His 2015 novel The Emperor's Son[2] deals with Samori Toure, who founded a great empire in northwestern Africa in the 19th century.

Sherif was born in Kolahun, Liberia, in 1973 and spent parts of his youth in Kuwait, where he completed his secondary education.

The First Gulf War compelled him to flee Kuwait and settle first in Syria and then in the Netherlands, where he studied law.

Bound to Secrecy was chosen as one of the ten best translated books in Germany in 2010 in a list that included Robert Bolaño's 2666.

Sherif has written for numerous publications in the Netherlands and around the world, including The New York Times, Long Cours in France, and KulturAustausch in Germany.