Somalia. She struggles to bring up her young daughter Ubax, as her friend Sagal is herself trying to figure out whether she wants to flee Somalia or take part in some subversive political action, and discovering that she might be pregnant. Farah tends towards metaphors and lyrical, but meandering prose, but Sardines was in the end an interesting, complex read. Sardines is part two of Farah's Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship trilogy which also includes Sweet and Sour Milk and Close Sesame, which, judging from Sardines, can be read independently.