Books: In All Dignity

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The Translator. The translator who can be accurate and yet idiomatic is both craftsman and artist. Such a one is Scott Moncrieff, translator of difficult Marcel Proust. And such a one is Arthur Waley, translator of exquisite Chinese poetry and of the monumental Japanese novel by Lady Murasaki. Translator Waley learned both Japanese and the still more difficult Chinese from native teachers in London. He has never been east of Suez, and yet he is a recognized authority on literature and art of the Far East. By profession Assistant in the Oriental Section of the British Museum Print Room, his favorite diversion is the poetry of Chinese Po Chui.