Wu Cheng'en (c. 1505-1580) was a Ming Dynasty poet about whom little is known, although he is believed to be the author of Journey to the West, which he published anonymously. He lived much of his life as a hermit.
Julia Lovell (editor/translator/introducer) is the translator of The Real Story of Ah-Q and Other Tales of China: The Complete Fiction of Lu Xun and the author of Maoism and The Opium War. She is a professor of modern China at Birkbeck College, University of London, and writes about China for The Guardian, Financial Times, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal.
Gene Luen Yang (foreword) is a MacArthur "genius," the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature, and the author of the half-million-copy New York Times bestselling graphic novel and National Book Award finalist American Born Chinese.