Perry Link has a B.A. in philosophy, M.A. in East Asian Studies, and Ph.D. in Chinese history from Harvard University and has taught Chinese language and literature at Princeton University (1973-77 and 1989-2008) and UCLA (1977-1988). He has published in the fields of modern Chinese language, literature, popular culture, intellectual history, art and politics. His current research is on rhythm, metaphor, and politics in contemporary Chinese language. His recent books are The Uses of Literature: Life in the Socialist Chinese Literary System; Two Kinds of Truth: Stories and Reportage from China; and Chinese Primer, an elementary Chinese textbook.