The Kitchen God and His Wives: A Modern Chinese Folk Epic Translated by Wilt Idema

The Kitchen God and His Wives (Cornell University Press) is a modern folk epic on the origin of the Stove God, widely venerated across China. In this tale, the Stove God (or Kitchen God) begins as a mortal man who owes his wealth and success to his loyal wife, the long-suffering Guo Dingxiang. Guo’s ungrateful husband divorces her, losing his fortune and eventually becoming a beggar. When he receives charity from his former wife, he is filled with remorse and kills himself by jumping into the stove. This act elevates both the man and his wife to godhood.

Set in China’s countryside and ranging from heaven to hell, this tale provides a look at traditional marriage customs and the uses and abuses of fortune telling in southeastern Henan. This volume contains Wilt L. Idema’s full and annotated translation of the Guo Dingxiang epic together with an extensive study of the textualization of this work in the years following the Cultural Revolution. The Kitchen God and His Wives offers a valuable look at Chinese folk culture and traditional storytelling.

Wilt L. Idema is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. He has translated or co-translated numerous works in the traditions of Chinese drama and storytelling.