Monkey: A Journey to the West

A classic of Chinese literature, this beloved folktale is part adventure story, part spiritual allegory—now reimagined by a National Book Award nominee

Part spiritual pilgrimage, part historical epic, the folk novel Journey to the West , which came to be known as Monkey , is the most popular classic of Asian literature. Originally written in the sixteenth century, it is the story of the adventures of the rogue-trickster Monkey and his encounters with a bizarre cast of characters as he travels to India with the Buddhist pilgrim Tripitaka in search of sacred scriptures.

Much more than a picaresque adventure novel, Monkey is a profound allegory of the struggle that must occur before spiritual transformation is possible. David Kherdian’s masterful telling brings this classic of Chinese literature to life in a way that is true to the scope and depth of the original.