Max Massa is a DC-area native with extensive China experience, having begun his study of the language in 2000. After completing an undergraduate degree in Chinese literature at Carleton College in 2004, he moved to China and lived there - on and off - for about five years, before returning to the States for good in 2011. His travels took him to Yancheng in Jiangsu province, where he worked at Yancheng Teacher's College for two years, then Beijing, where he was a host on CCTV-10 during the time of the 2008 Olympics, and finally to Nanjing for a master's degree at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. Since then, he has been involved in language training and writing, among other activities.

An Account of Marvels and of Beasts, a collection of Tang fantasies from the 9th century AD, is his first book-length translation. He has also published a novel titled House of Apollo, which was inspired - in part - by his experiences upon return to America from the PRC. He has also written for The Arts Fuse and Third Factor. He is currently working on another novel, while also dedicating time to the study of Common Lisp, a programming language intended only for use by gentlemen and the most distinguished of literati.