Brook Ziporyn is Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Northwestern University.
The Zhuangzi, with its 'goblet words,' lends itself by design to
endless interpretation, of which no single instance has any real
claim to the 'correct' meaning of the text. To date, Zhuangzi
translations have presented their readers with only a single view
of the text--that of the translator himself. With Ziporyn's book,
the English world finally has the means to read the Zhuangzi the
way it should be read: through the eyes of many. Ziporyn has
carefully selected the most illuminating passages to be found
within several of the most brilliant Zhuangzi commentaries written
over the past two millennia, and he has rendered these often
abstruse interpretations, along with the key Zhuangzi chapters
which form their subject, accurately and lucidly into flowing
English prose. This extraordinary work sets the new standard for
Zhuangzi translations, and will prove an indispensable resource for
anyone who wishes to take a comprehensive view of this most
timeless and boundless of Chinese philosophical classics. --Scott
Cook, Grinnell College
In Ziporyn, the Zhuangzi has found a worthy translator who brings
both philosophical and Sinological acumen to the book. . . .
Readers encounter not only the primary text in a fluid, readable
translation, but also may refer to selected commentaries on
particular passages with ease. . . . His translation offers a
splendid portal into the thought of one of the funniest
philosophers of all time. --Jeffrey L. Richey, Berea College
With judicious abridgement (sixteen full chapters, including all
seven Inner chapters, plus selections from six more) and valuable
added commentary, this book is a great choice for the undergraduate
classroom. The translation often provides a fresh perspective to
old problems, and the selection of commentary delivers a focus and
accessibility that engages—and encourages us to re-engage—the
considerable commentarial tradition. The translation is a delight.
Ziporyn's lucid prose is often a marked improvement over his
predecessors. . . . Footnotes are more plentiful than in the
previous translations and are especially helpful with a text like
the Zhuangzi. The selections from traditional commentaries are the
most innovative feature of this translation, in keeping with Edward
Slingerland's Analects and Bryan Van Norden's Mengzi translations
(also from Hackett). Ziporyn provides extracts from forty-seven
commentators that offer valuable contextualization as well as a
variety of perspectives from which to approach the text. Overall
Ziporyn's translation is smooth, clear and accurate, his notes are
helpful, and his commentary selections bring new and welcome
dimensions to the text as textbook and as an aid for scholarly
research. --Paul Fischer, American University in Cairo, in
Philosophy East & West
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