This is the best study of a single Chinese poet I have seen in decades. And the best study of Du Fu known to me. David Schneider goes beyond previous works in revealing what might be called the source of Du Fu’s gravitas. What is especially refreshing is that the author, while making use of well-selected modern authorities to cast light on Du Fu’s poetry, is equally careful never to embrace their theories fully, with the ancillary danger of anachronism which taints so much contemporary humanities scholarship. The combination of empathy and critical thinking here is exemplary. The author writes eloquently and clearly, and is a very fine translator indeed, and gives us some of the very finest translations of Du Fu we now possess. - Jonathan Chaves, George Washington University