Translated again by the accomplished Bryan Karetnyk, The Buddha's Return is the story of a young man afflicted with a confused sense of reality (to say the least), who is drawn into the Parisian underworld and eventually accused of his friend’s brutal murder. It is the second of a closely linked pair of novels – a companion-piece to The Spectre of Alexander Wolf – in which Gazdanov experimented with existential philosophy and a kaleidoscope of forms, in order to convey the complex experience of Russian émigré life in Paris in the early twentieth century. Published just a year after its predecessor, The Buddha's Return evokes Poe's tense psychological mysteries and Camus's existential questions, even as Gazdanov takes off into a direction that is entirely his own. As in Alexander Wolf, Gazdanov expertly handles dramatic tension, metaphysical questions, humour and tenderness, to produce yet another thrilling novel which will appeal not only to his existing fans, but also to those who are still new to his work. Download our press booklet. Read a short story by Gazdanov. Listen to Gazdanov.