Hindi Edition of 'Wild Fox Ridge' Launches at New Delhi Book Fair, Expanding Cross-Cultural Literary Exchange

The Hindi edition of the contemporary novel Wild Fox Ridge debuted at the New Delhi Book Fair, representing a significant step in bridging literary worlds between China and India. The novel was translated into Hindi by award-winning translator Anand Swaroop Verma and published by New Delhi–based Prakashan Sansthan, a press long devoted to introducing world literature to Indian readers. The book launch brought together scholars, translators and literary figures, including B.R. Deepak, a sinologist and director of the Center for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, as well as scholar Ravindra Tripathi.

During the event, featured speakers read selected passages from the Hindi edition and engaged in discussions on the novel's literary themes and cultural context. In his speech, Tripathi described Xuemo as a writer with international acclaim, praising the intellectual depth and narrative breadth of his work. Rahul Sharma, director of Prakashan Sansthan, said Xuemo's writing is marked by a distinctive voice. Among the Chinese novels I've read, Xuemo's work is particularly distinctive and unpredictable, Sharma said. His sketch-like portrayal of everyday life in rural China, combined with a reflective narrative approach, offers readers a refreshing experience.

Several of Xuemo's works have previously been released in Hindi, including Selected Stories by Xuemo, The World Is a Reflection of the Mind, Wild Fox Ridge and Desert Rites. These books continue to attract attention from both academic circles and general readers in India. Students and faculty at the University of Delhi and Jawaharlal Nehru University have shown growing interest in Xuemo and his works, which are frequently used in literary research and cross-cultural studies. This academic engagement underscores the novel's importance as a cultural bridge and educational resource.

Beyond its Hindi edition, Wild Fox Ridge has also gained recognition internationally through its English-language edition. In 2025, the novel stood out among tens of thousands of entries worldwide, receiving several honors, including the International Impact Book Awards, the NYC Big Book Award and the International Book Awards. According to commentary published by international media, Wild Fox Ridge represents a major stylistic shift in Xuemo's literary career. Compared with his earlier realist works, such as the Desert Trilogy, the novel blends historical narration with mystical and symbolic elements.

Set within a ritual of summoning the souls, the novel recounts the mysterious disappearance of two camel caravans in western China more than a century ago. Through 28 spectral monologues, the story revisits the inner lives, beliefs and moral dilemmas of camel drivers struggling to survive in the unforgiving desert. Critics have called the work a poetic reimagining of the mythology in China's western region. During the launch, visitors browsed the new release and spoke with the featured guests, and took a photo with Xue Mo's works for commemoration. The event highlighted the novel's role in fostering cultural dialogue and expanding the reach of contemporary Chinese literature in India, with further information available at Amazon and other platforms.