Dear Monkey

Wu is the reputed author of the great comic-picaresque novel Journey to the West, or Monkey, as Arthur Waley entitled his translation, which has often been compared for its content and its influence on tradition with Don Quixote in European literature. Wu was a native of Huai-an (in Kiangsu), and in the local history published there in 1625 the show more statement is made about his authorship of the work. However, this was unknown by the general reading public for over 300 years, perhaps partly because Wu died without children to perpetuate his claim to fame. Though the story of the novel is loosely based on the historical pilgrimage of a Chinese Buddhist monk, Hsuan-tsang, to India in the years 629--645 to obtain Buddhist scriptures, in fact the narrative bears little relation to what actually happened. Instead, it is fabricated from the many popular tales told by storytellers, which over the years embellished the factual chronicles left by Hsuan-tsang with many Chinese beliefs about the monsters and demons of the lands he passed through. The novel teems with humor, invention, and memorable characters, and has been a great favorite with Chinese audiences for centuries. Comic book versions of its stories can be found in Chinatowns all over the world. (Bowker Author Biography) show less