Order of Book Series
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Nuruddin Farah Books in Order

Nuruddin Farah has written 14 books, published between 1970 and 2018. The first book is From a Crooked Rib (1970) and the newest is North of Dawn (2018). Publication order is the reading order below.

Books
14
Published
1970–2018
Total pages
4,026 across 14 books
Reading time
67–101 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 4,026 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute.

See all 14 books in order Printable Nuruddin Farah checklist
Photo of Nuruddin Farah, author

Nuruddin Farah is a Somali novelist, born on 24 November 1945. From a Crooked Rib, Farah's first novel, appeared in 1970 and has been called a cornerstone of modern East African literature. Farah also writes plays for stage and radio, short stories and essays, and has lived and taught in countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Sudan, India, Nigeria and South Africa. The catalogue holds 14 books through North of Dawn (2018), with series including Variations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship, Blood in the Sun and Past Imperfect.

How many Nuruddin Farah books are there?

Nuruddin Farah has 14 books, released between 1970 and 2018. They include 3 series and 5 titles listed outside any series.

Nuruddin Farah Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 14 Nuruddin Farah books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of From a Crooked Rib by Nuruddin Farah (1970)
  2. Cover of A Naked Needle by Nuruddin Farah (1978)
  3. Cover of Sweet and Sour Milk by Nuruddin Farah, book 1 of the Variations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship series
  4. Cover of Sardines by Nuruddin Farah, book 2 of the Variations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship series (1981)
  5. Cover of Close Sesame by Nuruddin Farah, book 3 of the Variations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship series (1983)
  6. Cover of Maps by Nuruddin Farah, book 1 of the Blood in the Sun series (1986)
  7. Cover of Gifts by Nuruddin Farah, book 2 of the Blood in the Sun series (1990)
  8. Cover of Yesterday, Tomorrow by Nuruddin Farah (2000)
  9. Cover of Links by Nuruddin Farah, book 1 of the Past Imperfect series (2003)
  10. Cover of Knots by Nuruddin Farah, book 2 of the Past Imperfect series (2007)
  11. Cover of Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah, book 3 of the Past Imperfect series (2011)
  1. 1
    From a Crooked Rib1970 · 163 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1970163
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    A Naked Needle1978 · 181 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1978181
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    Sweet and Sour MilkVariations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship #11980 · 242 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1980242
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    SardinesVariations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship #21981 · 263 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1981263
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Close SesameVariations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship #31983 · 237 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1983237
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    MapsBlood in the Sun #11986 · 272 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1986272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    GiftsBlood in the Sun #21990 · 246 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1990246
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    SecretsBlood in the Sun #31998 · 304 pages · confirmed 1/4
    1998304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Yesterday, Tomorrow2000 · 198 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2000198
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 11
    KnotsPast Imperfect #22007 · 432 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2007432
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 12
    CrossbonesPast Imperfect #32011 · 400 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2011400
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 13
    Hiding in Plain Sight2014 · 352 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2014352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 14
    North of Dawn2018 · 384 pages · confirmed 1/4
    2018384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Nuruddin Farah books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. None of these groups has a reading-order page of its own on this site.

Variations on the Theme of An African Dictatorship in order

3 books
  1. 1. Sweet and Sour Milk
  2. 2. Sardines
  3. 3. Close Sesame

Blood in the Sun in order

3 books
  1. 1. Maps
  2. 2. Gifts
  3. 3. Secrets

Past Imperfect in order

3 books
  1. 1. Links
  2. 2. Knots
  3. 3. Crossbones

Standalone books

5 books

5 Nuruddin Farah titles here are not listed as part of any series.

Do you have to read Nuruddin Farah books in order?

You only need to read Nuruddin Farah books in order within each series: the books listed here span 3 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

Where to start with Nuruddin Farah

Start with From a Crooked Rib (1970), the earliest published title.

What is the newest Nuruddin Farah book?

North of Dawn (2018) is the newest Nuruddin Farah book released so far.

Is there a new Nuruddin Farah book coming?

No next Nuruddin Farah book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Nuruddin Farah has won

Wikidata records 2 awards for Nuruddin Farah. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Neustadt International Prize for Literature1998Won
  • Kurt Tucholsky Prize1991Won

Nuruddin Farah at a glance

No recent titles
The newest Nuruddin Farah title on record dates from 2018, 8 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
Release pace
Nuruddin Farah books have appeared about one every 4 years on average.
Length
4,026 pages across all 14 books with a recorded length, a median of 268 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Nuruddin Farah books, 4 of 14, were published in the 1980s.

What the Nuruddin Farah books are about

All 14 Nuruddin Farah books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: africa is tagged on 4 of 14. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.