THE EGYPTIAN - A NOVEL - Mika Waltari

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

Fall’s featured selection highlights Mika Waltari’s “The Egyptian,” a widely translated novel praised for its vivid reconstruction of ancient Egyptian civilization. Set in pre-Moses Egypt, it follows Sinuhe, a physician in Pharaoh Akhnaton’s court, as he moves through complex court politics and travels across powerful empires. The story contrasts personal drama, psychological subtlety, and historical spectacle, including shifting religious beliefs and the pressure of approaching civil war.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages24

Reading Time37 min

AccessFree to download

Editorial Board Announcement

Book-Dividend Notice

Cover Art and Nefertiti Sketch

The Egyptian - A Novel

Story Overview: Sinuhe and Akhnaton

Travels Across Empires

Religious Change and Civil Conflict

Characters and Narrative Appeal

Christopher MorleyEDITORIAL BOARD he influx of books forthe Fall is beginning to show—and they lookpromising.One hundred and seventy-threetitles were submitted by publishers during thepast month,and went through the Club’s usualreading procedure.Why the Editorial Boardconsidered Mika Waltari's THE EGYPTIAN par-ticularly outstanding among the books submit-ted will be evident from the description of itin the following pages. AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUTTHE CURRENT BOOK-DIVIDEND WILL BEFOUND ON THE INSIDE BACK COVER. The Egyptian head on the cover of the News is a color sketch ofQueen Nefertiti,wife of the Pharoah Akhnaton,of the.18th dynasty,She is one of the important figures in THE EGYPTIAN.The drawingwas made by Warren Chappell from a reproduction of the famoussandstone figure of Nefertiti found at Tel-el-Amarna,the original ofwhich was owned by the Staatliche Museum in Berlin. THEEGYPTIAN A NOVEL ByMika Waltani HE record of this book is already aremarkable one.It has been trans-lated into eight languages,has soldover a million copies in Europe,andis clearly on its way to that kind ofsweeping and enduring worldwide THE YOUNG PHARAOH,AKHNATON,DRAWNFROM THE REMAINS OF A SCULPTURED HEADBY AN 18TH DYNASTY ARTIST,THOTHMES popularity that only the rare book,with some broad and basic humanappeal,ever achieves.The scene is ancient Egypt before the days ofMoses,and the tale is the self-told story of Sinuhe,a physician in thecourt of Pharaoh.Towering over the drama is the dreamer Pharaoh,Akhnaton,who 1400 years before Jesus tried to establish a world ofPeace upon Earth ...Very seldom,not half a dozen times in twenty-three years,have we advised members not to substitute for one of thejudges'selections.We do so in this case,because to read this book is tobecome lost in a new world;it is an absorbing reading experience weshould like to see none of our members miss. PRICE TO MEMBERS:$3·35 (RegularRetail Price:$3.75) OfSuuhe,the healer;andofa Dharaoh uh MIKA WALTARI's novel recreates an ancientEgyptian civilization so vividly that it becomespart of the living memory of every reader even at that time almost two thousandyears—is the master civilization of theknown world.She has reached the peak ofbeauty and orderly life,but modern doubtsand uncertainties are weakening her rulers. ANCIENT world comes magnifi-cently to life in this story.Historiansand archeologists have long triedto reconstruct the great civilization of theEgyptians.They have given us mummiesand hieroglyphics,these scholars;but it hastaken an understanding novelist to changethese ancient shadows into living substance. It is through the life story of a youngdoctor,Sinuhe—skeptical,curious,warm-hearted,trained in Egyptian medical science—that we come to know the nature of thiscivilization.A surgeon at the court of thegreat Pharaoh,he is an unsurpassed tellerof a tale which lacks nothing of psycholog-ical subtlety,while it is so rich in incidentthat no reader of this book will ever again The scene is a strange and old world.Greece does not yet exist,the Hebrews arewild,fighting tribes,Rome is far in thefuture.It is the fourteenth century beforeChrist.Egypt,the incredibly old land of therich black earth of the Nile—dating back HOREMHEB,THE PHARAOH'sGENERAL,WOULD DRIVE HISCHARIOT OVER THE WOMEN,CHILDREN AND THE AGEDIN CONQUERED LANDS # 二分口 be able to look in pictures or museums atthe recovered remains of these empireswithout feeling the warmth of a complexlife rising out of the remote past. Close to the great Pharaoh personallyand professionally,Sinuhe is involved inthe tangled politics of the time and,virtu-ally like a modern intelligence agent,he issent forth from the city of Thebes to see theworld and learn what he can from it.Hetravels to Syria,sensual,mercenary,cor-rupt;to the vast empire of Babylon,thetrader's mecca,where a spoiled boy is king;to the Hittites,who are forging new weaponsand a technique of propaganda to conquerall

FAQs

What is “The Egyptian” mainly about?

It is the self-told life story of Sinuhe, a court physician, set in ancient Egypt before Moses, centered on his experiences under Pharaoh Akhnaton and amid political and religious change.

Where does Sinuhe’s story take him?

The narrative sends him from Thebes to other regions and empires, including Syria, Babylon, the Hittites, and Crete, where he encounters intrigue, rites, and varied cultures.

How does the novel frame the change in Egyptian religion?

Pharaoh Akhnaton dethrones the old god Ammon and promotes Aton, a form of monotheistic worship presented as justice and love; the book explores how this shift does not end violence immediately.

Sep 29, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk