英若诚（1929-2003），著名话剧表演艺术家、导演、翻译家、政治家，1949年毕业于清华大学外国语言文学系，曾任中华人民共和国文化部副部长、北京人民艺术剧院的建院成员。他在话剧《龙须沟》《雷雨》《茶馆》中扮演过重要角色，1979年把老舍的《茶馆》翻译成英文在国外出版，1983年他又将美国当代著名作家阿瑟米勒的代表作《推销员之死》译成中文，并与米勒合作将其搬上北京人艺舞台，同时在剧中成功塑造了主角威利·罗曼。他参加演出并导演了30多部话剧、10余部电影和电视剧，同时还翻译了200多万字的作品，其中包括莎士比亚的著作。英若诚被誉为“全世界最杰出的十名中国艺术家之一”，在舞台、银幕和文化外交上做出过重要的贡献。

Review

"A gem, not to be missed by any student of Chinese culture or politics. . . . The passages on prison are among the most detailed and vivid we have in the literature. And throughout the volume there is a refreshing bluntness. . . . Voices Carry has been a major project for Conceison, a labor of love, persistence, and understanding. She has gone to great lengths to offer context in endnotes for readers who may need them. It is hard to think of any US-PRC literary collaboration more complex and valuable than this one, or to think of a personal cultural bridge between the PRC and the West as active and influential as Ying . . . it is quite clear Ying had his faults, but I found the book totally engaging." --Modern Chinese Literature and Culture

"Ying's vitality, ingenuity, humor, and creativity as an artist and a larger-than-life character are in full display, making the book a great joy to read. . . . Conceison should also be commended for skillfully and fluidly weaving Ying's life together in the chapters and for corroborating, supplementing, or occasionally correcting Ying's memories with historical records and/or recounts from family members in her introduction, epilogue, and thirty-five pages of endnotes. . . . Her serious scholarship is augmented by skillful writing and organization." --Theatre Journal

"A truly excellent book. It is full of information and insight into the life of a wonderfully generous and learned human being, a most unusual Chinese and man of the theatre, a man who understood the theatre both of his own country and of the West, and who had highly practical and valuable experience in both. As for the author whose job was to transmit this character to a readership, her knowledge and feeling for her subject is exemplary, as is her ability to write that kind of English that conveys his character and views sympathetically and truthfully. This is not only a lively read but also a convincing one." --Asian Theatre Journal

"A must-read for anyone interested in the performing arts. Furthermore, [celebrated Chinese actor Ying Ruocheng's] life touched on fascinating aspects of Chinese history and society seldom discussed. What happened to the Manchus after the 1911 revolution? What was it like being a Catholic in those years? How did (and perhaps does) the government collect information on foreigners? How does it treat its political prisoners? How are personnel decisions made? This book is one man's attempt to make sense of cataclysmic events." --China Review International