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Monkey (Penguin Classics) | 
| Author: Wu Ch'eng-en
Creator: Arthur Waley
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: £9.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  11 reviews
Sales Rank: 8568
Media: Paperback
Edition: New impression
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 4.9 x 0.9
ISBN: 0140441115
Dewey Decimal Number: 895.1346
EAN: 9780140441116
ASIN: 0140441115
Publication Date: January 27, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 6 more reviews...
 Not as good as Homer September 19, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Damon Albarn of Gorillaz and Blur has turned this book into an opera so I thought I should read it before I saw the show. The structure is something like the Iliad or Finn McCool so that each chapter is a new adventure but linked together into a wider story. In the case of Monkey the adventures become the road story of bringing the Buddhist scripture from India to China. The central character is the human priest Tripitaka but his three disciples - Monkey, Pigsy and Sandy - are magical beings. Along the way and back to India they face 81 problems, ogres, monsters and so on, with the action flowing fast and furious, but not much narrative. It's rather like a chinese chopsocky movie with constant action and set pieces but not much subtlety or character development. It ends up being historically important but not really compelling. Lots of reviewers say the book is funny but that's true only in the sense that Robin Hood is funny; it's not a chuckle fest. Arthur Walsey has done an excellent straight down the line translation but I think I would have preferred a Rosemary Sutcliffe style retelling that might not have been as true to the original but would have brought the story more depth and life.
Dear Monkey! June 26, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
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 June 17, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
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 March 3, 2007
9 out of 10 found this review helpful
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].
Entertaining, but too abridged October 14, 2005
17 out of 20 found this review helpful
Like many of the other reviewers, I read 'Monkey' largely due to my nostalgia for the TV series. I was intrigued by the 'true' story behind the adventures of Sandy, Pigsy and Monkey, so decided to give Wu's book a go. Originally written as 'Journey to the West' in the sixteenth century, it is an epic myth about the journey of a priest (Tripitaka) to retrieve some sacred Buddhist texts from India and return to China. For his protection, he is assigned three spirits who have all fallen out of favour with heaven: the gluttonous Pigsy, the ponderous Sandy and the mischievous Monkey. The book begins with the story of how Monkey earned his disfavour in a magical narrative which switches between his life as a king on earth and his antics in heaven. Then it moves on to his discovery by the priest, and their adventures in seeking out the scriptures, adventures that includes battles with evil demons, deceitful kings and angry gods.
'Monkey' is a fairy tale laced with Buddhist mythology and imagery. Although the language is fairly simple (the book can be read by children - at least ones who don't mind a bit of violence) there is a richness to the style that effortlessly conjures up an ancient oriental scene in the reader's mind. The story itself, like any good fairy tale, is full of holes and occasionally non-sensical, but this adds to the magical feel. In addition, the Buddhist backdrop adds a layer of complexity and depth that belies 'Monkey's status as a mere fairy tale. I learnt a lot from reading 'Monkey', and would recommend it as a good primer for learning about ancient Buddhism.
All of these positives are, unfortunately, overshadowed by one enormous negative. As the blurb points out, Wu Ch'en-en's 'Journey to the West' is an epic myth, with many separate adventures. It has been the tradition in translations to reproduce all of the chapters in abridged form. 'Monkey' doesn't do this. Instead, it reproduces a few chapters completely and ignores many others. Specifically, the chapters concerning concerning Monkey have been left in. This has two negative effects on the book. Firstly, there are obvious gaping holes where consecutive chapters appear disjointed and intervening narrative is clearly missing. This is not a terrible omission, because the narrative is so unlikely anyway that a few gaps don't disrupt it too badly, but it is annoying. Secondly, it means that Pigsy is a very minor character, and Sandy hardly figures at all, presumably because chapters in which they are prominent have been ignored. According to the blurb, all of Tripitaka's companions have allegorical significance, but it is impossible to get a sense of what Sandy and Pigsy contribute from this book. Because of it, 'Monkey' loses a lot of meaning from the original 'Journey to the West'. Instead it becomes just a fairy tale, albeit a very entertaining one.
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