The Monkey King: A New Translation of the Classic Chinese Legend

by Wu Cheng'en, George Theiner (Translator), Zdeněk Sklenář (Illustrator)

Translated by George Theiner, illustrated by Zdenek Sklenar, edited by Zdena Novotna

331 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1964

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Wu Cheng'en (simplified Chinese: 吴承恩; traditional Chinese: 吳承恩; pinyin: Wú Chéng'ēn, ca. 1505–1580 or 1500–1582, courtesy name Ruzhong (汝忠), pen name "Sheyang Hermit," was a Chinese novelist and poet of the Ming Dynasty, best known for being the probable author of one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, Journey to the West, also called Monkey.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This lengthy legend from China dates back to the 16th Century and it appears on a list of must read books so I approached with obligation and a bit of trepidation. I ended up listening to it on a long flight and, though there were portions that seemed to drag, much of it was so enjoyable and incredibly humorous.
With a mixture of myth and history, it gives the reader some key elements into understanding the Chinese consciousness. I think it may be ever so much more enjoyable under the guidance of a scholarly instructor.