cover image Buddhas of Burma

Buddhas of Burma

Jean-Pierre Grandjean. Shambhala Publications, $12.95 (80pp) ISBN 978-1-59030-002-2

From the Mayan ruins of Tikal to the Aztec ruins of Peru, and from the pyramids of Egypt to the crumbling walls of Angkor Wat runs the path traced by the spiritual tourist--The Gringo Trail expanded. Each year these sites attract a parade of Germans and Australians and Americans, perhaps searching for something more authentic and moving than the consumer societies that spawned them. French photographer Grandjean's photo essay of the Buddhas of Myanmar (as Burma was renamed in 1989) demonstrates he knows the Southeast Asian part of the trail well--this is one of two books he's completed on it. He charts decaying sacred places and lush vegetation from a variety of angles, using both color and black-and-white film and both clear and smoky focus. This portfolio of Buddhist sites shows lesser-known ruins, gilded pagodas, mirror-encrusted walls and many, many Buddha figures, but with no captions, browsers may feel as if they're floating amidst contextless, dreamy visions of the exotic East. Still, these places are inherently beautiful, and Grandjean appreciates them deeply; his pictures of ancient worlds are in many ways accomplished and sensitive, and perfect for a traveler returned.