Anthony C. Yu

Research interests center on the comparative study of both literary and religious traditions of China and the West. The themes and topoi of Greek religions and Christian theology have informed his essays on Classical epics and tragedies. Similarly, he has pioneered in the study of pre-modern Chinese fiction and poetry in their historical and linguistic relations to Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. His 4-vol. annotated translation of the Ming novel, The Journey to the West, the first complete version in English, won the Laing Prize in 1983 from the University of Chicago Press. His 1997 book on Dream of the Red Chamber has been judged the single most important work on this eighteenth-century novel's interpretation. Current work includes comparative studies in the philosophy of language, Chinese though and human rights, and translation of the complete poetry (with critical introduction) of WuZao, the most acclaimed Qing woman poet.