Journey to the West
Journey to the West is a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. In English-speaking countries, "Monkey", Arthur Waley's popular abridged translation is well known.
The Dream Life of Balso Snell
West began developing material for "The Dream Life of Balso Snell" as early as 1924; he worked on the novel during his stay in Paris in 1926 and finished a complete draft in New York City between 1927 and 1929, under the title "The Journal of Balso Snell". The manuscript was rejected twice before finally getting accepted, largely due to a favorable appraisal by William Carlos Williams. The book was published in New York City by the Paris-based Contact Editions in August 1931 in an edition of 500 copies. There were no other printings during West’s lifetime. After West became famous (years after his death) for "Miss Lonelyhearts" and "The Day of the Locust", "Balso Snell" was reprinted in a single volume edition of his complete novels, as well as in the Library of America edition of West's collected works.