The Drunken Buddha

A special limited 50th anniversary edition of an Ian Fairweather classic, this is his iconic translation of an ancient Chinese novel, illustrated with his paintings. Fairweather was fascinated by Chinese calligraphy and possessed great knowledge of popular Buddhism; his translation retains the spirit of both the original work and popular Chinese literature in general. This new edition celebrates Fairweather’s creative legacy; and the classic tale of Buddhist monk Chi-Tien—often drunk and irreverent but nonetheless considered a saint—continues to resonate across the decades.

Ian Fairweather was a Scottish artist who spent much of his life in Australia, including 20 years in a hut on Bribie Island, Queensland. Living a mostly reclusive existence, he was inspired by Japanese and Chinese calligraphy and painted in a strikingly abstract style. His art is held in the National Gallery of Australia along with all state galleries.