Wu Cheng En

Name: Wu Cheng'en (Traditional Chinese: 吳 承恩; Simplified Chinese: 吴 承恩;)
Born: Around 1504 in Huai An, China (Jiangsu province)
Death: 1582 ?

Wu Cheng'en was born around 1504 in Huai An, China, present day Jiangsu province. His father is a merchant. However he grow up to be a fiction writer and poet. Wu Cheng'en studied in Nanjing Taixue (ancient Nanjing University) for more than 10 years. He received a traditional Confucian education and became known for his clever poetry and prose composition in the classical style. His poetry focused on the expression of emotions. His works is compared to Li Bai. He is best known for the novel Xi you ji aka Journey to the West, which was published anonymously in 1592. Journey to the West satirizes Chinese society and government and contains religious and philosophical elements drawn from Buddhism, Daoism, and Neo-Confucianism. Only two volumes of his other writings have survived. However Wu Cheng'en repeatedly failed the civil service exams.Eventually he was appointed to the post of Vice Magistrate in Changxing county at 63 years old. At 65, he was in prison on a trumped-up charge of corruption. The case was eventually brought to light and he was offered another position but didn't take it.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Cheng'en http://www.renditions.org/renditions/authors/wuce.html http://www.answers.com/topic/wu-cheng-en