Timothy Mo, The Monkey King

Elaine Ho (University of Hong Kong)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.3.5: South Asian Diasporic Literature and Culture, 1800-present.
Vol. editors: Claire Gallien (Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3), Pavan Kumar Malreddy (J W Goethe University of Frankfurt), Delphine Munos (Université de Liège), Muneeza Shamsie (Independent Scholar - Asia), Niaz Zaman (Independent University Bangladesh)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1978

Places

Hong Kong (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

The Monkey King (1978), tells the story of Wallace Nolasco, a Macanese of Portuguese descent. He becomes the son-in-law of Mr Poon, patriarch of the Poon family in Hong Kong, and is initially treated as an outsider to the family, manipulated and bamboozled by Mr Poon. Implicated in one of Mr Poon's dubious money-making schemes, Wallace and his wife have to take refuge outside the city, and away from the patriarch's immediate influence. Gradually, he becomes his own man, an entrepreneur and community organiser. Back in the Poon household, his status continues to rise until after Mr Poon's death and the disappearance of the eldest son, Ah Lung, he succeeds as patriarch, and becomes fully incorporated into the family and family …

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1056 words

Citation: Ho, Elaine. "The Monkey King". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 November 2002 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=138, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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