Literature and History in the Shi Ji of Sima Qian

A monument of Japanese scholarship on the Shi ji, Prof. Miyazaki Ichisada’s work is the result of decades of meticulous research and original analysis by one of the giants of modern Japanese Sinology. Presented for the first time to readers of English through Prof. Joshua A. Fogel’s fine and learned translation, the essays collected in this book not only provide compelling testimony to the groundbreaking quality of modern Japanese scholarship on the Shi ji but also offer a magisterial contribution to the growing body of new studies in English on Sima Qian’s work as both history and literature."" —Martin Kern, Joanna and Greg ’84 P13 P18 Zeluck Professor in Asian Studies, Princeton University

""This translation of Prof. Miyazaki Ichisada’s essays on the Shi ji is one of the most important studies of that history, while also providing insights into Japanese Sinology of the late 20th century. He goes beyond modern Chinese and Western approaches to the Shi ji under the aegis of his theories about the rise of city states and the appearance of free men, arguing as that for Sima Qian the idea of a free man who dared to express himself regardless of the consequences was a personal ideal that shaped his view of his predecessors and their history."" —William H. Nienhauser, Jr., Halls-Bascom Professor of Classical Chinese Literature, University of Wisconsin-Madison

""Miyazaki Ichisada, a required reading in graduate school, is a pleasure to meet again through his enlightening essays on the Shi ji, which draws attention to several neglected features of China’s greatest history: its innovative format, its likely inspiration from oral traditions of urban performance, and its cross-cultural significance. This translation of Miyazaki’s work is bound to intrigue those new to the China field as well as seasoned professionals."" —Michael Nylan, Professor, Jane K. Sather History Chair, University of California at Berkeley