some lovely writing, but maybe not the author's best work | Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: Khufu's Wisdom,...

love Egypt | Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War (Everyman's Library) | Naguib Mahfouz

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	• Three Novels of Ancient Egypt: Khufu's Wisdom, Rhadopis of Nubia, Thebes at War (Everyman's Library) Naguib Mahfouz Everyman's Library, 2007 - 648 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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Excellent

I am so happy to have read this book. Naguib Mahfouz is a master. The stories were unique, thought provoking and powerful. I could read his work everyday forever.

some lovely writing, but maybe not the author's best work

Apparently these are the first three of the author's novels. This is a beautiful edition and it is also cheaper than buying the three paperback novels separately. There is an introduction, a chronology of the author's life, and then the three novels.

The introduction is a missed opportunity. I think that I might have appreciated these novels better with the help of some information about the culture in which they were written. However the introduction offers little more than plot summary. I recommend skipping it. The chronology is nice, but not tied in with the introduction.

The first novel, Khufu's Wisdom, seems to be about fate and moral choices. It tells the story of a king whose efforts to defy his fate only help to make that fate happen. It is set during the construction of one of the pyramids, but there is not much in the way of historical detail (and I think there are also some historical inaccuracies). It reads more like a biblical fable than a historical novel. It is beautifully written, but the story is somewhat simple by modern American standards.

The second novel, Rhadopis of Nubia, is much better than the first. It tells of a disastrous love affair between a king and a beautiful courtesan. It is also beautifully written, in a lavish, sometimes over the top style.

The third novel, Thebes at War, did not grab my interest and I didn't finish it. Maybe I'll try again later.

The three novels have three different translators, but all of the translations read well and have a similar flavor.

If you have not read any of the author's work before, you might also consider starting with the Cairo trilogy.

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love Egypt

I love each and every one of these books. If you love realistic Egypt you will love these books. Very well written and you can almost imagine yourself there.

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)

From Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz: the three magnificent novels?published in an omnibus edition for the first time?that form an ancient-Egyptian counterpart to his famous Cairo Trilogy.

Mahfouz reaches back thousands of years to bring us tales from his homeland's majestic early history?tales of the Egyptian nobility and of war, star-crossed love, and the divine rule of the pharoahs. In Khufu's Wisdom, the legendary Fourth Dynasty monarch faces the prospect of the end of his rule and the possibility that his daughter has fallen in love with the man prophesied to be his successor. Rhadopis of Nubia is the unforgettable story of the charismatic young Pharoah Merenra II and the ravishing courtesan Rhadopis, whose love affair makes them the envy of all Egyptian society. And Thebes at War tells the epic story of Egypt's victory over the Asiatic foreigners who dominated the country for two centuries.

Three Novels of Ancient Egypt gives us a dazzling tapestry of ancient Egypt and reminds us of the remarkable artistry of Naguib Mahfouz.

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