Product Description

(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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205969 in Books
• Published on: 2007-03-27
• Released on: 2007-03-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 648 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780307266248
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
“Mahfouz’s characters blaze with intensity, his Egypt pulsates with unresolved tensions.”
—THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION

“Mahfouz’s understanding of human psychology and history is profound.”
—THE BOSTON GLOBE

“He is not only a Hugo and a Dickens, but also a Galsworthy, a Mann, a Zola, and a Jules Romains.”
—Edward Said, LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

“Mahfouz is the single most important writer in modern Arabic literature.”
—NEWSDAY

“A storyteller of the first order in any idiom.”
—VANITY FAIR

“Through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—Mahfouz has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind.”
—The Swedish Academy, upon awarding Mahfouz the Nobel Prize in Literature


From the Hardcover edition.

Review
“Mahfouz’s characters blaze with intensity, his Egypt pulsates with unresolved tensions.”
—THE ATLANTA CONSTITUTION

“Mahfouz’s understanding of human psychology and history is profound.”
—THE BOSTON GLOBE

“He is not only a Hugo and a Dickens, but also a Galsworthy, a Mann, a Zola, and a Jules Romains.”
—Edward Said, LONDON REVIEW OF BOOKS

“Mahfouz is the single most important writer in modern Arabic literature.”
—NEWSDAY

“A storyteller of the first order in any idiom.”
—VANITY FAIR

“Through works rich in nuance—now clear-sightedly realistic, now evocatively ambiguous—Mahfouz has formed an Arabian narrative art that applies to all mankind.”
—The Swedish Academy, upon awarding Mahfouz the Nobel Prize in Literature

About the Author
Naguib Mahfouz was born in Cairo in 1911 and began writing when he was seventeen. A student of philosophy and an avid reader, his works range from reimaginings of ancient myths to subtle commentaries on contemporary Egyptian politics and culture. Over a career that lasted more than five decades, he wrote 33 novels, 13 short story anthologies, numerous plays, and 30 screenplays. Of his many works, most famous is The Cairo Trilogy, consisting of Palace Walk (1956), Palace of Desire (1957), and Sugar Street (1957), which focuses on a Cairo family through three generations, from 1917 until 1952. In 1988, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, the first writer in Arabic to do so. He died in August 2006.

Customer Reviews

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.

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.

More Ancient Egypt
I purchased the book based on a review. I've just started to read and was a little put off at first. but it grabbed my interest as I progressed. I look forward to an enjoyable and informative read.