Confucius : A New Tradition

Author: Mark Csikszentmihalyi

China

Published on 6 July 2026 by REAKTION BOOKS in the United Kingdom as part of 'the Great Lives of the Ancient World' series.

Hardback | 192 pages, 23 illustrations
216 x 138 | 0g

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.