A fresh look at Confucius through the oldest known record of his life.
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 Confucius afresh. In this book, Mark Csikszentmihalyi tells the story of the life and thought 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—by those who want to radically reform or destroy it and by those who seek to preserve or revive it. Confucius provides an insightful, accessible, and concise account of a key figure in East Asian thought.
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 Confucius afresh. In this book, Mark Csikszentmihalyi tells the story of the life and thought 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—by those who want to radically reform or destroy it and by those who seek to preserve or revive it. Confucius provides an insightful, accessible, and concise account of a key figure in East Asian thought.
240 pages | 23 halftones | 5.43 x 8.5 | © 2026
Great Lives of the Ancient World
Asian Studies: General Asian Studies
