*Once in the Forest* is a semi-autobiographical novel by the classic Bengali author Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay (1894–1950). It tells the story of Sattocharan, a young man from Calcutta who, unable to find employment, travels to the neighboring state of Bihar to become the manager of a vast forest tract. The more Sattocharan falls under the spell of the forest’s beauty, the more he is burdened by the obligation to clear the land for cultivation. In the novel, the forest is not merely the setting for the events but a central character—active and multifaceted, powerful and formidable—wielding authority over people and bending their wills to its own. *Once in the Forest* is being published in Russian for the first time.