The Monkey King Makes Fire on Black Wind Mountain
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In The Monkey King Makes Fire on Black Wind Mountain, Wukong (the Monkey King) vows to help a Buddhist monk who rescued him from prison. But when they travel to India on a quest for the Chinese emperor, the journey looks hopeless-especially when they run into thieves and murderers and demons....
The Monkey King is no ordinary fellow. His personality is a unique blend of strengths and flaws. Monkey is brave, fun-loving, and clever, as well as unpredictable, reckless, and sometimes ferocious.
No matter where he goes, the Monkey King is an unforgettable character with a knack for getting himself into trouble.
Stories in this series, The Irrepressible Monkey King, are based on the 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. The novel was inspired by the writings of a real 7th-century Buddhist monk who traveled from China to India and back. Mingling fantasy with historical accounts, Journey to the West is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
Advisory: Though shortened from the original, these stories reflect life and perspectives from ancient China and other cultures. Some of the ideas and attitudes may be unfamiliar to an English-language audience.
Cheng'en Wu
Also known as Ruzhong, Wu Cheng'en was a Chinese novelist, poet, and politician during the Ming Dynasty in the 1500s. He is widely considered to be the original author of the Journey to the West novel, although it was originally published anonymously in 1592. While he was known for some creative writing and poetry, fantasy fiction such as Journey was at the time considered "vulgar" and not true literature, unlike the classical works of previous dynasties. It wasn't until centuries later that textual analysis of works from that period was studied, along with reports from his hometown, suggesting that he might in fact be the original author. His use of local vernacular instead of classical Chinese, as well as the familiar "defiant spirit" of his other writings, has led most scholars to conclude that he is the most likely author of this legendary classic.
More by Cheng'en Wu
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