Grace Ogot is one of the few well-known Kenyan women writers. She is also the first Kenyan woman to have her fiction published by the East African Publishing House, her first book being the novel The Promised Land (1966). Her major contribution to literature has been in the short-story genre; so far she has published three collections: Land Without Thunder (1968), The Other Woman (1976), and The Island of Tears (1980). Speaking of her preference for the short story, Ogot once said (to interviewer Shailaja Ganguly), "A novel keeps you in its grip for a longer time. But remember, while the short story is shorter ... it is also harder to write."

Ogot is devoted to relating native Luo folktales to the younger generation of Kenyans. Many of her writings are also based on the day-to-day life of people she has known or read about. As a nurse she has been intrigued by...