The Monkey King and Other Stories

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Prejudice, faith, sacrifice, greed, justice, compassion, and revenge.
These are just some of the themes explored in this collection of ancient
tales drawn from Sri Lanka’s Hindu, Buddhist, and Muslim folk
traditions. The tales are retold in the modern voices of Canadians, Sri
Lankans, Sri Lankan–born Canadians and an African-Canadian of South
Asian decent. It is a bold project. In an age where most writers fear
the charge of voice appropriation, this book deliberately embraces it.

“The retelling of a story is necessary because of change and human
culture,” writes Graeme MacQueen, a McGill religious studies
professor, in the book’s foreword, “but retelling is possible only
because of the human nature we share.”

All of the stories come from oral traditions. Many are not native to
Sri Lanka but are based upon even older tales originating from
throughout South Asia. Whether told by Canadian or Sri Lankan writers,
most of the stories have a timeless, supernatural quality: gods pose as
monkey kings and ordinary people can speak directly to eagles or cobras.
Occasionally, with the substitution of an army jeep for a royal chariot,
the modern world breaks in but does not warp the storyline.

The transportability of these stories is demonstrated by the variety of
authors who contributed. In spite of the disparity of ancient sources
and modern voice, the finished product is a highly entertaining and
cohesive unit that begs for an encore.