Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #150 in Books
• Published on: 1973-03-29
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
Monkey depicts the adventures of Prince Tripitaka, a young Buddhist priest on a dangerous pilgrimage to India to retrieve sacred scriptures accompanied by his three unruly disciples: the greedy pig creature Pipsy, the river monster Sandy and Monkey. Hatched from a stone egg and given the secrets of heaven and earth, the irrepressible trickster Monkey can ride on the clouds, become invisible and transform into other shapes skills that prove very useful when the four travellers come up against the dragons, bandits, demons and evil wizards that threaten to prevent them in their quest. Wu Ch'eng-en wrote Monkey in the mid-sixteenth century, adding his own distinctive style to an ancient Chinese legend, and in so doing created a dazzling combination of nonsense with profundity, slapstick comedy with spiritual wisdom.

Customer Reviews

Dear Monkey!
The basic premise of this novel, in Chinese pinyin "xiyouji" which literally translates to "Journey to the West", sees a group of four set out on an epic journey to recover the Buddhist sutras from India and bring them to China. On the way they encounter various monsters, ghosts and demons trying to stop them. The four represent different sides of human nature, their journey to the "West" (actually India) mirrors the human journey of life and whilst Heaven is awash with beaurocracy, the Earth is littered with challenges and obstacles.

The Monkey King is perhaps the most famous character of all, bold, proud, brave and cunning, equipped with a magical staff, the ability to transform himself into over 70 different shapes and a whole host of magical powers. Tripitaka is the monk, humble, kind and naive, the epitome of the Buddhist devotee, but not averse to reciting a curse that can keep Monkey under control. Pigsy is the third main character, representing greed, sloth and lust, usually to be found eating, sleeping or chatting up the ladies. Sandy is the fourth, but pretty non-decript member of the group.

The story is humorous and satirical. It contains a lot of references to Chinese history and elements of Buddhism and Taoism (Daoism) which can be a bit confusing if you have no previous knowledge. Arthur Waley's translation is only a fraction of the original tome however, and those looking for a genuine translation of equal depth to the original should look elsewhere. Think of this as a distillation of some of the best bits.

Perhaps you need to live in China to realise just how important this novel is, not just as a piece of historical writing, but also in the Chinese contemporary imagination. If you're interested in China and Chinese cultural mythology, you should definitely put this on your reading list!

Fantastic intro
I read this in practically no time at all. If you're nervous about reading the unabridged Journey to the West and just want to see if you can get into Monkey, this is the book for you.

lovely introduction to chinese litterature
This is a wonderful translation/adaptation of a seminal Chinese novel. Monkey is much shorter than its original [`Journey to the West'] but it has been masterfully adapted.

For someone who is interested in getting acquainted with Chinese literature but might be a little intimidated by the thousands of pages in which many of those novels carry on, 'Monkey' is a great introduction. I was so enthralled by this book that I moved on and I read the whole `Journey to The West'. Now, having read both I must admit that the adaptation was exquisite. It is highly recommended to read the `Journey to The West' if you have the time but if not then make sure you find some time for `Monkey'. It is very entertaining, it has kept the plot focused and it will get you addicted to Chinese literature for life.

It is also a great introduction to Chinese culture as it presents chinese mythology much more explicitly than most novels do. And for the Kung Fu fans there are plenty of battles and info on the martial arts mentality. [Not being a Kung fu fan myself I almost got addicted just by reading the book].