In 2022, the Sinhala version of “Selected Stories” by Xue Mo was honored with the National Literature Award in Sri Lanka Selected Stories by Xue Mo is a collection of short tales set on the ancient Silk Road, exploring love, hope, faith, life and death. The first three tales depict the lives and relationships of outsiders in rural villages, offering a contemporary perspective on the impact of rumour, pain and suffering. The last novella tells a gripping story of two sisters-in-law crossing the desert by camel to find hope, seek freedom and pursue dreams. These tales serve as a perfect introduction to Xue Mo’s literary works. Translated into over two dozen languages, namely English, French, German, Korean, and Swedish, this book has been praised for its universal appeal. Its English version was translated by Nicky Harman,a prize-winning British sinologist and translator, with the Guardian newspaper including one of its stories Old Man Xinjiang, in their collection of five top short stories from contemporary China.
