Edward Powys Mathers, a British poet, editor, and translator, lived from 1892 until 1939. He was born in Forest Hill, London, and went to Oxford University to study contemporary languages. In particular, Japanese haiku and Chinese poetry piqued Mathers' interest in Asian poetry and literature. He translated the writings of Asian poets including Li Po, Tu Fu, and Basho and produced numerous volumes of his own poetry. Mathers' contributions to Asian poetry and his support of modernist literature in Britain are what will remain of him. Readers and academics all across the globe continue to study and enjoy his poems and translations.
