East-West comparative literature is a field of study that has seen tremendous growth in recent years. In this pioneering study, renowned scholar Zhang Longxi offers a much-needed reappraisal of the thematic and conceptual similarities that unite literary and cultural traditions in the East and West. An expanded version of the lectures he gave as part of the Alexander Lectures Series at the University of Toronto in 2005, Unexpected Affinities emphasizes affinity over difference and explores the relationship between East and the West in terms of cultural homogeneity (with shared literary qualities as its sign-posts), challenging the traditional boundaries of cross-cultural study and comparative literature as a discipline.

Throughout Unexpected Affinities, Zhang emphasizes the validity of East-West studies through concrete examples and a wide range of references not only to literature, but to religious and philosophical texts as well. Zhang insists that certain critical insights come solely from the cross-cultural perspective of East-West Studies, and that without going beyond the limited horizon of a single literary tradition, we will not attain the broad vision of human creativity in all its richness and diversity. Clear, concise, and very engaging, Unexpected Affinities will appeal to students of comparative literature and Asian studies, as well as to readers interested in the global implications of art and culture.

張隆溪，生於四川成都，北京大學西語係碩士，美國哈佛大學比較文學博士，著名比較文學學者，錢鍾書先生的關門弟子。現任香港城市大學中文、翻譯及語言學係教授。曾受聘於美國加州大學河濱校區，任比較文學教授。他的研究範圍包括英國文學、中國古典文學、中西比較文學、文學理論及跨文化研究。主要著述有：《道與邏各斯》、《20世紀西方文論述評》及《走齣封閉的文化圈》等。