Arthur Waley

Arthur Waley, born on August nineteenth, eighteen eighty-nine, was a distinguished English orientalist and sinologist renowned for his exceptional translations of Chinese and Japanese poetry. His work garnered both popular and scholarly acclaim, establishing him as a pivotal figure in the literary exchange between East and West during the first half of the twentieth century.

Throughout his career, Waley received numerous accolades, including his appointment as Commander of the Order of the British Empire in nineteen fifty-two, the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in nineteen fifty-three, and his investiture as a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in nineteen fifty-six. Despite his extensive knowledge, he opted to avoid academic positions, instead focusing on making classical literature accessible to a broader audience.

Waley's translation journey began in the nineteen tens and continued until his passing in nineteen sixty-six. His early works included significant poetry collections such as A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems, published in nineteen eighteen, and Japanese Poetry: The Uta in nineteen nineteen. He later ventured into translating novels, most notably The Tale of Genji, an eleventh-century Japanese masterpiece, and Monkey, a sixteenth-century Chinese classic.

In addition to his translations, Waley explored Chinese philosophy, authored biographies of literary figures, and maintained a lifelong passion for both Asian and Western art. A profile by fellow sinologist E. Bruce Books in two thousand four described Waley as 'the great transmitter of the high literary cultures of China and Japan to the English-reading general public,' highlighting his remarkable self-taught fluency and erudition in both languages, a unique achievement of his time.