Thomas Mazanec (余泰明) researches premodern Chinese literature and religion, as well as their dialogue with other cultures. He is also interested in world literature, poetics, digital humanities, and translation studies. His publications cover a broad range of topics, from the problem of translating rhythm, to the evolution of a Sanskrit literary term in medieval China, to the potential contributions of network analysis to literary history. He is especially fond of the art of literary translation, maintaining a collection of bizarre and obscure translations of classical Chinese poetry into English and co-editing an online bibliography of Chinese poetry in translation.

Prof. Mazanec is currently revising the manuscript of his first book, Poet-Monks: The Invention of Buddhist Poetry in Medieval China, which explores the formation of a tradition of “poet-monks” during the ninth and tenth centuries, and the ways in which these monks brought together poetic and religious practice in their verses. His next project, Beyond Lyricism: Chinese Poetry in Other Modes, will explore the genres and practices which lie on the borderlines of “poetry” in early and medieval China. He is also working on several reference works and translations of Tang poetry, and co-editing The Worst Chinese Poetry: A Critical Anthology.