Sima Qian (first century BCE), the author of Record of the Historian (Shiji), is China's earliest and best-known historian, and his "Letter to Ren An" is the most famous letter in Chinese history. In the letter, Sima Qian explains his decision to finish his life's work, the first comprehensive history of China, instead of honorably committing suicide following his castration for "deceiving the emperor." In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, some scholars have queried the authenticity of the letter. Is it a genuine piece of writing by Sima Qian or an early work of literary impersonation? The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's Legacy provides a full translation of the letter and uses different methods to explore issues in textual history. It also shows how ideas about friendship, loyalty, factionalism, and authorship encoded in the letter have far-reaching implications for the study of China.

The Letter to Ren An and Sima Qian's Legacy provides a full translation of this famous letter and uses different methods to explore issues in textual history.

Stephen Durrant is professor of Chinese language and literature at the University of Oregon; Wai-yee Li is professor of Chinese literature at Harvard University; Michael Nylan is professor of history at University of California, Berkeley; and Hans van Ess is professor of sinology at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munchen.

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Chronology of Dynasties

Maps

Introduction

Zuo Tradition / Zuozhuan

Volume One

Lord Yin

Lord Huan

Lord Zhuang

Lord Min

Lord Xi

Lord Wen

Lord Xuan

Volume Two

Lord Cheng

Lord Xiang

Volume Three

Lord Zhao

Lord Ding

Lord Ai

Bibliography

Place-Name Index

Personal Name Index