Keynote
The moving third and final book in the Variations on the Theme of an African Dictatorship trilogy
Book Title
Close Sesame
Subtitle
A Novel
Cover Image
- “A chilling exploration of corruption and terror… Farah has given us a powerful political statement that moves constantly toward song.”—The New York Times Book Review
Body
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 third and final book in the series, the characters are deeply entwined in the waking nightmare of a police state. An old man finds himself poised in mortal combat with an elusive and cunning enemy in an atmosphere where the distinction between public and private justice is always obscured.
Close Sesame is a novel that offers "an eloquent indictment of the tyrannies committed both under Islamic law and in the name of Socialism"—The Observer
Close Sesame is a novel that offers "an eloquent indictment of the tyrannies committed both under Islamic law and in the name of Socialism"—The Observer
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About the Author
Credit: Arja Teikola
Praise
- “Farah is in control of his enormous talents as a novelist, writing in the best tradition of Solzhenitsyn and Gabriel García Márquez.”—World Literature Today
- "Nuruddin Farah is a writer who is not limited to the issues facing his homeland. No matter what his future concerns will be or where he chooses to write them from, his is a voice that demands to be heard."—Seattle Weekly
- "Farah's trilogy isn't simply a period piece. There are still dictators in the world, and as they topple one by one, people still struggle against their legacies. 'What I never could have predicted,' says a character in Close Sesame, 'is how easily governable we are. . . . The Grandest Actor performs in front of an applauding audience that should be booing him.' Such an expression overflows the boundaries of Somalia."—Utne Reader
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
This book is made possible through a partnership with the College of St. Benedict, in honor of the legacy of S. Mariella Gable, a distinguished teacher at the College, and by the generosity of Graywolf Press donors like you.
