Rewi Alley (1897-1987) is an enigmatic figure in New Zealand literature and history. Although celebrated as an iconic New Zealander, he spent sixty of his ninety years in China and was a staunch ally of the Chinese Communist party, becoming a “foreign friend” who did a great deal to publicise the Party line around the world. Although he produced a very large amount of poetry and non-fiction over his lifetime, his writing has never been highly acclaimed, and he has admitted himself that writing was completely marginal to his involvements with China and the Chinese Communist Party. Alley’s significance lies in the sheer volume of published work he produced and his mythic status as “Rewi Alley of China”.

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First published 25 January 2007

Citation: Smithies, James. "Rewi Alley". The Literary Encyclopedia. 25 January 2007.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=88, accessed 21 November 2009.]