Writers of all ranks, from belletrists to the titans of the Russian literary canon, have found inspiration in the Caucasus as a subject and a setting, including Lermentov, Pushkin, and Tolstoy. John Steinbeck can be included among their number too. During a visit in the late 1940s, he described it as "a magical place" and one that "becomes dream-like the moment you have left it" (see King, 2008, p.206). And anyone who has visited the region will have no hesitation in confirming this as it undoubtedly does leave you with the impression that you have been to another reality and back. Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus explores the region from a different angle, through its folktales. Book jacket.