Toming Jun Liu is the pen name of Liu Jun. Liu was born in Xi'an, China, and is a professor in the Department of English, California State University, Los Angeles, where he teaches American literature, nineteeth-century and twentieth-century European literature, aesthetics, and critical theory. Liu has published numerous articles on modern American and Asian American authors in various forums in the United States. His latest publications include A History of American Literature (Yilin Press, 2003) and two interviews with the Chinese diasporan writer MuXin. In addition, Liu has published translations from English into Chinese, including Faulkner's Light in August. His English translation of MuXin's short fiction is now under consideration for publication. In the early 1980s, Liu worked as a translator for the United Nations. Liu received his education in China, England, and the United States. His recent research and writing interests include diasporan literature. In addition, Toming Jun Liu holds guest professorships from Pascal University in France and from Suzhou University, Northwest University, and Jiaotong University in China.