NYC Big Book Award Honors "Wild Fox Ridge" - A Novel That Speaks to Our Shared Humanity, Beyond All Borders

NEW YORK, April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The English edition of Wild Fox Ridge, a novel by Chinese writer and cultural scholar Xuemo, has been named a VIP Honoree at the 2025 NYC Big Book Award. The recognition introduces the book to a much wider readership in North America while drawing attention to the imaginative reach of literature emerging from China's western regions.

At the Awards Dinner, the Chinese novelist Xuemo was formally introduced by the organizers before delivering a keynote speech to an audience of international writers, publishers and cultural figures. In the corridor, posters, photos and book displays of his novel Wild Fox Ridge were prominently displayed, underscoring the organizers' interest in both the author and his work while placing contemporary Chinese literature in an international publishing context.

Wild Fox Ridge is widely regarded as one of Xuemo's most representative novels. The story centers on the mysterious disappearance of two camel caravans, one Mongolian and one Han Chinese, and leads readers back to the landscapes of western China more than a century ago. Through the voices of ghostly storytellers, the novel follows a band of camel drivers crossing wilderness as they confront desire, betrayal, and unseen dangers.

The book revives the long-vanished world of the caravan routes, portraying the hardships, spiritual tensions, and shifting destinies of camel drivers against the vast landscapes of western China. With its dramatic arc and austere atmosphere, the novel reconstructs the historical experience and folk memory of the region.

Structurally, the story unfolds in twenty-seven night talks, sometimes described as "fireside conversations." Xuemo creatively combines fragmented storytelling with multiple perspectives and dialogues that move across different times and spiritual dimensions. Voices from different characters and eras intersect throughout the narrative, forming both a historical mystery and a close examination of human motives and hidden truths.

Recurring images of camel caravans, desert winds, dramatic reversals, untimely death, and ritual invocation shape the novel's meditation on memory, destiny, and the quest for spiritual belonging.

Set against the landscapes of the Gobi Desert, Wild Fox Ridge blends regional history and myth with philosophical reflection. By weaving together folk traditions, historical rupture, human suffering, and spiritual inquiry, the novel restores a voice to the vanished camel drivers of the region and brings the forgotten histories of the desert routes back into contemporary imagination.

The NYC Big Book Award recognizes books from around the world for literary excellence, originality, and cultural impact. The recognition of Wild Fox Ridge affirms Xuemo's narrative ambition while offering international readers a window into the literary imagination of China's western regions.

The English edition was translated by Howard Goldblatt and Sylvia Li-chun Lin. The novel previously received the International Impact Book Award and ranked No. 1 in Amazon's Asian Literature category.

Xuemo's work continues to reach international audiences through translations, international book fairs, university lectures, library programs, and overseas reading communities, helping expand the global presence of contemporary Chinese literature.

Contact:
Ida Liu
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SOURCE Xuemo