Displaying his characteristic penchant for the macabre, the tender and the comic, Michael Tournier presents the traditional Magi describing their personal odysseys to Bethlehem--and audaciously imagines a fourth, "the eternal latecomer"' whose story of hardship and redemption is the most moving and instructive of all. Prince of Mangalore and son of an Indian maharajah, Taor has tasted an exquisite confection, rachat loukoum, and is so taken by the flavor that he sets out to recover the recipe. His quest takes him across Western Asia and finally lands him in Sodom, where he is imprisoned in a salt mine. There, this fourth wise man learns the recipe from a fellow prisoner, and learns of the existence and meaning of Jesus.

"This may be more than a novel of high achievement, in fact; it may be the best work so far of a truly daring writer."- America

About the Author
Born in 1924, Michel Tournier studied philosophy and then became a journalist and a writer. He is the author of several novels, including The Ogre, Friday, and Gemini, also available in paperback from Johns Hopkins.

Reviews
The Four Wise Men struck me as a true masterpiece. -- Lewis Jones New Statesman A work of extraordinary clarity. -- Jonathan Baumbach New York Times Book Review There is a real touch of magic in this novel. The Atlantic This is a novel of high achievement. Tournier works to assert an apologia of Christianity and its underlying message of love, and he does so with finely paced arguing, well-balanced counterarguing and, most importantly, genuine intellectual energy... This may be more than a novel of high achievement, in fact; it may be the best work so far of a truly daring writer. America Tournier is an ambitious and profound writer. Washington Post



Book Information
ISBN 9780801857331
Author Michel Tournier
Format Paperback
Page Count 264
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 283g