Alison Waley

Alison Grant Robinson Waley (29 April 1901 – 10 May 2001) was a New Zealand poet, journalist, artist and writer, best known for her memoir A Half of Two Lives: A Personal Memoir, a book about her lifelong affair with writer and translator Arthur Waley.

Biography Waley was born in Nelson, New Zealand on 29 April 1901. In late 1920, she began writing children's page called the "Fairy Ring" which come out every Saturday in The Evening Post published in Wellington, New Zealand. She wrote under the name Fairiel and was producing most of the writing and drawing for the page. Waley was also a well known poet and associate of Robin Hyde.

In 1929, she traveled to London, sold her return ticket to New Zealand, and then began working in publishing. That same year, she met Arthur Waley. They remained lovers for the rest of Arthur's life. Her relationship with him is the subject of her memoir. Waley met Arthur at a literary restaurant called Antoine's located on Charlotte Street. Waley was on an Antipodian Grand Tour. During this time, she and Arthur would meet, despite de Zoete trying to keep them apart. Nonetheless, through this book, she follows her relationship with Arthur, her marriage to another man, his marriage to another woman, and the feelings of love and longing. In the last months of his life, after his wife had died, Alison and Arthur wed. In spite of the various unsubstantiated parts of the book, Carpenter nonetheless declared the book to be a "kind of mad, splendid poem in itself," School Library Journal called it a "fine addition to Chinese folklore collections."

Selected works Dear Monkey, 1973 A Half of Two Lives, 1983