The Noh Plays of Japan is the most respected collection of Noh Plays in English. The Plays can be read for their great literary merit and also provide the reader with an understanding of a unique theatre art and important insights into the cultural, spiritual, and artistic traditions of Japan. First published in 1921 and justly famous for more than three-quarters of a century, The Noh Plays of Japan established the Noh play for the Western reader as beautiful literature. It contains Arthur Waley’s exquisite translations of nineteen plays and summaries of sixteen more, together with a revealing introductory essay that furnishes the background for a clear understanding and a genuine appreciation of the Noh as a highly singnificant dramatic form.
Arthur Waley (1889-1966) taught himself Chinese and Japanese after being appointed Assistant Keeper of Oriental Prints and Manuscripts at the British Museum in order to help catalog the painting in the museum's collection. He went on to renown as one of the most respected translators of Asian classics into English of his time.