The faith of a painter

A return to roots

Speaking about the novel's origins, Dai recalled his lifelong connection with thangka art.

Born in Chengdu in 1954, Dai was sent to the mountainous region of Yingjing county, Ya'an in Sichuan province, during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76). There, among Khampa Tibetan ethnic people, he was introduced to Tibetan culture and the tradition of thangka painting.

After the "cultural revolution", he enrolled in Sichuan University in 1977. Seven years later, he moved to France to study art history, initially intending to write a doctoral dissertation on thangka. His interests eventually shifted to cinema, leading him to France's prestigious state film school, La Femis. After graduating, he settled in France and built a career in filmmaking.

While living there, he frequently visited a museum with a permanent collection of East Asian art, spending countless hours studying its thangka paintings. That deep familiarity with the tradition lends remarkable authenticity to The Thangka Painter. Dai vividly re-creates every stage of the artistic process, from selecting subjects and preparing precious mineral pigments to mastering intricate painting techniques.

Through this sacred art, he explores the inner lives of his characters while reflecting on universal themes of faith, mortality, redemption and family.

Since publishing his debut novel, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, in 2000, Dai has written eight books.

The semi-autobiographical novel, originally written in French, tells the story of two young intellectuals sent to a remote village during the "cultural revolution", where forbidden Western literature transforms their lives. It became an international best-seller, selling more than 1 million copies in France and over 500,000 English-language copies. Translated into more than 40 languages, a film adaptation gained nominations in 10 international film awards, including the Golden Globes for best foreign language film and the Golden Horse Award for best adapted screenplay.

His later works include Mr Muo's Travelling Couch, which won France's literary prize Prix Femina in 2003, Once on a Moonless Night (2007) and The Gospel According to Yong Sheng (2019), all written in French.

For The Thangka Painter, however, Dai chose to write in Chinese. French, he says, lacks the vocabulary to fully express the cultural richness and artistic nuances of thangka, while Chinese allows him to capture its colors, textures and spiritual meanings with greater precision.

He deliberately adopted a slow, highly descriptive style, sometimes devoting several pages to a single painting, wanting readers to "almost smell the colors", he says.

"Rich, detailed descriptions help immerse readers in my spiritual world. The pacing is designed to support the theme, so the story doesn't rely heavily on dialogue or multiple character interactions. Instead, its strength lies in the intricate and extended portrayal of imagery," he says.