From the winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature and author of the Cairo trilogy, comes Akhenaten, a fascinating work of fiction about the most in...
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Jan 13, 2012
Harmonybites
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This is a slight, slim work, in more ways than one. Only 168 pages and very spare in style, I read this novella in little more than two hours, but I didn't feel it had much impact--it felt too lightweight to me. Akhenaten has been called the first monotheist--he's a terribly important historical figure and Ancient Egypt is to me a fascinating culture. Naguib Mahfouz for his part is a celebrated author--a Nobel Prize Winner. So I'm surprised I only liked this rather than loved it.
I thin More...
I thin More...
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Nov 06, 2011
Tyler
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A fantastic read that I never would've stumbled on unless I'd been looking for a book to try reading with my Kindle app on my phone. This I actually borrowed digitally, for FREE, from my local library; I'd been waiting to try this out, and you should too; but that's another blog post!
Akhenaten was an amazing trip through everything a good story should be. A simple premise but a book that reflects on the deepest meanings of what life is ultimately all about. Who was Akhenaten, and what More...
Akhenaten was an amazing trip through everything a good story should be. A simple premise but a book that reflects on the deepest meanings of what life is ultimately all about. Who was Akhenaten, and what More...
Sep 25, 2011
Mohamedmsayed
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رواية تدرك من قراءتها مدي قدرة الكاتب علي ارجاعك الي التاريخ وجعلك تعيش قصة اخناتون ونفرتيتي بلغة رائعة واسلوب مشوق رائع , الحقيقة ان الرواية تضع امامك العديد من الحقائق حول اخناتون ونفرتيتي ورجال الحكم في هذه الفترة واعطائك الحكم للحكم علي شحصية كل منهم بوضوح , فستجد ان من قرا الرواية سيقيم ابطالها علي حسب افكاره ورؤيته .... من روائع نجيب محفوظ __ بعد قراءتي للرواية باسابيع قليلة ذهبت لزيارة المتحف المصري ورأيت تماثيل كليوباترا واحناتون والملكة تي وشعرت واني ارعفهم معرفة شخصية او اعرفهم عن قرب
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May 03, 2011
Daniel
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Naguib Mahfouz envisions a young man, Meriamun, who desires to discover the truth about the previous pharoah, Akhenaten, who challenged the traditional theology of Egypt and proselytized a singular deity that he claimed to be the "one" God. The format of the story is a series of interviews that Meriamun holds with people who surrounded the deceased pharoah, such as the commander of the armies; his life-long tutor and advisor; a sculptor whom Akhenaten charged with building a new capita
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May 01, 2011
Trekscribbler
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In all truth, very little is known and can be asserted as fact surrounding the lives of ancient Egypt's ruling couple, Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Arguably, they may be a pair of history's most elusive figures ... yet, Ahhenaten is the more intriguing of the two.
In trying to tell the story of the Pharoah so little is known about, Mahfouz employs a narrative not unlike that of one of film's most revered projects, CITIZEN KANE: a narrator -- a young man, perhaps a budding scholar -- begins by a More...
In trying to tell the story of the Pharoah so little is known about, Mahfouz employs a narrative not unlike that of one of film's most revered projects, CITIZEN KANE: a narrator -- a young man, perhaps a budding scholar -- begins by a More...
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Sep 08, 2009
Jayson
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Akhenaten Dweller in Truth
Naguib Mahfouz
168 pages
ISBN 10: 0-385-49909-4
This is a novel about a nobel on his quest to unravel the life of Akhenaten or the "sun king." Its a very interesting novel, as this nobel interviews the sun kings closest friends, worst enemies, and the mans wife. This makes it interesting as so many different perspectives is shown through these people's accounts of the king with no bias.
I thought the book was ok. It was interes More...
Naguib Mahfouz
168 pages
ISBN 10: 0-385-49909-4
This is a novel about a nobel on his quest to unravel the life of Akhenaten or the "sun king." Its a very interesting novel, as this nobel interviews the sun kings closest friends, worst enemies, and the mans wife. This makes it interesting as so many different perspectives is shown through these people's accounts of the king with no bias.
I thought the book was ok. It was interes More...
Apr 15, 2011
حازم
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"كن كالتاريخ يفتح أذنيه لكل قائل ولا ينحاز لأحد ثم يسلم الحقيقة ناصعة هبة للمتأملين"
هذه هي النصيحة التي وُجهت، وأتقنها الباحث عن الحقيقة راوي الرواية، حتى ليجعلك تتيّقن أن كل يتحدّث على هواه ولابد للحقيقة أن تغيب، ولا يعيش بها سوى من عاشوا في الأزمان الغابرة.
العائش في الحقيقة تغوص في الحقبة الفرعونية، وتتناول الجدل المُثار حول إخناتون أو المارق ونفرتيتي زوجته أو العاهرة!.. والصراع الدائر بين الآلهة آتون وآمون والآله الواحد. ستكتشف أن مصر لطالما مرت بمحن وأزمات عاصفة، ولكنها ت More...
هذه هي النصيحة التي وُجهت، وأتقنها الباحث عن الحقيقة راوي الرواية، حتى ليجعلك تتيّقن أن كل يتحدّث على هواه ولابد للحقيقة أن تغيب، ولا يعيش بها سوى من عاشوا في الأزمان الغابرة.
العائش في الحقيقة تغوص في الحقبة الفرعونية، وتتناول الجدل المُثار حول إخناتون أو المارق ونفرتيتي زوجته أو العاهرة!.. والصراع الدائر بين الآلهة آتون وآمون والآله الواحد. ستكتشف أن مصر لطالما مرت بمحن وأزمات عاصفة، ولكنها ت More...
Jun 25, 2010
Nom
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The plot of this book is quite simple: Young prince Meriamun sails past a desolate city, and when he is told that it was once the beautiful city built by the pharaoh Akhenaten, who is now dead and condemned as a heretic, Meriamun is fascinated and decides to talk to several people who were close to Akhenaten to discover the "truth" about him. What he ends up with are several different and often conflicting accounts.
I do think the idea behind this book is a strong one; each More...
I do think the idea behind this book is a strong one; each More...
Feb 09, 2012
Mina
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رواية ممتعة ترجع بالقارىء لزمن اخناتون وثورته الدينية الراديكالية أو سمها فتنته الدينية الكبرى إن شئت .. نقرأ شهادة من عاصروه وأحاطوا به وموقفهم منه ومن رسالته والتناقض الواضح بين الحكايات المختلفة التى تعكس الطبيعة البشرية التى تصبغ ذكرياتها وانطباعاتها بآرائها الخاصة وأهوائها المختلفة، والتى تضع أيضا علامات استفهام إزاء التاريخ الذى بين أيدينا الآن .. هل كان اخناتون صادقا أم مجنونا أم مخادعا أم مخدوعا؟ وماذا عن حقيقة نفرتيتى؟ كلها أسئلة كغيرها لن نستطيع الجزم بإجاباتها.
على أى حال الر More...
على أى حال الر More...
Jun 14, 2011
Mark
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While on a journey through ancient Egypt, the scribe, Meriamun, sees the ruins of Akhetaten that the now-dead pharaoh Akhenaten had built for the worship of the "One God." Worship of Aten was a departure from the polytheistic religion of the ancient Egyptians. Some, in fact, see the pharoah' trying, unsuccessfully, to introduce a monotheistic religion to the kingdom.
The novel follows Meriamun as he seeks understanding and truth about the dead Pharoah and his worship More...
Oct 09, 2011
Arcadius
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I was disappointed with this because Akhenaten and his world offer so much scope for really imaginative re-creation, and Mahfouz can be such a wonderful writer.
Unfortunately, his A is a wholly other-wordly mystic, strongly tinged with fanaticism, and devoid of any other concerns. This two-dimensional caricature is neither convincing nor an easy character to sympathise with - and as he was obviously impossible as a ruler, his downfall evokes little sense of tragedy. All we are left wi More...
Unfortunately, his A is a wholly other-wordly mystic, strongly tinged with fanaticism, and devoid of any other concerns. This two-dimensional caricature is neither convincing nor an easy character to sympathise with - and as he was obviously impossible as a ruler, his downfall evokes little sense of tragedy. All we are left wi More...
Aug 16, 2011
William
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On the Nile at full seasonal flood, the narrator, Meriamun, and his father drift past the abandoned city of Akhetaten, Pharoah Akhenaten's once beautiful capital, which he had created after abandoning Thebes. The son asks the father, who is connected at court, to write letters of reference for him so that he might interview those who were involved with the "heretic" king. Mahfouz is admirably swift in establishing the core conflict. Amun is the main God of Egypt, but after Akhenaten's
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Mar 21, 2010
Marvin
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This is the second novel by Naguib Mahfouz I've read. The first one was The Thief and The Dogs Mahfouz is likely to become another one of my favorite authors. Akhenaten is a fictional account of the Egyptian pharaoh that espoused what was probably the world's first Monotheistic religion. Mahfouz tells his story through the viewpoint of 14 different persons including Queen Nefertiti. This Rashomon styled tale doesn't come to any conclusion. In fact, we learn more about the people around Akhenaten
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Sep 23, 2011
Tãsŋêẽm
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كتاب ممل بكل المقاييس .. ملوّث لتاريخ مصر وتاريخ اخناتون وقصة التوحيد
وتاريخ امنحتب الثالث وزوجته الملكه تييى وام اخناتون
مش عارفه ازاى أخد نوبل
يمكن لانه ملوّث للتاريخ أخدها
ربنا يسامحه بقى نجيب محفوظ
قفلنى منه ومن رواياته
هو قال كده فى البدايه :
كن كالتاريخ يفتح أذنيه لكل قائل ولا ينحاز لأحد ثم يسلم الحقيقة ناصعة هبة للمتأملين
معتقدش ان ده هو اللى حصل :) More...
وتاريخ امنحتب الثالث وزوجته الملكه تييى وام اخناتون
مش عارفه ازاى أخد نوبل
يمكن لانه ملوّث للتاريخ أخدها
ربنا يسامحه بقى نجيب محفوظ
قفلنى منه ومن رواياته
هو قال كده فى البدايه :
كن كالتاريخ يفتح أذنيه لكل قائل ولا ينحاز لأحد ثم يسلم الحقيقة ناصعة هبة للمتأملين
معتقدش ان ده هو اللى حصل :) More...
Jul 29, 2011
Simão
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Um livro aparentemente simples sobre o faraó Akhenaton, pioneiro no monoteísmo e que alterou profundamente o Egipto do seu tempo.
Estruturado como uma serie de "entrevistas" realizadas por um homem que deseja conhecer a verdade sobre a época do chamado Herege, a obra é interessante a tempos sendo que talvez tivesse ganho mais profundidade se o autor tivesse optado por uma forma alternativa de expressar a acção.
Não deixa de ser um interessante relato, com várias semelhanças c More...
Estruturado como uma serie de "entrevistas" realizadas por um homem que deseja conhecer a verdade sobre a época do chamado Herege, a obra é interessante a tempos sendo que talvez tivesse ganho mais profundidade se o autor tivesse optado por uma forma alternativa de expressar a acção.
Não deixa de ser um interessante relato, com várias semelhanças c More...
Feb 07, 2011
Geoffrey
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I read this on a Nile cruise last summer, which gave us a chance to visit the sites of Akhenaton's utopian city. What I loved about the book is its multiple perspectives on this strange pharaoh's challenge to established authoritarian dogma, from the points of view of characters differently placed in the religious, political and military hierarchies — including Akhenaton's famous widow, Nefertiti. This small novel is a sly, indirect challenge to dogmatic certainty anywhere, in any epoch, includi
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Jan 07, 2012
Paul
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In Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth, Naguib Mahfouz gives us a challenging, impressionistic vision of Egypt in the time of the pharaohs. His subject, the "heretic pharaoh" Akhenaten (c. 1353-1336 B.C.), sought to move Egypt away from its traditional polytheism and toward the worship of the sun as a single god; he built the new city of Akhetaten for his god, mandated new styles in art and literature, and made many enemies among those who believed in the old ways. The story's narrator, a yo
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Oct 17, 2010
Micah
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As a lifelong New Kingdom Egyptophile, it has always been a source of great disappointment for me that popular media seem to have reduced Egypt's appeal to merely "pyramids," "mummies," and "Cleopatra" (with perhaps the occasional detour into "backdrop for the Exodus"). Akhenaten -- arguably the first monotheist in recorded history -- is one of ancient Egypt's most tragically underused narrative resources. Heresy, idealism, political machinations, powerf
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Jul 08, 2007
Phyl
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I liked and didn't like this book. Maybe something got lost in translation, but I don't think that's the only reason I found it a bit flat.
I like the format: interview all the main players, and some minor ones, who surrounded the "heretic" Pharaoh Akhenaten during his rule and downfall. Each tells the story from his or her viewpoint, and soon the reader realizes that almost every narrator is colouring the story to make him or herself look good. You begin to read subsequent More...
I like the format: interview all the main players, and some minor ones, who surrounded the "heretic" Pharaoh Akhenaten during his rule and downfall. Each tells the story from his or her viewpoint, and soon the reader realizes that almost every narrator is colouring the story to make him or herself look good. You begin to read subsequent More...
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Aug 28, 2009
Joan
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A great book to introduce the idea of the difference in opinions between different participants in the same event. The narrator (a scribe?) interviews the survivors of the tumultuous reign of Akhenaten (older brother of Tut) to better understand what really happened, and of course, the narratives differ in several key ways. I had studied the reign in Grade 9 history, but don't remember the ambiguity as to why Akhenaten was pushed out of office. Reading the book has peaked my interest in learn
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Jun 09, 2009
Maureen
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I read Mahfouz's CAIRO TRILOGY when he won the Nobel prize. Some of its images still linger in my mind after all these years. This is a good book. What I found most intriguing about it was this story of an Egyptian pharaoh is told by an Egyptian who after all these centuries still shares in his ideal. Gave me a whole different view of Nefertti beyond just being a 'beauty.'
Jan 09, 2012
Lisa
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Quite a good read, with lyrical writing. The book tells the story of Akhenaten’s reign through a number of perspectives, which can become a little repetitive, in order to find what the “truth” of Akhenaten’s god, reign and person. A range of perspectives are given from the highly critical to the ardent defenders – interestingly, these viewpoints are reflected in discussion about Akhenaten within modern discussion about the Amarna age. The conclusion the narrator reaches may not be one I personal
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Mar 11, 2010
Suggested by my old friend Suzy, who's been a voracious reader (with very good taste) for as long as I've known her.
Dare I confess that I've not ever read any Mahfouz? I gave the Cairo Trilogy to my dad for Christmas a few years ago, and he read it. I intend to after I finish my Ph.D.!
Dare I confess that I've not ever read any Mahfouz? I gave the Cairo Trilogy to my dad for Christmas a few years ago, and he read it. I intend to after I finish my Ph.D.!
Feb 09, 2011
Rossana
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Excellent book not only on the life of this visionary who's spiritual life was way ahead of his time but also on the way we see a person. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Egypt's history specially on this period, this controversial king and his wife Nefertiti.
Dec 27, 2011
Ahmed
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"كن كالتاريخ يفتح أذنيه لكل قائل ولا ينحاز لأحد ثم يسلم الحقيقة ناصعة هبة للمتأملين"
ساحرة آخاذة هذه الرواية، كلما شعرت فيها ببداية التكرار أخذتنى الى رؤية مختلفة، فمحفوظ يلقى الضوء على فترة حكم الملك أخناتون معرضا ايها من وجهة نظر كل من كان مقربا له من أحبائه وأعداؤه متبعا العبارة الحكيمة التى بدأ بها البحث، تظن انه يعرض موقف كل شخص وشهادته عن أخناتون وفترة حكمه ولكنه يعرض ايضا طباع وأنماط نفسية مختلفة More...
ساحرة آخاذة هذه الرواية، كلما شعرت فيها ببداية التكرار أخذتنى الى رؤية مختلفة، فمحفوظ يلقى الضوء على فترة حكم الملك أخناتون معرضا ايها من وجهة نظر كل من كان مقربا له من أحبائه وأعداؤه متبعا العبارة الحكيمة التى بدأ بها البحث، تظن انه يعرض موقف كل شخص وشهادته عن أخناتون وفترة حكمه ولكنه يعرض ايضا طباع وأنماط نفسية مختلفة More...
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Mar 03, 2010
Bianca
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An intriguing, Rashomon-like novel about the infamous pharaoh Akhenaten, who unsuccesfully tried to introduce monotheistic religion in ancient Egypt. Each chapter, featuring accounts from individuals in the heretic king's inner circle, are more illunating than deadening in their repeated contradictions and conflicting views. It is these contradictions that, in fact, give the novel its weight. The persistent motif of spiritual difference as madness bears striking resemblance to the ever-present a
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Jul 30, 2009
Elizabeth
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Who knows the truth? A compiling of everyone's memories about the death of Akenaten but how do they all fit together. Well written with an ending that leaves you wondering.
Jan 22, 2012
Ahmed
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Although I am a huge fan of historical PERIOD OF ANCIENT EGYPT AND NOVELS AS WELL I FOUND IT ,OK,NOT BAD AND NOT FANTASTIC. the fantastic thing is how we love searching for the truth , that we will never find.
Oct 05, 2011
Jeanette
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A young man is searching for answers about God, set the days of the pyramids of Egypt. Doesn't take long to "GET IT", then it drags.
Mar 06, 2011
Steven
rated it:
Provides an excellent perspective into the turmoil cause by the"heretic pharoah" as told by his close friends, advisers, and enemies.
