Zillij By Ameena Hussein. (winner of State Literary award for Best Short Stories) Economics or country is safe

or country is safe

With its examination of the possibility that art can both save and destroy us

Colombo’s father Cruz attempts to rescue a church from parishioners who like to put their donations where others can see them-on large plaques

creaming a leather ball in a sock hanging from the brand of a mango tree

’ assuming that the magic word ‘Oxford’ will open any door

Zillij By Ameena Hussein. (winner of State Literary award for Best Short Stories) Economics or country is safeZillij is a collection of short stories addressing and revolving around the question of identity, within as essentially Sri Lankan context. While most of this volume reflects aspects of Sri Lankas ethnic and socio economic struggles. These stories are not merely about Sri Lanka. Ameena Hussein writes of love, death, fantasy, identity crises, changing worlds and freedom, creatively using language to shape raw life into evocative fiction.