Daniel Fried is Associate Professor of Chinese and Comparative Literature, and Chair of the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Alberta, Canada. He specializes in the intellectual history of ancient and medieval China, particularly focusing on theories of language and communication. He is a past president of the Association of Chinese and Comparative Literature, and the founding Chair of the Modern Language Association's Forum on Pre-14th Century Chinese Literature. Currently, he serves on the executive committee of the MLA's Association of Language Departments, and as Vice President of the World Association for Chinese Studies.