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Sea of Ink
Sea of Ink, published in Switzerland in 2005, won the Prix des Audituers de la Radio Suisse Romande.
A beautiful novella in 50 short chapters and 10 pictures about the life of Bada Shanren, the most influential Chinese painter of all times.
In 1626, Bada Shanren is born into the Chinese royal family. When the old Ming Dynasty crumbles, he becomes an artist, committed to capturing the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. Then the rulers of the new Qing Dynasty discover his identity and Bada must feign madness to escape.
A beautiful novella in 50 short chapters and 10 pictures about the life of Bada Shanren, the most influential Chinese painter of all times.
In 1626, Bada Shanren is born into the Chinese royal family. When the old Ming Dynasty crumbles, he becomes an artist, committed to capturing the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. Then the rulers of the new Qing Dynasty discover his identity and Bada must feign madness to escape.
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2003
5 people are currently reading
169 people want to read
About the author
Richard Weihe
8 books1 followerRichard Weihe is a Swiss author who writes mainly in the German language. He was educated in Zurich and Oxford. He is mainly known for biographical works of artists, including the novel Meer de Tusche (2005) on the life of Bada Shanren and Der Milchozean (2010) based on Amrita Sher-Gil. Meer der Tusche won the Prix des Auditeurs de la Radio Suisse Romande and has been translated into English by Jamie Bulloch for Peirene Press.[1]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 23, 2018
Weihe's pen-strokes echo and reflect the brushstrokes of Bada Shanren's art, which themselves are refractions of the variegated shades of black with which Shanren paints the natural world; lustrous and salubrious sable, elegant ebony, resplendent with kaleidoscope shades of darkness, smudges of black ink which echo the myriad of stars in the night sky, or the violet vibrations of a gold-fish in sunlight dappled water which represent the night as it would be if it was swimming through water. Black and white is often seen as such a monochrome way of presenting the world, yet as Shanren's master teaches him, black itself is replete with innumerable shades and colours.
Bada Shanren's art was abstract hundreds of years the concept was popularized in the West and imbued with symbolism. As his master taught him, it is not the image which i is important, but what the images represents to the artist; art should be nothing less than the representation of the artist's soul on paper and for Shanren this was a mixture of wistfulness and wonder with a world which he was wearied by, yet loathe to leave.
"How can it be that, from this dismal sky, this bitter world can suddenly show us that we love it, in spite of everything; and in spite of everything it will be hard to take our leave of it?"
And so Shanren's artistic vocation is to capture the inner essence of the world, the ephemeral echoes of beauty which his eye beholds and which he attempts to recreate via the broad strokes of his paint-brush. So Shanren, like all great artists, was able to depict the world as it had never been seen before, his attempts at depicting the movement of water is transformed into a catfish, two spiders whose invisible web-weaving means they are doomed to forever be apart, the distillation of light through an open door as the moon gently rises. Shanren's art represents nothing less than the joyful exuberance which he feels about life, about the world and, for Shanren, the innumerable moments of beauty which make up his days;
"One evening he went into the pine forest alone. The mountain peaks were glowing in the evening light. It appeared as if a giant had carved them with a huge knife. The flat rocks looked so clean, as if they had been washed. The stream snaked its way upwards,ending in a mere silver thread.....the light and pines and stream were there for him alone, and in his happiness Xuege forgot his exhaustion and sorrow, and his heart became as light as a feather."
Bada Shanren's art was abstract hundreds of years the concept was popularized in the West and imbued with symbolism. As his master taught him, it is not the image which i is important, but what the images represents to the artist; art should be nothing less than the representation of the artist's soul on paper and for Shanren this was a mixture of wistfulness and wonder with a world which he was wearied by, yet loathe to leave.
"How can it be that, from this dismal sky, this bitter world can suddenly show us that we love it, in spite of everything; and in spite of everything it will be hard to take our leave of it?"
And so Shanren's artistic vocation is to capture the inner essence of the world, the ephemeral echoes of beauty which his eye beholds and which he attempts to recreate via the broad strokes of his paint-brush. So Shanren, like all great artists, was able to depict the world as it had never been seen before, his attempts at depicting the movement of water is transformed into a catfish, two spiders whose invisible web-weaving means they are doomed to forever be apart, the distillation of light through an open door as the moon gently rises. Shanren's art represents nothing less than the joyful exuberance which he feels about life, about the world and, for Shanren, the innumerable moments of beauty which make up his days;
"One evening he went into the pine forest alone. The mountain peaks were glowing in the evening light. It appeared as if a giant had carved them with a huge knife. The flat rocks looked so clean, as if they had been washed. The stream snaked its way upwards,ending in a mere silver thread.....the light and pines and stream were there for him alone, and in his happiness Xuege forgot his exhaustion and sorrow, and his heart became as light as a feather."
February 23, 2015
These exquisite brief chapters have used the ink of words to describe the sea of ink that was the life of the Chinese painter Bada Shanren. They are delicate brush strokes that convey the movement of a life that became one with art. It is a poetic reflection of the minimalist beauty of the art of a painter who was "committed to capturing the essence of nature with a single brushstroke."
July 12, 2023
Although this is a fictionalised biography of an historical figure, the XVIIth century Chinese poet and painter Bada Shanren, it reads more like a fable. It is a small book, a little over 100 pages, with short chapters illustrated by prints of Bada Shanren’s paintings related to the text, and a beautiful design.
This is a weird little book, less about facts, personal and historical details and more about the process of painting as a sort of meditation technique, something that helps you get to the essence of things by putting them to paper with the less possible number of brushstrokes.
I’d say this can either be an extremely boring read or a mesmerising one, depending on the reader’s mood and interest in the process of painting. I am very glad I read it and discovered Peirene Press, which seems to have published very interesting and carefully designed book series that I now want to look further into.
This is a weird little book, less about facts, personal and historical details and more about the process of painting as a sort of meditation technique, something that helps you get to the essence of things by putting them to paper with the less possible number of brushstrokes.
I’d say this can either be an extremely boring read or a mesmerising one, depending on the reader’s mood and interest in the process of painting. I am very glad I read it and discovered Peirene Press, which seems to have published very interesting and carefully designed book series that I now want to look further into.
May 20, 2015
This little book is about a 17th century prince who becomes a monk, and then a painter and calligrapher. It’s a series of cameos about the artist Bada Shanren – flitting from one era of his life to the next. Events fly past with an amorphous stamping of a moment in time – not unlike the infinitely delicate paintings which are illustrated and described in this beautiful book. The book flits though Shanren’s life . He often changes his name – Zhu Da, Chunanqu, Xuege, Geshan, and finally Bada Shanren...almost symbolic of the way he leads so many different lives – as a prince, as a monk, as a husband, as an artist.....
Most of all I enjoyed the descriptions of his paintings. Here is an extreme example. In some ways I enjoyed the serene beauty of his quieter paintings even more.
“The master gave Xuege a brush which was as long as his legs and as thick as a young tree trunk. He instructed his pupil to stretch out his arms and hold the brush by its loop so that the tips of the bristles just touched the floor....After the first circle Hongmin noticed that Xuege’s lips were pressed tightly shut. “You should paint, not stop breathing.”....He completed the circle. Xuege completed his third, fourth and fifth circles. Then he forgot to count. Each step became a torture. He was just blindly following his own track..... Was it the ninth? Or the tenth? His master’s gaze burnt into his back, but he knew that he would not be able to manage yet another circle...
Then he collapsed on top of the brush. His body fell onto the cluster of bristles, squashing them so that the last remaining ink flowed out and made large dark stains on the paper as well as on his white robe. He looked like a dying man lying in his own blood.”
I read this book piecemeal. Dipping into it as I would a book of poetry. It was a wonderful, meditative pleasure.
Most of all I enjoyed the descriptions of his paintings. Here is an extreme example. In some ways I enjoyed the serene beauty of his quieter paintings even more.
“The master gave Xuege a brush which was as long as his legs and as thick as a young tree trunk. He instructed his pupil to stretch out his arms and hold the brush by its loop so that the tips of the bristles just touched the floor....After the first circle Hongmin noticed that Xuege’s lips were pressed tightly shut. “You should paint, not stop breathing.”....He completed the circle. Xuege completed his third, fourth and fifth circles. Then he forgot to count. Each step became a torture. He was just blindly following his own track..... Was it the ninth? Or the tenth? His master’s gaze burnt into his back, but he knew that he would not be able to manage yet another circle...
Then he collapsed on top of the brush. His body fell onto the cluster of bristles, squashing them so that the last remaining ink flowed out and made large dark stains on the paper as well as on his white robe. He looked like a dying man lying in his own blood.”
I read this book piecemeal. Dipping into it as I would a book of poetry. It was a wonderful, meditative pleasure.
November 18, 2020
****4.0****
Chinese painter Bada Shanren was born as a prince in 17th century. He becomes a monk and then an artist etc and changes his name/identity according to his life's role or passion.
Weihe has narrated the life of Bada Shanren with short accurate chapters with a touch of Zen philosophy. It was poetic, talking about life and paintings done by Ink. We pass through the life of a great artist, his paintings, his thoughts on life and society.
Translated from the German, this book also has Bada Shanren's Ink paintings. An inspiring read for sure.
Happy Reading!!
August 18, 2012
In this small book "Sea Of Ink" Richard Weihe portrays the painter and calligrapher Bada Shanren, a prince of the Chinese Ming Dynasty in the 17th century.
As a series of sketches in black ink and in brief chapters Weihe outlines the steps in the life of a man who was a prince with a promised bright future, a fugitive, a Buddhist monk and founder of a monastery, a vagabond and considered mad. A man who takes during his lifetime many different names in a long spiritual quest materialized by his ink drawings.
At the end of the Ming dynasty overthrown by the Manchus and several upheavals it tells the life of Prince Zhu Da who sees the world crumbling around him. Zhu Da strips himself of his imperial insignia, responsibilites and duties and seeks the path to wisdom and the ultimate brushstroke, aided by an old master of "the great ink".
A biographical narrative and a manual in Zen philosophy all at once this small novella is written in a fair, accurate, streamlined and poetical language. The chapters are short and precise. A narrative full of often puzzling philosophical sentences about life and painting. Through the ink paintings the reader perceives the transcendence of art that reveals the colors of the world by using only shades of black and gray.
It reads so exciting that one gets the feeling of seeing the artist himself at work and the images appear as unexpected revelations to our hero.
This is insofar very accessible by reproductions of eleven brush paintings made in China in the late 17th century which illustrate perfectly the descriptions of the painters work and his mind. Each time the brush strokes are explained. It is a back and forth between those illustrations and the written word which makes it exciting and rewarding. Richard Weihe manages to erase the boundaries between the genres, showing that art and writing is in a relationship to the outside and the inner world of every one.
The author makes one dive into a biography which is in the spirit of his paintings. There is an openness to the world in which the artist is gathering around his meager fire images of his surroundings to relate to men. In this quest for the right gesture for the painter and the right word for the writer their responses are available to us. Or rather fragments of answers that are milestones towards an understanding of the world. With paintings of a fish, a flower, a rock, a landscape the artist delivers a message of simplicity.
As a series of sketches in black ink and in brief chapters Weihe outlines the steps in the life of a man who was a prince with a promised bright future, a fugitive, a Buddhist monk and founder of a monastery, a vagabond and considered mad. A man who takes during his lifetime many different names in a long spiritual quest materialized by his ink drawings.
At the end of the Ming dynasty overthrown by the Manchus and several upheavals it tells the life of Prince Zhu Da who sees the world crumbling around him. Zhu Da strips himself of his imperial insignia, responsibilites and duties and seeks the path to wisdom and the ultimate brushstroke, aided by an old master of "the great ink".
A biographical narrative and a manual in Zen philosophy all at once this small novella is written in a fair, accurate, streamlined and poetical language. The chapters are short and precise. A narrative full of often puzzling philosophical sentences about life and painting. Through the ink paintings the reader perceives the transcendence of art that reveals the colors of the world by using only shades of black and gray.
It reads so exciting that one gets the feeling of seeing the artist himself at work and the images appear as unexpected revelations to our hero.
This is insofar very accessible by reproductions of eleven brush paintings made in China in the late 17th century which illustrate perfectly the descriptions of the painters work and his mind. Each time the brush strokes are explained. It is a back and forth between those illustrations and the written word which makes it exciting and rewarding. Richard Weihe manages to erase the boundaries between the genres, showing that art and writing is in a relationship to the outside and the inner world of every one.
The author makes one dive into a biography which is in the spirit of his paintings. There is an openness to the world in which the artist is gathering around his meager fire images of his surroundings to relate to men. In this quest for the right gesture for the painter and the right word for the writer their responses are available to us. Or rather fragments of answers that are milestones towards an understanding of the world. With paintings of a fish, a flower, a rock, a landscape the artist delivers a message of simplicity.
tasted
April 10, 2019I read nearly half of this novella, but it simply stirred little interest in me, so I moved on to another Peirene novella, Next World Novella.
March 16, 2025
This book brings together two things I enjoy: fiction that explores art, and Chinese ink drawing. I don’t get to see much of the latter, and the novel includes some plates, which doubled my delight.
There are a number of reflections on the relationship between art and the natural world which I appreciated. In fact, I copied several into my reading journal for future reflection. They aren’t exactly novel, but they were succinct and framed in ways that I found stimulating. A recurring idea was the admonition to the main character to keep his brush going until it had discharged all of its ink and I enjoyed the subtle play with the image of a sea of ink, since books are also made of ink.
A true delight.
There are a number of reflections on the relationship between art and the natural world which I appreciated. In fact, I copied several into my reading journal for future reflection. They aren’t exactly novel, but they were succinct and framed in ways that I found stimulating. A recurring idea was the admonition to the main character to keep his brush going until it had discharged all of its ink and I enjoyed the subtle play with the image of a sea of ink, since books are also made of ink.
A true delight.
March 9, 2021
Vielleicht hätte dieses Buch besser abgeschnitten, hätte ich es nicht nach Desdemona und Erschlagt die Armen! gelesen. So wirkte es mir, wie viele chinesisch-japanisch (schreckliche Verallgemeinerung, ich weiss) angehauchten Bücher, zu sanft, zu lau, zu extremistisch in der "Genialität" einzelner Lehrer, Väter, Maler und Künstler. Als wären da mehrere Kulturkreise so besessen von dem und der Besten, dem besten Maler, der besten Tusche, wie in Schnee: die beste Seiltänzerin und der beste Dichter und der reinste Schnee und alles im Superlativ aber dann doch lauwarm.
Aber garantiert das beste und reinste Lauwarm.
Aber garantiert das beste und reinste Lauwarm.
November 25, 2018
This book has an unusual beauty as it takes us to China, initially under the Ming Dynasty then under the Manchus. The main character, Zhu Da, born a prince in 1626, is brought up in a palace.
Very early on he shows great artistic talents and has a future all designed for him. His father, himself an artist, 'made him step barefoot into a bowl full of ink and then walk along the length of a roll of paper' and helps him develop his skills. A few years later though, as the Manchus take over and dominate the whole of China, he has to go into hiding.
Zhu escapes and retreats to a monastery where he takes the name Bada Shanren. Living a very simple life of poverty and renouncement, he becomes a master of brush and ink, creating simple paintings which are sometimes close to calligraphy, He nourishes and perfects his art finding inspiration from nature, at the same time feeding his wisdom and spiritualty.
Over the years Bada Shantren becomes a great master in this asian art, and he is still remembered today.
The poetry of some passages is beautiful, and the singular fate of this skillful artist is very unusual.
Translated from the German, the book is divided in 51 short sections, like brush strokes, with very fine illustrations.
Another inspiring and unusual read from Peirene Press.
Very early on he shows great artistic talents and has a future all designed for him. His father, himself an artist, 'made him step barefoot into a bowl full of ink and then walk along the length of a roll of paper' and helps him develop his skills. A few years later though, as the Manchus take over and dominate the whole of China, he has to go into hiding.
Zhu escapes and retreats to a monastery where he takes the name Bada Shanren. Living a very simple life of poverty and renouncement, he becomes a master of brush and ink, creating simple paintings which are sometimes close to calligraphy, He nourishes and perfects his art finding inspiration from nature, at the same time feeding his wisdom and spiritualty.
Over the years Bada Shantren becomes a great master in this asian art, and he is still remembered today.
The poetry of some passages is beautiful, and the singular fate of this skillful artist is very unusual.
Translated from the German, the book is divided in 51 short sections, like brush strokes, with very fine illustrations.
Another inspiring and unusual read from Peirene Press.
November 18, 2012
An historical novel and poetic meditation by a German writer concerning the life of a seventeenth-century Chinese artist and calligrapher. This layering of time, identity and culture is an echo of the hero's life, which, shaped by the upheavals of that period in Chinese history, finds him, as a member of a violently-deposed ruling clan, fleeing his home, losing his family and entering a long period of monastic exile, during which he is tutored in the spiritual mysteries of applying ink to paper and adopts a succession of different names as his self-perception develops. The effect is somewhat like a Chinese Russian doll, with identity concealed within identity.
Weihe writes in a simple, fable-like style which is almost faux-naif, and particularly excels in his descriptions of the protagonist's dreams and his drawings, a selection of which are beautifully reproduced in the book. The whole package comprises a rich visual and literary journey into Chinese history, culture and thought, and the essence of creativity, from a European perspective, and is well worth your financial and temporal investment. I am left wondering, however, if the numbers of chapters and drawings (51 and 11, one short of the quantities of weeks and months in a year) are themselves significant.
Weihe writes in a simple, fable-like style which is almost faux-naif, and particularly excels in his descriptions of the protagonist's dreams and his drawings, a selection of which are beautifully reproduced in the book. The whole package comprises a rich visual and literary journey into Chinese history, culture and thought, and the essence of creativity, from a European perspective, and is well worth your financial and temporal investment. I am left wondering, however, if the numbers of chapters and drawings (51 and 11, one short of the quantities of weeks and months in a year) are themselves significant.
December 24, 2012
The fictionalized biography of a 17th Century Chinese painter, this is a gorgeous book, lush and sparse at once. What I enjoyed most was the tightening scope of the novel: it begins with the broad sweep of history and large political changes occurring in China through war and invasion, but moves ever inward from there. As the painter protagonist Shanren Badu strips away more and more his external life to focus on his art and the perfection of his inked lines, the novel becomes equally focused and compressed. Most impressive in writerly terms were the passages describing the painter's motions in creating a particular work—those paintings are included in the text, and the description are such amazing reconstructions (or perhaps deconstructions) of their creation; fictionalized, of course, but utterly convincing because of how richly they recapture the motion of the brush after the fact.
September 30, 2014
More of a meditation on how to find the Way, Tao, but also a description of any artist's quest for perfection, that yearning to express the inexpressible, to pin down nature and reality but also one's soul. Also an interesting portrayal of a troubled period in Chinese history (although that is almost secondary - but so much of the artist's way of life is determined by those events).
wish-list
March 10, 2014Peirene Press: 'Two-hour books to be devoured in a single sitting: Literary cinema for those fatigued by film.'
May 14, 2024
"If the hand is supple and agile, the picture will be too, and it will move in various directions. The picture does not only show the movement of your hand, it is a reflection of its dance. If the hand moves with speed, the picture acquires vitality; if it moves slowly, the picture acquires weight and intensity. The brush guides by a hand of great talent creates things that the mind cannot follow, which transcend it. And if the wrist moves with the spirit, the hills and streams reveal their soul."
Pretentious waffle? Quite probably. But I still enjoyed this whimsically philosophical fictionalised account of the life of 17th century Chinese painter / poet Bada Shanren. Another reminder that I need to start digging more into Chinese history and culture, because it's always tantalisingly obscure to me.
Pretentious waffle? Quite probably. But I still enjoyed this whimsically philosophical fictionalised account of the life of 17th century Chinese painter / poet Bada Shanren. Another reminder that I need to start digging more into Chinese history and culture, because it's always tantalisingly obscure to me.
August 24, 2017
The book was not entirely terrible and was it not for the pictures, I might have awarded it up to two stars more. Unfortunately, I believe literature and paintings to be two very different kinds of art and it is not a simple task to combine these two well – I understand the sentiment to include them in the book, but in attempting this, the book was simply failing so hard that I felt not only distraught, but outright disturbed whenever there was the process of a painting coming to life described – or rather when I was being forced to compare it to the actual painting on the next page. It could have been a much better experience and it is a shame, really, because the story that the author has built around the pictures is definitely one worth telling.
January 3, 2024
Een heel mooie biografie van de 17de eeuwse Chinese schilder en kalligraaf Bada Shanren. Feit en fictie komen in deze voortreffelijke novelle tot een perfecte eenheid. Een prachtig verhaal over het stille, vastberaden streven naar inspiratie, charmant en opbeurend met heel veel wijsheid. Nadat je het gelezen hebt en stil gestaan hebt bij de wijsheden, kijk je anders naar de wereld.
En het spreekt vanzelf dat ik op het internet werk opgezocht heb van Bada Shanren.
En het spreekt vanzelf dat ik op het internet werk opgezocht heb van Bada Shanren.
July 26, 2022
The life of former prince and celebrated Chinese painter Bada Shanren, it skims over an interesting period of history, with the collapse of the Ming dynasty in the 17th century to focus on how he might have created eleven of his pictures.
August 17, 2019
Not being a follower of Chinese history nor Chinese art (or any other visual art), this book rather bored me. But it was short so I sped through it.
March 19, 2020
A calming and interesting read.
October 4, 2024
A brief fictionalised novelisation about the life and work of Bada Shanren, a Ming/Qing era artist.
May 30, 2025
A fictional re-imagining of the life of Chinese artist Bada Shanren, with examples of his paintings included. Thoughtful and lean.
September 21, 2016
Fifty one short chapters make up Richard Weihe’s Sea of Ink, translated from the German by Jamie Bulloch. The novella, complete with many wonderful pictures, portrays the life of Bada Shanren, ‘one of the most influential Chinese painters of all times’.
The book sets out the tumultuous history of the period in the first chapters, using succinct sentences to present all of the relevant information without overwhelming the reader. It begins in the summer of 1644, a time in which ‘the Manchus brought the three-hundred-year reign of the Ming dynasty to an end and proclaimed the dawn of a new era’.
The story which Weihe has fashioned follows Zhu Da, the Prince of Yiyang, ‘the seventeenth son of the founder of the Ming dynasty’. After several transformations, Zhu Da becomes Bada Shanren, the painter who is ‘committed to capturing the essence of nature with a single stroke’. Through Bada’s painting lessons, we are immersed into the world of ancient Chinese art, able to imagine his every brushstroke through Weihe’s powerful descriptions. In one particularly exquisite passage, Weihe describes how Bada ‘cocked his wrist, whereupon the tips of the bristles pirouetted… then with another turn of the wrist he brought his hand down towards himself, lifting the brush from the paper in a slow but fluid movement so that the bottom of his line tapered as evenly as the top had’.
Much information has been included throughout, from the two ingredients, ‘soot and glue’ which were needed to produce the ink produced in the palace’s manufacturing workshop, to the ways in which the best ink can be recognised: ‘It should breathe in the light like the feathers of a raven and shine like the pupils in a child’s eyes’.
Some of the phrases throughout are just lovely: ‘Looking up through the water, he could see the dragon’s green shimmering eyes and flared nostrils in a cloud of steam’ and ‘He ran barefoot across the springy floor of the pine forest; he was dancing with the earth’. Small chunks of the prose itself seem rather simplistic at times and almost stolid at others, but this may be merely due to the translation. On the whole, a few of the passages do look deceptively simple, but actually add a lot more to the story than is thought at first glance.
Sea of Ink is an incredibly interesting and evocative novella, which will appeal to a wide scope of readers – from those interested in Chinese history to those who enjoy painting or studying the work of artists, there is something for everyone included in these 106 pages.
The book sets out the tumultuous history of the period in the first chapters, using succinct sentences to present all of the relevant information without overwhelming the reader. It begins in the summer of 1644, a time in which ‘the Manchus brought the three-hundred-year reign of the Ming dynasty to an end and proclaimed the dawn of a new era’.
The story which Weihe has fashioned follows Zhu Da, the Prince of Yiyang, ‘the seventeenth son of the founder of the Ming dynasty’. After several transformations, Zhu Da becomes Bada Shanren, the painter who is ‘committed to capturing the essence of nature with a single stroke’. Through Bada’s painting lessons, we are immersed into the world of ancient Chinese art, able to imagine his every brushstroke through Weihe’s powerful descriptions. In one particularly exquisite passage, Weihe describes how Bada ‘cocked his wrist, whereupon the tips of the bristles pirouetted… then with another turn of the wrist he brought his hand down towards himself, lifting the brush from the paper in a slow but fluid movement so that the bottom of his line tapered as evenly as the top had’.
Much information has been included throughout, from the two ingredients, ‘soot and glue’ which were needed to produce the ink produced in the palace’s manufacturing workshop, to the ways in which the best ink can be recognised: ‘It should breathe in the light like the feathers of a raven and shine like the pupils in a child’s eyes’.
Some of the phrases throughout are just lovely: ‘Looking up through the water, he could see the dragon’s green shimmering eyes and flared nostrils in a cloud of steam’ and ‘He ran barefoot across the springy floor of the pine forest; he was dancing with the earth’. Small chunks of the prose itself seem rather simplistic at times and almost stolid at others, but this may be merely due to the translation. On the whole, a few of the passages do look deceptively simple, but actually add a lot more to the story than is thought at first glance.
Sea of Ink is an incredibly interesting and evocative novella, which will appeal to a wide scope of readers – from those interested in Chinese history to those who enjoy painting or studying the work of artists, there is something for everyone included in these 106 pages.
September 22, 2015
I’ve been meaning to read one of Peirene Press’s books since they first landed on Scribd a couple months ago. They’re a wonderful house: a small, independent publisher dedicated to translating short works of excellent European fiction into English. (And the covers! I want to frame them all.) I settled on Sea of Ink because its title is nearly as beautiful and evocative as the cover it graces.
This quiet, lovely, novella-cum-biography of Bada Shanren, the eminent Chinese painter born in the 17th century, makes good on the promise of its title and cover. Composed of short, poetic vignettes, it follows the life of a man who seemed to have many: from prince to monk, from renowned painter to seeming madman. As evoked by the title, much of the novella is concerned with the attempt to render nature in art, and, in turn, how nature sometimes seems a painting come to life. At one point, a goldfish breeder offers Bada his choice of fish:
“‘Why the darkest one, Master?’ the goldfish breeder asked with a hint of surprise.
‘If I stood by the pond in the noonday sunlight and saw a school of your violet fish, I would be watching the night swimming in the water.’”
Between the prints of Bada Shanren’s work scattered throughout the novella and the lyrical allure of prose celebrating beauty both natural and composed, I’m reminded of Wallace Stevens:
"And when she sang, the sea,
Whatever self it had, became the self
That was her song, for she was the maker. Then we,
As we beheld her striding there alone,
Knew that there never was a world for her
Except the one she sang and, singing, made."
This quiet, lovely, novella-cum-biography of Bada Shanren, the eminent Chinese painter born in the 17th century, makes good on the promise of its title and cover. Composed of short, poetic vignettes, it follows the life of a man who seemed to have many: from prince to monk, from renowned painter to seeming madman. As evoked by the title, much of the novella is concerned with the attempt to render nature in art, and, in turn, how nature sometimes seems a painting come to life. At one point, a goldfish breeder offers Bada his choice of fish:
“‘Why the darkest one, Master?’ the goldfish breeder asked with a hint of surprise.
‘If I stood by the pond in the noonday sunlight and saw a school of your violet fish, I would be watching the night swimming in the water.’”
Between the prints of Bada Shanren’s work scattered throughout the novella and the lyrical allure of prose celebrating beauty both natural and composed, I’m reminded of Wallace Stevens:
"And when she sang, the sea,
Whatever self it had, became the self
That was her song, for she was the maker. Then we,
As we beheld her striding there alone,
Knew that there never was a world for her
Except the one she sang and, singing, made."
October 20, 2013
"A brush with China under Manchu rule"
At TF we came across Peirene Press very early in our researches - they specialise in contemporary European literature, that is thought provoking, well designed and short. They have a perfect strapline from the TLS which absolutely sums up the books they produce: "Two-hour books to be devoured in a single sitting: literary cinema for those fatigued by film". Click on the cover to see reviews and to find our more!
The Sea of Ink by Richard Weihe spans much of the 17th century in China. It follows the life of Zhu Da, a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, who has the tremendous gift of producing beautiful pieces of artwork. His scholarship progresses, as his character morphs and adapts to the new regime of the Manchus, through Buddhism studies to feigned madness, in an attempt to can keep his integrity as an artist and continue his quest to capture the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. The book is a thought-provoking study of scholarship and persona, and is beautifully translated from the German original.
The Sea of Ink in the title refers to the highest category of scholarship that could be attained. The book has a scattering of delicate and contemplative picture postcard vignettes of the work of Shu Da, who by the ends calls himself Bada Shanren (the name under which he is remembered and his work classified). The prose is delicate and contemplative and his artwork simple in nature and beautifully composed. A dream of a novella for those interested in art and this period of Chinese history.
At TF we came across Peirene Press very early in our researches - they specialise in contemporary European literature, that is thought provoking, well designed and short. They have a perfect strapline from the TLS which absolutely sums up the books they produce: "Two-hour books to be devoured in a single sitting: literary cinema for those fatigued by film". Click on the cover to see reviews and to find our more!
The Sea of Ink by Richard Weihe spans much of the 17th century in China. It follows the life of Zhu Da, a descendant of the Ming Dynasty, who has the tremendous gift of producing beautiful pieces of artwork. His scholarship progresses, as his character morphs and adapts to the new regime of the Manchus, through Buddhism studies to feigned madness, in an attempt to can keep his integrity as an artist and continue his quest to capture the essence of nature with a single brushstroke. The book is a thought-provoking study of scholarship and persona, and is beautifully translated from the German original.
The Sea of Ink in the title refers to the highest category of scholarship that could be attained. The book has a scattering of delicate and contemplative picture postcard vignettes of the work of Shu Da, who by the ends calls himself Bada Shanren (the name under which he is remembered and his work classified). The prose is delicate and contemplative and his artwork simple in nature and beautifully composed. A dream of a novella for those interested in art and this period of Chinese history.
May 20, 2016
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this novella. I mean, it was interesting enough and kind of felt like a fable more than anything. So I was quite surprised when I found out that it was actually based on a real person from the mid 1600s!! And even though I chose to read the book, it was my sister who bought it originally, so I think I'd like to ask her why she bought it in the first place! All in all, it was an interesting little read that was entertaining enough to keep me reading.
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
https://hercommonplaceblog.wordpress....
August 5, 2014
A beautiful and hugely enjoyable book, even if I couldn't quite bring myself to give it five stars. I think the point at which I baulked was the point at which Bada Shanren and a monk find themselves discussing the happiness of fishes, as if neither of them have ever read the Zhuangzi, something that hit a false note.
Nevertheless, this was a lovely read, and yet another superb translation from Peirene.
Nevertheless, this was a lovely read, and yet another superb translation from Peirene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2016
Beautiful and impressionistic, more like a poem than a novel. A little hard to get into, but worth it. Full review here: http://littlewordsreview.wordpress.co...
January 18, 2013
Beautiful, elegant book about the life of painter Bada Shanren, with accompanying illustrations. Striking in its simplicity, but full of depth and thoughtfulness. I love these little Peireine Press books!
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