The Egyptian
First edition cover (Finnish)
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| Author | Mika Waltari |
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| Original title | Sinuhe Egyptiläinen |
| Country | Finland |
| Language | Finnish |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | WSOY |
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Publication date
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1945 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 785 pp (hardcover edition) |
| ISBN | (English translation by Naomi Walford) |
| OCLC | 49531238 |
| 894/.54133 21 | |
| LC Class | PH355.W3 S513 2002 |
The Egyptian (Sinuhe egyptiläinen, Sinuhe the Egyptian) is a historical novel by Mika Waltari. It was first published in Finnish in 1945, and in an abridged English translation by Naomi Walford in 1949, apparently from Swedish rather than Finnish. So far, it is the only Finnish novel to be adapted into a Hollywood film, which it was, in 1954.
The Egyptian is the first and the most successful, of Waltari's great historical novels. It is set in Ancient Egypt, mostly during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty, whom some have claimed to be the first monotheistic ruler in the world.
The protagonist of the novel is the fictional character Sinuhe, the royal physician, who tells the story in exile after Akhenaten's fall and death. Apart from incidents in Egypt, the novel charts Sinuhe's travels in then Egyptian-dominated Syria (Levant), in Mitanni, Babylon, Minoan Crete, and among the Hittites.
The main character of the novel is named after a character in an ancient Egyptian text commonly known as the Story of Sinuhe. The original story dates to a time long before that of Akhenaten: texts are known from as early as the 12th dynasty.
Supporting historical characters include the old Pharaoh Amenhotep III and his conniving favorite wife, Tiy; the wife of Akhenaten, Nefertiti; the listless young Tutankhamun (King Tut), who succeeded as Pharaoh after Akhenaten's downfall; and the two common-born successors who were, according to this author, integral parts of the rise and fall of the Amarna heresy of Akhenaten: the priest and later Pharaoh Ay and the warrior-general and then finally Pharaoh, Horemheb. Though never appearing onstage, throughout the book the Hittite King Suppiluliuma I appears as a brooding threatening figure of a completely ruthless conqueror and tyrannical ruler. Other historical figures, the protagonist has direct dealings with, are: Aziru (ruler of Amurru kingdom), Thutmose (sculptor), Burna-Buriash II (Babylonian king), and, under a different name, Zannanza, son of Suppiluliuma I. Zannanza's bride is a collage of at least three historical figures: herself, first wife of Horemheb and, by him, mother of Ramesses I. Historical Horemheb died childless.
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Wikipedia