Curses of the Kingdom of Xixia

<p><b>Reality merges with illusion in this novel of northwestern China.</b></p><p><b>Winner of the 2024 New York City Big Book Award in the World Literature category </b></p><p><b>Finalist for the 2023 </b><b><i>Foreword</i></b><b> INDIES Book of the Year Award in the Multicultural Fiction category </b></p><p>Xue Mo's novel <i>Curses of the Kingdom of Xixia</i> presents a rich tapestry of the history religion lore and customs of a region in present-day northwestern China. During its heyday the Sino-Tibetan kingdom of Xixia (pronounced <i>see-sia</i>; 1038-1227) also known as the Tanguts rivaled the Song dynasty (960-1279) of China and boasted a cavalry so formidable that the Chinese paid tribute to it to maintain peace. Using the discovery of lost manuscripts as a frame the novel presents historical events and tales of semifictional characters including the avatar of a local Tantric Buddhist goddess a Dakini/Vajrayogini named Snow Feather. Taking the readers through different historical times and the various geographical and cultural spaces of the region Xue Mo reveals truths by blurring the distinction between good and evil beauty and hideousness reality and fiction permanence and impermanence. Magical realism and mimesis coexist. Reality merges with illusion the mundane with the supernatural.</p>