| Arthur Waley |
Article Index for Arthur |
Website Links For Arthur |
Information AboutArthur Waley |
|
Waley was born in Tunbridge Wells , Kent England , as Arthur David Schloss, son of the Economist David Frederick Schloss . He changed his Surname to his paternal grandmother's maiden name, Waley, in 1914 . Educated at Rugby School , he entered King's College , Cambridge in 1907 , where he studied Classics , and was awarded a Bachelor's Degree in 1910 . EARLY LIFE AND CAREER 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 and cultural interests, though he continued to lecture in the School Of Oriental And African Studies , London . In 1918, he met Beryl De Zoete , a Dance Critic and Writer ; they lived together until her death in 1962 . In 1966 , Arthur Waley married Alison Robinson , whom he had first met in 1929 . LITERARY ASSOCIATIONS Waley lived in Bloomsbury and had a number of friends among the Bloomsbury Group , many of whom he had met as an undergraduate. He was one of the earliest to recognize Ronald Firbank as an accomplished author, and together with Osbert Sitwell provided an introduction to Firbank's first collected edition. Noted American poet . Some of the poems are magnificent. Nearly all the translations marred by his bungling English and defective rhythm... I shall try to buy the best ones, and to get him to remove some of the botched places. (He is stubborn as a jackass, or a ''scholar''.)" LATER LIFE Waley was elected an honorary fellow of King's College, Cambridge in 1945 , received the Commander Of The Order Of The British Empire (CBE) honor in 1952 , the Queen's Medal For Poetry in 1953 , and the Order Of The Companions Of Honour (CH) in 1956 . He died in London and is buried in the renowned Highgate Cemetery . TRANSLATIONS His many translations include ''A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems'' (1918), ''Japanese Poetry: The Uta'' (1919), ''The No Play s 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). Waley received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for his translation of ''Monkey'', and 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. Dutch Poet J. Slauerhoff used poems from ''A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems'' and ''More Translations from the Chinese'' to write his 1929 adaptation of Chinese Poetry , '' Yoeng Poe Tsjoeng ''. EXPERIENCES AND EXPERTISE Despite translating many Chinese and Japanese Classical Texts into English, including much poetry and philosophical works, Waley never travelled to the Far East . In his preface to ''The Secret History of the Mongols'', he writes that he was not a master of many languages, but claims to have known Chinese and Japanese fairly well, a good deal of Ainu and Mongolian , and some Hebrew and Syriac . ANECDOTE Edith Sitwell records the following anecdote of Waley. Having found in her brother Sacheverell's library a book of unknown alphabet, she placed it next to Waley's bed when he stayed as a house guest. "Next morning, Mr. Waley looked a little pale; his manner was languid, but as he placed the book on the breakfast table he announced in a faint voice: 'Turkish. 18th century.' The pages were few; and after an interval of respect we enquired: 'What is it about?' Mr. Waley, with sudden animation: 'The Cat and the Bat. The Cat sat on the Mat. The Cat ate the Rat.' 'Oh, it is a child's book.' 'One would imagine so. One would hope so!" SELECTED WORKS
REFERENCES
EXTERNAL LINK |
|
|