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Arthur Waley Wikipedia

Arthur David Waley (August 19, 1889 ? June 27, 1966) was an English orientalism|orientalist and sinologist.

Born Arthur David Schloss, son of the economist David Frederick Schloss, he changed his surname to his mother's maiden name, Waley, in 1914. He entered King's College, University_of_Cambridge|Cambridge in 1907, where he studied Classics, and was awarded a Bachelor's degree in 1910.

After his graduation, Waley was appointed Assistant Keeper of Oriental Prints and Manuscripts at the British Museum in 1913. During this time he taught himself Chinese and Japanese, partly to help catalogue the paintings in the Museum's collection. He quit in 1929 to devote himself fully to his literary interests. Amongst his many translations include 170 Chinese Poems (1918), Japanese Poetry: The Uta (1919), The No Plays of Japan (1921), The Tale of Genji (published in 6 volumes from 1921-33), The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon (1928), Monkey (1942, an abridged version of Journey to the West), The Poetry and Career of Li Po (1959) and The Secret History of the Mongols and Other Pieces (1964).

Despite translating many Chinese classic texts|Chinese and Japanese classical texts into English, including much poetry and philosophical works, Waley never ventured into the Far East during his lifetime. His translations of the classics, the Analects of Confucius and The Way and its Power (Tao Te Ching), are still regarded highly by his peers.

Last Modified:   2005-04-13