The Art of War: The Essential Translation of the Classic Book of Life
About this audiobook
Master Sun said: “Ultimate excellence lies not in winning every battle but in defeating the enemy without ever fighting.”
For more than two thousand years, The Art of War has stood as a cornerstone of Chinese culture, a lucid text that reveals as much about psychology, politics, and economics as it does about battlefield strategy. For those seeking a deeper understanding of this seminal work, scholar John Minford brings the words of Sun-tzu to life for modern listeners, presenting the core text in two formats:
Part I: The original text by Sun-tzuRay Porter reads the unadorned thirteen chapters, allowing listeners to form their own first impressions of the ancient words of wisdom ascribed to Sun-tzu.
Part II: The original text with running commentaryRead by Ray Porter and Lorna Raver, the original text is presented again, this time with extensive running commentary by traditional Chinese scholars and the translator, providing context and subtext for the work. Included is a lively, learned introduction, read by Lorna Raver, in which Minford explores the life and times of Sun-tzu and considers how best to read and understand the work today.
Even those readers familiar with The Art of War will experience it anew, finding it more fascinating and more relevant than ever.
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About the author
Sun Tzu lived in China in the sixth and fifth centuries BC, serving as a general and strategist to the king of Wu. A philosopher and writer, his military stratagems, written over 2,500 years ago, are still pertinent today.
John Minford studied Chinese at Oxford and has taught in China, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. His highly regarded translations from the Chinese include two volumes of the Penguin Classics edition of Cao Xueqin’s eighteenth-century novel The Story of the Stone. He is a coeditor of the landmark volume Classical Chinese Literature: An Anthology of Translations and a coeditor of Seeds of Fire: Chinese Voices of Conscience.
Yuri Rasovsky (1944–2012) was the leading writer, producer, and director of audio drama in the United States. Also a distinguished actor, narrator, and critic, his numerous honors include two Peabody Awards, eight Audie Awards, and a Grammy.
Ray Porter is a prolific voice actor that has recorded for over 100 audio books and dozens of television series, video games and video shorts. Among his wide variety of audiobook credits are The Silver Linings Playbook, The Black Hole War, and the Joe Ledger series. He claims, “With every book I’ve done, I have found that the author has a voice and if I can just do my best to stay out of the way of that voice, then the writer will convey what he’s trying to put across. So for me, it’s really more about enabling the text and what the author is trying to say.”
Lorna Raver, named one of AudioFile magazine’s Best Voices of the Year, has received numerous Audie nominations and AudioFile Earphones Awards. An experienced stage actress, she has also guest-starred on many top television series and starred in director Sam Raimi’s film Drag Me to Hell. Among her many Blackstone titles are The Age of Innocence, Up from Orchard Street, The Lodger, Selected Readings from the Portable Dorothy Parker, and Diamond Ruby.
