The great African storyteller Nuruddin Farah received the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1998 for "Secrets," which, according to the New York Times, is "the most important literary award after the Nobel Prize." This award honored a novel with which Farah, whose books have been published in seventeen languages, has created a monument to his continent, Africa. The story takes place in Mogadishu, one week before the outbreak of civil war: The country is in turmoil, fighting is everywhere in the city, when Kalaman unexpectedly receives a visit from his childhood love, who has returned from America to fulfill an old promise. The arrival of Sholoonga prompts Kalaman to recall the past, awakening myths and secrets he thought he had long forgotten. Gradually, the mysteries surrounding his legendary grandfather and his strong mother begin to unfold for him.