02 Mar / Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book by Maxine Hong Kingston [in What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature]
Kingston’s first novel about the often comic mishaps and adventures of Wittman Ah Sing, who is one year out of Berkeley, a slacker before his time. Set in the 1960s, Wittman’s dream is to write and stage a spectacular version of several interwoven Chinese novels and fairy tales, faithful versions of ancient Chinese literary and oral traditions.
The Maxine Hong Kingston/Frank Chin debate has been raging for decades. Chin, also a writer, has heavily criticized Kingston for what he calls “corrupting” ancient Chinese myths and legends, such as in her version of “Fa Mu Lan” in The Woman Warrior. Two distinct camps – the “fake” and the “real,” as Chin calls them – have emerged from this debate which shows little sign of ever abating. Although Kingston has repeatedly said otherwise, the hero Wittman Ah Sing is believed to be a little-disguised version of Frank Chin. In Chin’s latest novel, Gunga Din Highway, one of the major characters is said to be a thinly-veiled caricature of Kingston.
By the way, for those expecting more of the Warrior or China Mengenre, be warned: This is a very different kind of work. The subtitle His Fake Book should be an obvious tip that even as a novel, this book will not be a predictable piece of literature.
Review: “Asian American Titles,” What Do I Read Next? Multicultural Literature, Gale Research, 1997
Readers: Adult
Published: 1989