About Wu Cheng’en
Wu Cheng’en was a Chinese writer of the sixteenth century, during the Ming dynasty. He is traditionally credited with Journey to the West, although the attribution remains debated. The full story of the novel’s composition cannot be stated with certainty.
The book draws on a storytelling tradition that grew around the seventh-century monk Xuanzang’s journey to India. Over time, storytellers added marvellous adventures and imaginary characters to that historical journey.
The Monkey King belongs to this world. Humour, transformations and extraordinary trials appear alongside Buddhist and Daoist traditions. The novel turns a journey rooted in history into a wide-ranging literary adventure.