Sawt Falasteen - 'Mona's Eyes': how an obscure French art historian swept the globe

For a man more used to university lecture halls or the dry world of academic publishing, becoming a literary phenomenon, particularly in the United States, was unexpected.

"I was very surprised that the book achieved such success in France and abroad," Schlesser told AFP in an interview in Paris to promote his next work.

"The United States is an incredibly tough market since Americans read English-language authors," he added. "It goes without saying that I'm very happy, and very proud, but at the same time astonished."

The English translation of "Mona's Eyes" peaked at number four in The New York Times best-selling hard-back fiction chart shortly before Christmas and has sold an estimated 250,000 copies there.

Book-selling behemoth Barnes and Noble named it its book of the year.

Worldwide, it has been translated into 37 languages and has sold a million copies, around half of them in home market France where Schlesser has become a literary celebrity.

- Success formula -

It tells the story of a grandfather who educates his granddaughter Mona about the beauty of art after she is told by doctors she risks going blind.

The pair visit the most famous museums in Paris -- the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay and the Pompidou Centre -- where Mona learns about everything from Renaissance work to abstractism.

Paris and its cultural heritage are a winning literary combination -- from The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo to The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown -- but Schlesser thinks he hit a chord for other reasons.

"There’s a passion for the arts, but what I feel above all is universal sensitivity to the bonds around transmission between generations, between a grandfather and a granddaughter.

"And there's another very important thing, particularly among Americans I sensed, it's that 'Mona's Eyes' is a book that addresses the subject of disability," he added.

In an article about the "surprise hit novels" of 2025, The New York Times noted that at a time when thrillers and "sexy fantasy books about dragons" were the hottest reads, "'Mona’s Eyes' is something different."

Not everyone appreciated it, however.

A reviewer in Britain's Guardian newspaper sniffed that "an undeniable strain of sentimentalism runs throughout" the book and its prose.

- Poetry -

Schlesser, the tousle-haired son of a writer, is about to publish a follow-up of sorts called the "The Gardener’s Cat", which focuses on the healing power of poetry.

"I’ve been reading (poetry) since I was 12, and I make a point of reading at least one poem a day. It’s excellent for your well-being," he told AFP.

"The Gardener’s Cat" features Louis, a hypersensitive gardener devastated by the impending loss of his kitten, which has a tumour.

His new neighbour, Thalie, a retired literature teacher, lifts his spirits by introducing him -- over glasses of pastis liquor -- to some 80 poets, from Verlaine to Aimé Césaire, including Baudelaire and the Italian Gaspara Stampa.

"I can personally attest that poetry can truly save your life when you’re struggling. And even when you’re doing well, it can make life more intense," Schlesser explained.

He believes there is a "resurgence of poetry among younger generations".

Having helped popularise art and museum-going, he is hoping to have the same effect on the written word.

S.Abdullah--SF-PST