Griever: An American Monkey King in China
Encyclopedia
Griever: An American Monkey King in China is a 1986 novel by Gerald Vizenor
. It won the 1986 New York Fiction Collective Award and the 1988 American Book Award
. The book is important both because it establishes the trickster
figure of Griever de Hocus, whom Vizenor had created in his 1985 story "Luminous Thighs" and whom he would use again in The Trickster of Liberty
, and because Vizenor takes Native American stories and themes outside the Americas and into China
, establishing a connection to Chinese trickster figures, most notably Sun Wukong
the Monkey King.
Based partly on Vizenor's own experiences as a visiting professor in China, the novel follows mixedblood Griever de Hocus as he takes up a teaching position in Tianjin
. While there, Griever makes numerous connections between Native American history and the neocolonialism
he sees occurring in communist China; for instance, by giving his pet rooster the name Matteo Ricci
, Vizenor connects the Westernization process in China with the political and religious colonization of the Americas. Along the way, Griever casts himself as a modern Monkey King, proclaiming liberation to the Chinese and joining up with modernized versions of the Monkey King's companions.
Gerald Vizenor
Gerald Robert Vizenor is a Native American writer, and an enrolled member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, White Earth Reservation. One of the most prolific Native American writers, with over 30 books to his name, Vizenor also taught for many years at the University of California, Berkeley, where...
. It won the 1986 New York Fiction Collective Award and the 1988 American Book Award
American Book Award
The American Book Award was established in 1978 by the Before Columbus Foundation. It seeks to recognize outstanding literary achievement by contemporary American authors, without restriction to race, sex, ethnic background, or genre...
. The book is important both because it establishes the trickster
Trickster
In mythology, and in the study of folklore and religion, a trickster is a god, goddess, spirit, man, woman, or anthropomorphic animal who plays tricks or otherwise disobeys normal rules and conventional behavior. It is suggested by Hansen that the term "Trickster" was probably first used in this...
figure of Griever de Hocus, whom Vizenor had created in his 1985 story "Luminous Thighs" and whom he would use again in The Trickster of Liberty
The Trickster of Liberty
The Trickster of Liberty is a 1988 novel by Gerald Vizenor that acts as a prequel to his earlier novels Bearheart: The Heirship Chronicles and Griever: An American Monkey King in China. The novel is a collection of stories about the mixedblood descendants of Luster Browne and their lives on the...
, and because Vizenor takes Native American stories and themes outside the Americas and into China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, establishing a connection to Chinese trickster figures, most notably Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong
Sun Wukong , also known as the Monkey King is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the West . In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices...
the Monkey King.
Based partly on Vizenor's own experiences as a visiting professor in China, the novel follows mixedblood Griever de Hocus as he takes up a teaching position in Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
. While there, Griever makes numerous connections between Native American history and the neocolonialism
Neocolonialism
Neocolonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization, and cultural forces to control a country in lieu of direct military or political control...
he sees occurring in communist China; for instance, by giving his pet rooster the name Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci
Matteo Ricci, SJ was an Italian Jesuit priest, and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China Mission, as it existed in the 17th-18th centuries. His current title is Servant of God....
, Vizenor connects the Westernization process in China with the political and religious colonization of the Americas. Along the way, Griever casts himself as a modern Monkey King, proclaiming liberation to the Chinese and joining up with modernized versions of the Monkey King's companions.