Mika WaltariReviews

We have recovered from ancient Egyptians the romantic tale of Sinhue, an Egyptian of the middle kingdom who travelled far, loved many women, and retired to a prosperous life at home. This is the redaction of that tale by a popular and entertaining Finnish writer with all the virtues and vices of the 1940's.½

Una novel.la entretinguda sobre la història de l'antic Egipte i dels conflictes d'Egipte amb altres civilitzacions com els hitites o els babilonis, durant els regnats dels faraons Akhenaton i Tutankamon. Il.lustra bé el context religiós amb les guerres entre els partidaris dels déus Amon i Aton. Pel què fa la política i societat, el protagonista, Sinuhé, viatge per diferents regions i civilitzacions fins a la llunyana Babilònia i Creta i ofereix una visió de l'Orient Mitjà de l'època. Alguns capítols, potser, són prescindibles i això fa que la novel.la s'allargui més del desitjat.

Mikael Karvajalka, a young and clever Finn, gets out to the Mediterranean sea, converts to Islam, and does well at the court of Sulaiman the Magnificent.

Sinuhé, el egipcio
Mika Waltari
Publicado: 1945 | 536 páginas
Novela Histórico
Serie: Colección Reno #1 /sfQWZwChw_G4

En el ocaso de su vida, el protagonista de este relato confiesa: «porque yo, Sinuhé, soy un hombre y, como tal, he vivido en todos los que han existido antes que yo y viviré en todos los que existan después de mí. Viviré en las risas y en las lágrimas de los hombres, en sus pesares y temores, en su bondad y en su maldad, en su debilidad y en su fuerza». Sinuhé, el egipcio nos introduce en el fascinante y lejano mundo del Egipto de los faraones, los reinos sirios, la Babilonia decadente, la Creta anterior a la Hélade…, es decir, en todo el mundo conocido catorce siglos antes de Jesucristo. Sobre este mapa, Sinuhé dibuja la línea errante de sus viajes; y aunque la vida no sea generosa con él, en su corazón vive inextinguible la confianza en la bondad de los hombres. Una de las novelas más célebres del siglo XX y, en su momento, constituyó un notable éxito cinematográfico.

8422602911

The Roman, by Mika Waltari, follows the life of a man doing the waning. years of Emperor Claudius through the reign of Nero - the subsequent Emperors, ending with Domination.
The unexpected happened at the end of the book. Many will probably disagree with me, saying it was expected, but what I wanted was for this character and his family to live a long life... looking out into the sunset. But it didn't end like that and the ending was very disturbing.
I liked the book but it is not a 5 Star like. There are areas where it drones on and on. As is usual with his main male character, his Roman protagonist is captivated by women, marries them and then is very unhappy. Oh well, that's all ok as each wife moves him to the next phase of his life.
Also he is very sympathetic to Nero. I found that interesting. He did't sugar-coat any of Nero's actions, but put them in context of the times and way of life of the elite and the Uber-elite.
I will think of this book often and have already begun investigating the various Emperors and time period in which this book takes place. YouTube is great for additional information.

PRATELEIRA EUNICE LIVRO 107
É a reconstituição total de uma era até hoje não devassada pela ficção, e como tal, enriquecem-na veias túmidas de fascinante erudição. Inteiramente autêntica, está escrita num estilo literário de que pouquíssimas novelas históricas podem gabar-se. Passa-se no Egito, mais de um milênio antes de Cristo, e abrange tudo do mundo conhecido de então. Vem narrada por Sinuhé, médico do Faraó, e é a história de sua vida.
Mika Toimi Waltari (Helsinque, 19 de setembro de 1908 — 26 de agosto de 1979) foi um escritor finlandês, mais conhecido por seu romance best-seller The Egyptian (em finlandês: Sinuhe egyptiläinen). Ele foi extremamente produtivo e, além de seus romances, também escreveu poesia, contos, romances policiais, peças, ensaios, histórias de viagens, roteiros de filmes e textos rimados para histórias em quadrinhos de Asmo Alho (foi um cartunista finlandês, editor de revista e ilustrador de dezenas de livros).

In this novel set in early Roman times, Mika Waltari takes us through the world between Carthage and Cypress, Phoenicia and Massilia, and all the ancient cities and lands and waterways between. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Lars Turms, an "immortal" gifted by the gods to do great things, we see the world he lives in as he wonders and participates in great battles and faces personal hardships coming to his own.½

“My name was once inscribed in Pharaoh’s golden book, and I dwelt at his right hand. My words outweighed those of the mighty in the land of Kem; nobles sent me gifts, and chains of gold were hung about my neck. I possessed all that a man can desire, but like a man I desired more—therefore, I am what I am. I was driven from Thebes in the sixth year of the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb, to be beaten to death like a cur if I returned—to be crushed like a frog between the stones if I took one step beyond the area prescribed for my dwelling place. This is by command of the King, of Pharaoh who was once my friend.”

First published in Finland in 1945, this novel is a sweeping classic historical saga that tells the story of Sinuhe, an Egyptian physician. He is writing his life story from an older age while living in exile. He starts at the beginning of his life, as an orphan adopted by a doctor and his wife. He tells of his family, adventures, journeys, wars, friendships, and relationships. He ends with how he became exiled. His story features real Egyptian leaders, such as Amenhotep III, Nefertiti, Horemheb, Eie, and Tutankhamun.

In addition to following Sinhue’s journeys, it depicts the rise and fall of Pharoah Akhnaton (Amenhotep IV). Akhnaton changed the primary Egyptian religion from Amon and the traditional gods, to Aton, the sun god and only god. This change to monotheism created much disruption, upheaval, and violence. It is ironic since Aton was supposed to be a god of peace. It reflects the ways in which wars tend to surface despite peaceful intentions.

It is an engaging story with deeply drawn characters, expressive writing, and emotional ups and downs. The first half reminds me a bit of The Odyssey, where the main character travels by ship and surmounts many obstacles, though The Egyptian is fully set in the real world and does not employ actions by mythological creatures. A bit of humor is introduced through the antics of Sinuhe’s slave, Kaptah. Over the course of the story, they form a close friendship.

Through Sinuhe’s adventures, the reader feels immersed in the customs, culture, religious beliefs, medical practices, politics, and society of ancient Egypt and the surrounding regions. He encounters people from Syria, Mitanni, Hattusa, Babylon, and Crete. It would have been even more enjoyable if it were shorter (the war scenes become a bit much after a while) but is definitely worth reading and highly recommended. This book was made into a Hollywood film in 1954.

4.5
½

Olin jo ehtinyt unohtaa kuinka hyvä tää olikaan.

Margir áhugaverðir vinklar í sögunni. Maður spyr sig hvort þessi saga hafi veitt Jonasi innblátur við samningu sögunnar um Gamlingjann.

This book was nothing like I expected it to be. I think this review will manifest itself as basically a list of all the ways it surprised me and general observations.

It is a historical novel, but honestly it's more like an odyssey of mythology retellings, a travel diary, medicinal practices, explorations in philosophy and spirituality, discussions on social issues, the horrors of war, the complications and limitations of friendship and loyalty, and an autobiography (mostly of very unfortunate and cringeworthy choices, LOL).

I should probably say that I did listen to this and, while some reviewers did not like the narrator, particularly where the women's voices were concerned, it is because of this narrator that I was able to get through the book. The writing was just fine and very clean, but the book is long and fraught with unhappy topics and discussions. He did all of this very well and I felt that all the voices, even the women, matched the characters he was portraying. I think what people may really have been upset about was the fact that many (and perhaps all) women in this book were not portrayed in the best of light--I don't know if this is the author attempting to portray some sort of general impression of how women may have acted in the historical period, if it is part of the author's own bias, if it is a reflection of the time period in which the author himself wrote the book, or if the author only did so to allow the story to occur. Whatever the reason, I felt the narrator gave the women voices who suited their characters and purpose, so most of them sounded wheedling, petulant, manipulative, and greasy. But, it's not as though the men in this story, including the protagonist, were angels, either, LOL.

Other reviewers have stated the repetition of certain phrases, which could get tiresome. Notably, these were things like: "the sound of flies buzzing in my ears," "so much ash in my mouth," "as dust under my feet," and "though why so-and-so did this, I do not know." This repetition didn't bother me too much, but a little more variety might have been good.

As to historical accuracy, I know some of Egyptian history, more of Greek myth, and some of the Bible and there were familiar stories and people and happenings all throughout, but I do think some creative license was taken and I was fine with that, as it didn't seem out of place or like extreme liberties were taken. There were some slow parts, but I still wanted to know what happened and listened to the whole thing. I think my favorite part and one of the most riveting was when Sinuhe followed Minea into the labyrinth to see what had befallen her.

Despite all the tragedy and suffering, there were some pretty funny parts. I felt the funniest people tended to be Kaptah and Muti.

Overall, I am glad I read this, as I had been meaning to for a while.

"هیچ خدایی نمی تواند جهالت انسان را از بین ببرد"

تعریف این کتاب زیبا رو سال ها پیش از پدرم شنیده بودم و بعدها یکی از معلم های راهنماییم بهم گفت که هر موقع رفتی دانشگاه، بخون. با اختلاف چند ساله خونده شد و برای من تجربه ای بود از اتفاقات پر فراز و نشیب، با انواع احساسات متفاوت.
سینوهه در اول کتاب، خسته از خدایان و حاکمان، مشغول نوشتن کتاب و توصیف زندگی خودش می شه. و این داستانی شنیدنی می شه برای ساعت ها صحبت از انسان دوستی، رفاقت، زندگی در کنار فراعنه و مردم محروم، و نهایتا فریب و سو استفاده مستمر و مداوم از مردم و باورهاشون.

"احتمالا شما هم معرکه گیرهای ژنده پوشی را دیده اید که در کمال فقر از طلا و نقره، گشاده دستی و فراوانی نعمت ها حرف می زنند. به اطرافیان معرکه خود وعده گنج می دهند و مردم شیفته سخنان آنان می شوند. همیشه از دروغ نفرت داشته ام."

Unfinished but at over half way and given the novel's length able to review (?). The early parts are the best as he focuses on description of life in ancient Egypt - the plot is slow here, but treat it like a documentary. It's dark, atmospheric, educational, livened by humor. Further along it relaxes and is informed by the film Gunga Din (1939) other similar films of that era and can be visualized that way, it's a mix of low and high brow. Has some legit literary chops, in parts, and other long stretches of puerile crap, why I bailed.

Link to review in my blog:

https://sravikabodapati.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-egyptian-by-mika-waltari-book-r...

This is well-written. One quibble: I wanted to learn much more about the ancient Hittites and other peoples of the region.

Told mostly in dialogue, Finnish author Waltari describes the life and travels of a principled ancient Egyptian doctor, Sinuhe, as he witnesses the culture's battles for supremacy with external foes and internal successions.

Some parts a bit long winded. Ok ending.

Nicht mein Stil½

Die Geschichte scheint interessant aber die Übersetzung ist einfach zu langweilig für mich.½

This story is about involvement in nearly continuous war. First war between Sweden and Denmark. Later the religious wats in Germany. Then the wats between the French and the Spanish emperor. Finally the saving and looting of Rome. It careens along following the wanderings of a famliless man from Finland who madness to be involved while pursuing an education.
I found it to be a will told story.

Wiki is your friend
Pharaoh's Aton, not so much
don't piss off the priests.

The Egyptian is a fiction work interspersed with some historical fact. It is about (surprise, surprise) an Egyptian, how he lives, his adventures, and his work. His name Sinuhe, the Lonely One. Equipped with this information here is the story.
Sinuhe was found floating down the river when he was only a day old by Senmut, a physician, and his wife, Kipa. Being childless they raised him as their own. When Sinuhe grew up he was placed in the Temple of the Living to learn to be a doctor. He was quick to learn but he asked too many questions and found that the duller ones were passing him. It was during this time that he met Nefernefernefer, a woman who would bring him great sorrow in time to come. Soon Sinuhe learned to ask no questions and he became helper to the royal physician. Soon after he graduated as a qualified physician. He bought a slave and set up a house in a fashionable quarter. His business began to prosper. Then he once more met Nefernefernefer. He wanted her but she made him pay for her favours. Eventually Sinuhe lost all his money, his home and his slave, his parents' home, and their tomb. Feeling that he had betrayed his family he ran away from Egypt to Syria and other lands. His adventures acquainted him with the kings of Syria, Babylon, Hatta, and Crete. He met and fell in love with a Cretan maiden who was picked to enter the maze and live with the Crete god. She died in the maze and Sinuhe returned to Egypt where he becomes the royal physician to Pharoah Akhnaton. The pahroah tries to institue a new god in place of the old one, Amun. The people rebel and the Pharoah is killed. Sinuhe then becomes physician to the next Pharoah who, after a few years, banshes him to Punt for insubordination.
I cannot say that this book has a tremendously dramatic message for mankind, but it does provide good reading for quite a lengthy time. It also provides, in a relatively easy-to-read way, a history of Egypt and the story behind the pyramids. It has all the ingredients of a good story: suspense, romance, history, a gallant hero, good descriptive passages. As I read it, I could not help becoming interested in Sinuhe's travels. It is a very restful book. It does not require the reader to probe the mind of the author or anything so intellectually tiring. It was a pleasure to read.

I read this book and wrote the review in high school.(June 1970).½

Historical fiction in the era of Sulieman the magnificent, Sultan of turkey. It follows the caterer of a Christian renegade who is captured by Moslem pirates and conversation to Islam to save his life. Eventually he becomes a confidant of the grand vizier and Sulieman himself. He is present during the siege of Vienna. That was when coffee was introduced into Europe and Richard the lion hearted was imprisoned and later ransomed providing the background for the Robin Hood story. Of course the didn't feature in this book. It's contemporary interest is enhanced by our societies evolving relationship with the world of Islam. The characters are well developed and the course of events almost believable.

It's been at least 30 years since I read this book last, and it's still as brilliant as I remember it. It feels ancient and timeless and modern at once. My words cannot do this book justice.