Confucius, the Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad are among the most thoughtful and influential people in history. By their words and examples, they have inspired countless individuals to live better and more meaningful lives and have shaped the institutions and worldviews we know today. Four Wise Men is an accessible introduction to each of these sages, viewed in their historical context, and a provocative comparison of their lives and teachings. Through careful study, Four Wise Men examines the ways these fascinating figures speak as one, as well as the ways in which they differ. Although their voices come from the distant past, these men still have wise words to say to us today.

"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 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.