Lead Review

• Book: Sea of Ink
• Location: China
• Author: Richard Weihe

This book 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, from Buddhism studies to feigned madness – his goal to 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.

Back to book