Confucius

Mark Csikszentmihalyi is Professor and Eliaser Chair of International Studies in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, University of California, Berkeley. He is editor of the journal Early China.

Brilliantly structured around the earliest surviving manuscript biography of Confucius, Mark Csikszentmihalyi’s new book is perfectly pitched for accessibly exploring complexities while succinctly providing all the relevant background information. Written by one of the foremost experts on the subject, it stands to be the best introduction to the thought of Confucius within its historical context to date. - Scott Cook, Tan Chin Tuan Professor of Chinese Studies, National University of Singapore, and editor and translator of The Bamboo Texts of GuodianConfucius: A New Tradition is a tremendously exciting work. Csikszentmihalyi provides a beautiful translation of the earliest extant version of Confucius’s biography and then discusses how and why this story was adapted in later times. The result is a highly insightful and delightfully written study of the different understandings of Confucius throughout history. A truly wonderful book! - Michael Puett, Walter C. Klein Professor of Chinese History and Anthropology, Harvard University, and co-author of The Path: A New Way to Think about Everything