The Egyptian

The Egyptian
First edition cover (Finnish)
AuthorMika Waltari
Original titleSinuhe Egyptiläinen
LanguageFinnish
GenreHistorical novel, bildungsroman, picaresque novel
PublisherWSOY
Publication date
1945
Publication placeFinland
Published in English
1949
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages785 pp (hardcover edition)
ISBN1-55652-441-2 (English translation by Naomi Walford)
OCLC49531238
894/.54133 21
LC ClassPH355.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, from Swedish rather than Finnish.[1][2][Note 1] Regarded as "one of the greatest books in Finnish literary history",[5] it is, so far, the only Finnish novel to be adapted into a Hollywood film, which happened in 1954.

The Egyptian is the first and the most successful of Waltari's great historical novels, and that which gained him international fame. 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.[7]

The novel is known for its high-level historical accuracy regarding the life and culture of the period depicted. At the same time, it also carries a pessimistic message of the essential sameness of flawed human nature throughout the ages.

  1. ^ Vinde, Ann-Marie. "A Translator's Look at Flowering Nettle, Harry Martinson's Nässlorna blomma". Swedish Book Review. 2004 (1). Archived from the original on 2 October 2020.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference HSmaailmalle was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Stenbäck, Irma (12 December 2002). "Mika Waltarin Sinuhe käännetään arabiaksi". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Saturday1949 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference seminar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Arohonka, Anssi (7 February 2008). "Mika Waltarin teosten käännökset" (PDF). Mika Waltari -seura (in Finnish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  7. ^ Wilson, Colin (2000). The Mammoth Encyclopedia of the Unsolved. Carroll & Graf. p. 98. ISBN 978-0786707935.


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