First published in the United States in 1949 and widely condemned as obscene, The Egyptian outsold every other novel published that year, and remains a classic; readers worldwide have testified to its life-changing power. It is a full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world’s history: the Egypt of the 14th century B.C.E., when pharaohs and gods contended with the near-collapse of history’s greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon to Crete, from Thebes to Jerusalem, while centering around one unforgettable figure: Sinuhe, a man of mysterious origins who rises from the depths of degradation to become personal physician to Pharaoh Akhnaton.
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"Waltari successfully combine[s] research, imagination, and the cunning of a good tale-teller in bringing the generation of Akhnaton to life.” —New York Herald Tribune
"A grand immersion into an epic tale." —Philadelphia Inquirer
About the Author
Mika Waltari (1908–1979) is best known for his historical novels, which include The Etruscan and The Roman. He is widely considered the greatest Finnish writer of the 20th century.
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First Sentence
"I, SINUHE, the son of Senmut and his wife Kipa, write this." Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
"I, SINUHE, the son of Senmut and his wife Kipa, write this." Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Frances
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you enjoy reading about Egypt during the 14th century, you should find this a fascinating read. For the most part I found it quite captivating and was totally immersed in the story, especially the bond developing between the main character Sinuhe and his slave Kaptah. Their story alone is well worth the read. I did find some parts repetitive and lengthy which was to some extent disappointing. But overall it was extremely well written with several strong characters throughout the book.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By "neppiw"
Format:Paperback
I first read The Egyptian when I was 14 and just beginning to understand the beauty of more complex books. The first chapters didn't appear very interesting to me, but as I continued reading, I suddenly realized I had been swooped into an amazingly realistic ancient world full of excitement, sorrow, wisdom and more. The whole experience was memorable since it's been very few times when a story I've been reading has felt as incredibly real as Sinuhe's story did. The Egyptian jumped right on the top of my list of best books.
Mika Waltari truly is the most skillful writer I know - where he learned it, I have no idea. His books, especially The Egyptian, have something that appeal to all kinds of people from all over the world. Perhaps it's the art of describing the feelings that each human being experiences sooner or later, and the way he is able to make a story from ancient Egypt seem like it could happen even today. People don't change, only their surroundings do.
The Egyptian is a wonderful and sad story. Especially recommended to everyone who likes history, but I really think that it's a great book for everyone who's interested in mankind - and in particularly good stories.
Format:Paperback
The Egyptian set in the Amarna period of Ancient Egypt during the reigns of the pharaohs Amunhotep III, Akhenaten and Horemheb, covering the concluding years of the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom (1386 - 1293 BC), an ear in Egyptian history that was marked by significant religious and political upheaval. The Egyptian is Sinuhe, a physician of unknown birth origin who was wrapped and cradled in a reed boat floating down the Nile. As he narrates his life story, which transcended years of warfare, plague, and fierce battle between gods. On the outside The Egyptian delineates the history of Egypt through its inveterate religious devotion to many gods. At the core of the novel finds one man's lifelong journey through many countries, like Babylon, Crete, and Mitannia, to knowledge. Sinehu possessed such lonely idealism that motivated him to devote his life searching for something so intangible yet greater than he beyond his understanding did. He was not ready to merely worshipping the gods - in fact, he insisted on questioning traditions and thus marked him as an outsider of his own culture.
The spine of the novel concerns the ferocious contention between Aton and the Ammon. Pharoach Akhenaten sought to disestablish the old gods with a relatively unknown deity called the Aton as the Ammon, the present godly sponsor, had accumulated so much wealth and power that the Ammon priests began to rival to that of the Pharoach. In order to achieve balance of power between Ammon and the throne, Akhenaten deposed the ancient gods and established Aton as a new state divinity. No sooner had Akhenaten adopted the new deity than Sinuhe ineluctably became entangled in conflict between tradition and innovation. Sinuhe must choose between the way of the heretic Pharoach and the old corrupt system that had blinded many and robbed the freedom of Egyptians.
Miki Waltari deftly uses a prose style evocative of ancient texts that is comparable to Naguib Mahfouz's work in modern Egyptian literature. Unlike Mahfouz, Waltari's book is the first major novel set in ancient Egypt during the 18th dynasty of the New Kingdom in 14th century BC The Egyptian, comibing history, research and imagination, is a timeless re-creation of such largely forgotten era over a prodigious interval of time. The book captures the nuances of war, intrigue, power struggle, wassail, romance, horror, and lavish scnenes of violence. From Sinuhe's intransigence to worshipping false gods springs forth a tale of death and love, man's corruption, cruelty, and lust for power and the warfare between two value systems and religions that amazingly reflect our world today.
2004 (19) © MY
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Best?
I just read all the other reviews and don't have anything to add. I am just so happy to have found this book and this writer. Read more
Published on Nov 20 2007 by John R. Bolton
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful book
Every time I've read this book I've enjoyed it. I know this book was scandalous when it was first released and banned in a few places for its raciness but I've never found the... Read more
Published on July 16 2004 by Sarah Sammis
3.0 out of 5 stars
This seems to be an abridged version
After comparing this book with two non-english translations, it is obvious that this is an abridged version of the novel. Read more
Published on May 6 2004 by Juan Camaney
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Literary Masterpiece!
To say that the author made History come alive in this novel would be a huge understatement. This is a life changing book, with many life lessons. Read more
Published on Mar 10 2004
4.0 out of 5 stars
The grand scope of humanity
In this epic novel, Mika Waltari traces a portion of Egyptian history through the eyes of Sinuhe, the physician to the Pharaoh Akhnaton. Read more
Published on Jan 31 2004 by "blissengine"
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book!
As a Finn I feel slight guilt over not having read Waltari at all before 2003. Prejudiced towards his era's Finnish authors or just against his name which for some peculiar reason... Read more
Published on Nov 10 2003 by Kaikitsune
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfull novel for patient readers only ....
First published in 1949 and now reprinted this is actually a wonderfull book defining the times of ancient Egypt through the eyes of one of the 'common' folk. Read more
Published on Oct 28 2003 by Rudolf Spoerer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved this book!
This was the second Mika Waltari book I have read-the first being the Wanderer. I found this book to be better than the Wanderer which I also loved. Read more
Published on Oct 13 2003 by Rosario Robin
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Excellent Book!
I'm generally not a lover of historical novels but I loved this book. I could not put it down. I literally lost sleep reading this book because I just HAD to know what happened... Read more
Published on Sep 27 2003 by Alison
5.0 out of 5 stars
Of Men and Gods
Thebes, the Nile, the pyramids sitting in the background: the setting for this remarkable novel of ancient Egypt. Read more
Published on July 8 2003 by Patrick Shepherd
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