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tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘How easy is the telling and how hard was the doing!’
In this book, which Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) regarded as history rather than fiction, he presents a tableau of Egyptian history. This book has recently been published in English, it was first published in Arabic in 1983.
Almost sixty Egyptian rulers are summoned for judgement by the afterlife court of Osiris. Each person is required to speak of their time in power and their impact or influence on Egypt. Osiris then judges, for those from the Egypt of the pharaohs, whether they will join the Immortals, go to the Realm of Purgatory or to Hell. The judgment belongs to Osiris, but he is flanked by Isis and Horus and assisted by Thoth, Scribe of the Gods. Once the trials move beyond the pharaohs, the judgements by Osiris are a type of historical appraisal to be considered by the appropriate religious court.
Almost 5000 years of history are covered: from Menes to Muhammad Anwar Sadat. The setting – a Court of Justice making judgements about the past – and the imagined dialogue provided glimpses of periods and events. The book is published as a novel yet reads like history rather than fiction. I enjoyed the concept and its potential to illuminate history but found that there are far too many gaps in my own knowledge of Egyptian history to make complete sense of what is presented. What does come across clearly was Naguib Mahfouz’s immersion in the history of Egypt.
Raymond Stock, the translator of this book, is writing a biography of Naguiz Mahfouz. His afterword provides contextual and biographic information which I found invaluable in my reading.
‘Thus has the life of Egypt passed before you in all its joys and sorrows.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
In this book, which Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006) regarded as history rather than fiction, he presents a tableau of Egyptian history. This book has recently been published in English, it was first published in Arabic in 1983.
Almost sixty Egyptian rulers are summoned for judgement by the afterlife court of Osiris. Each person is required to speak of their time in power and their impact or influence on Egypt. Osiris then judges, for those from the Egypt of the pharaohs, whether they will join the Immortals, go to the Realm of Purgatory or to Hell. The judgment belongs to Osiris, but he is flanked by Isis and Horus and assisted by Thoth, Scribe of the Gods. Once the trials move beyond the pharaohs, the judgements by Osiris are a type of historical appraisal to be considered by the appropriate religious court.
Almost 5000 years of history are covered: from Menes to Muhammad Anwar Sadat. The setting – a Court of Justice making judgements about the past – and the imagined dialogue provided glimpses of periods and events. The book is published as a novel yet reads like history rather than fiction. I enjoyed the concept and its potential to illuminate history but found that there are far too many gaps in my own knowledge of Egyptian history to make complete sense of what is presented. What does come across clearly was Naguib Mahfouz’s immersion in the history of Egypt.
Raymond Stock, the translator of this book, is writing a biography of Naguiz Mahfouz. His afterword provides contextual and biographic information which I found invaluable in my reading.
‘Thus has the life of Egypt passed before you in all its joys and sorrows.’
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
mibramowitz's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.25
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