Confucius
A New Tradition
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Reaktion Books
Publishing:1st Jun '26
£15.99
This title is due to be published on 1st June, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
People have written biographies of Confucius for over 2,000 years, but a recent discovery of a Chinese tomb containing the oldest written account of his life provides an opportunity to revisit the philosopher afresh. In this book, Mark Csikszentmihalyi tells the story of the life and wisdom of the Chinese thinker by exploring Confucius as a ritual prodigy, moral educator, scholar and political draftsman. He also considers how Confucius has been used as a symbol for traditional Chinese culture in modern times – both by those who want to radically reform or destroy it and by those who seek to preserve or revive it. Confucius: A New Tradition provides an insightful, accessible and concise account of a key figure in East Asian thought.
"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 Guodian
"Confucius: 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 author of The Path: A New Way to Think about Everything
ISBN: 9781836390114
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
192 pages