Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Khufu's Wisdom” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Khufu's Wisdom

(The Egyptian Trilogy #1)

Naguib Mahfouz

3.78 · Rating details · 2,885 ratings · 372 reviews

Pharaoh Khufu is battling the Fates. At stake is the inheritance of Egypt's throne, the proud but tender heart of Khufu's beautiful daughter Princess Meresankh, and Khufu's legacy as a sage, not savage, ruler. As the tale begins, Khufu is bored in his great palace at Memphis. To entertain him, his architect Mirabu expounds on the mighty masterwork he has so far spent ten y ...more

Get A Copy

Hardcover, 193 pages

Published January 1st 2004 by American University in Cairo Press (first published 1939)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Khufu's Wisdom, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 3.78 ·

Rating details

· 2,885 ratings · 372 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Khufu's Wisdom

May 12, 2020 Sidharth Vardhan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, 1-africa, nobel

"What augustness, and what grandeur! And what suffering and struggle in their pursuit! Was it right for so many worthy souls to be expended for the sake of his personal exaltation? Was it proper for him to rule over so noble a people, who had only one goal — his own happiness."

Khufu's wisdom seems to be such a waste of idea. It could be a fine story about a man's obsession with his death. Or rather immortality.
.

"immortality is itself a death for our dear, ephemeral lives."

Perhaps it is

"What augustness, and what grandeur! And what suffering and struggle in their pursuit! Was it right for so many worthy souls to be expended for the sake of his personal exaltation? Was it proper for him to rule over so noble a people, who had only one goal — his own happiness."

Khufu's wisdom seems to be such a waste of idea. It could be a fine story about a man's obsession with his death. Or rather immortality.
.

"immortality is itself a death for our dear, ephemeral lives."

Perhaps it is absurd in some way to have your death on your mind any more than a sentence, if it could think, was to obsess about its full stop - not wanting to end, or wanting to somehow stay around after the full stop. But what is death but end of life? At least a full stop has an existence on paper (or screens) - it indicates a pause when speaking. Death is not even any of that. Yet we obsess with death and like I said want to somehow exist beyond that full stop. The dream of physical immortality being imposssible, we look to do it by making it so that we are remembered beyond our death - for most it shows in desire for children. In others, it takes the form of doing something that will make them worth remembering - 'make a dent on the universe' as Steve Jobs put it. Most do it through art and books. Khufu decided to do it in a way so poetical, that it shows both the excess and absurdity of his dream - by building the biggest tomb of the world for himself. What will you say about a man whose life's biggest project, on which he spent twenty years and incredibly huge amount of resources, was preparation of his death? Excusing his actions on idea of some imagined greatness:

"And what is Egypt but a great work that would not have been under taken if not for the sacrifices of individuals? And of what value is the life of an individual? It equals not a single dry tear to one who looks to the far future and the grand plan. For this I would be cruel without any qualms. I would strike with an iron hand, and drive hundreds of thousands through hardships - not from stupidity of character or despotic egotism. Rather, it's as if my eyes were able to pierce the veil of the horizons to glimpse the glory of this awaited homeland. More than once, the queen has accused me of harshness and oppression. No - for what is Khufu but a -wise man of far-seeing vision, -wearing the skin of the preying panther, -while in his breast there beats the heart of an openhanded angel?”

And, in fact, he spent his last years inside the tomb while .... guess what? writing a book of wisdom that will make him memorable. His true wisdom, except if title was supposed to be ironical (which isn't Mahfouz's style), really seemed to be his quiet acceptance of his disillusionment and death toward the end.

And this book started off awesome with some pretty 5 star stuff - characters speaking in that sophisticated manner which made everyone in Plato's dialogues look like nerds. The trouble is Mahfouz's book really doesn't stick around Khufu all that long. Except for the first few chapters, he is a side-character - sometimes not appearing for chapters, with his successor being the protagonist. The successor, Djedefra wasn't all that interesting to me. His is a story of a rags-to-riches boy who is perfect in everything he do. And there seemed something lacking with Mahfouz's narration too - all his characters seem to be dying of too much of emotion in here. This comes from someone who has enjoyed Mahfouz's novels before.

The best moment of the book was in the time when Khufu takes a whole army unit to kill a new born baby. It might be another irony that the boy would be raised by wife of a man who build the tomb and the inspector who overlooked the property. It could hold some interest for being a book on ancient Egypt written by an Egyptian author which is why it gets the last half star.

"What a pity! For if only those suffering from loss would remember that Death is a void that effaces memory, and that the sorrows of the living vanish at the same speed with which the dead themselves disappear, how much toil and torment they could avoid for themselves!"

...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jan 08, 2017 Constantine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: x-3-half-star, z2017-01

Rating: 3.5/5.0

I love Naguib Mahfouz' work and this book is among his earlier work. This is a story about ancient Egypt. At the times where Pharaoh Khufu was ruling the land. Of course the story is fictional but Mahfouz add some realism to it by setting the historical atmosphere, highlighting a side that was known for the Pharaoh (Wisdom) and some historical events like the built of the pyramids.

The story is mainly about fate and that a human might not be able to change a written fate no matter ...more

flag 9 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2012 Enas rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is one of the most inspiring novels I've ever read.. Although I hated the fact that the soothsayer is always telling the future that comes true, I found in this novel more focus on the fact that "Yes, we can create our future and choose our destiny but only among what Allah has previously written for us".. It's a bit complicated issue, but it answers the question "هل الإنسان مخير أم مسير؟" in a simple way.. It maybe a novel with an ordinary plot that we might have read before in a Shakespea ...more

flag 7 likes · Like · see review

Nov 06, 2008 Danny rated it it was amazing

I read this while in Egypt. Khufu was the Pharoah who built the great pyramids, and at the part where he is dedicating them we were flying over them! Surreal! (sidenote: i told the guy next to me: "look its the pyramids!!!" and he said: "What, you want me to take a picture or somethings"..."why did you even come to egypt?")
its a great story about fate and mystery and the land of reeds, camels, Bedouins and scarabs! READ IT! ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Rania rated it liked it · review of another edition

An interesting story inspired by the story of Moses and written by a beginner Mahfouz.
No matter how you try to escape your fate, it will eventually find you.
Although the plot is simple and the events highly predictable, the language is still capturing and the story entertaining.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

May 05, 2007 Andrew rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good writing, though the story is just a wee-bit cliche.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 23, 2018 Sara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2018-non-english

Fascinating time period highlighted by a quick paced story and good character motivations. Overall enjoyed it, but could have used even more emphasis on certain characters.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 25, 2020 J. Andrew Brantley rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

In Khufu's Wisdom the theme of fate versus free will appears often throughout the novel. Khufu's dynasty is in jeopardy when a magician prophesies that a newborn baby has been blessed by the gods to inherit his throne. That baby was Djedefra, son of a priest of Ra no less! Having this displeasing prophecy looming over their heads, Khufu and his sons pay a deadly visit to the priest and try to keep their dynasty in power. Their attempt to assert their free is foiled when fate intervenes, in the f In Khufu's Wisdom the theme of fate versus free will appears often throughout the novel. Khufu's dynasty is in jeopardy when a magician prophesies that a newborn baby has been blessed by the gods to inherit his throne. That baby was Djedefra, son of a priest of Ra no less! Having this displeasing prophecy looming over their heads, Khufu and his sons pay a deadly visit to the priest and try to keep their dynasty in power. Their attempt to assert their free is foiled when fate intervenes, in the form of Zaya, a servant girl who first saves the infant’s life when she travels with him and his mother en route to safety and then when she has to raise him after marauders abduct his mother.

So Djedefra's perilous journey to adulthood would be forever connected to Khufu, in one way or another. Djedefra is able to train as a soldier and rises the ranks to the upper echelons of the royal court. He falls in love with Princess Meresankh, but he doubts that she will ever reciprocate his feelings. And even if she does, what chance does he have marrying her? Destiny leaves little space for free will to intervene and alter what has been preordained. Will Khufu's wisdom serve him well in his old age, or will he be the greatest fool of all?

Naguib Mahfouz was always a writer that was on my radar to read. I studied Egyptology in undergrad so I have always been interested in novels that take place in Egyptian Antiquity. Mahfouz's writing is extremely lyrical and nuanced. I enjoyed reading the different character perspectives as it gave the plot more depth.

(view spoiler)[ I know that some people have complained that the novel did not seem "ancient" enough for them and read as it occurred in a temporary setting, but I strongly disagree with that. Any historical fiction no matter how well researched is going to have some kind of anarchism. My main issue with the novel was the treatment of Princess Meresankh. Within a few chapters, she goes from being annoyed and seemingly hating Djedefra, to professing her undying love for him. If anything it would have been more interesting to them attempt to carry on a relationship behind closed doors. The tension of whether or not someone would find out about them (and the ramifications thereafter) would have been fun.

I am not sure how much historical information Mahfouz had at his disposal but the way he played with certain historical aspects for the sake of the plot irked me. The two biggest being Khafre's betrayal and Djedefra becoming king. The actual Khafre, son of Khufu actually was a pharaoh! He ruled for almost thirty years and has a pyramid at Giza next to Khufu's. If anything Khufu had an older son who died before him named Kawab. Why not make him be the one to plan the attempted assassination?

Djedefra is considered by scholars as the creator of the Great Sphinx of Giza After Khufu's death. Djedefra was a family member outside the legitimate line. However Djedefra was certainly Khufu's son, but it seems he was not his chosen successor. Theories regarding family conspiracies against him, however, appear unfounded.

The most important aspect of Djedefre's reign, however, is not his pyramid or the claim that he built the Sphinx but his association of the position of the king with the cult of the sun god Ra. He was the first king of Egypt to apply the title "Son of Ra" to himself marking the kingship as subordinate to the sun god. In the Second Dynasty, king Raneb had linked his name to the gods and so established the king as the gods' representative on earth, the living embodiment of the gods. After Djedefre's reform, the king would still be seen as a divine representative but now in a more subordinate position as a child of god. (hide spoiler)] ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 01, 2021 Katy Berman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

I give this novel four stars due to the author's beautiful writing style (he won the Nobel prize in literature for a later work), and for the philosophical ideas that are explored. Set in ancient Egypt, when the gods and the divine pharaoh ruled, society had a rigid class structure. Royalty did not marry commoners, and people were expected to accept their lot in life and the will of their pharaoh, who was considered divine and therefore always acting according to the gods' wishes.

4th century ph I give this novel four stars due to the author's beautiful writing style (he won the Nobel prize in literature for a later work), and for the philosophical ideas that are explored. Set in ancient Egypt, when the gods and the divine pharaoh ruled, society had a rigid class structure. Royalty did not marry commoners, and people were expected to accept their lot in life and the will of their pharaoh, who was considered divine and therefore always acting according to the gods' wishes.

4th century pharaoh Khufu, most well known for the Great Pyramid that he had built as his tomb at Giza, is informed by a trusted seer that the successor to his throne is to be a son born to a high priest of the god Ra. In order to preserve his family's royal line of succession, the king sets out with an army and his son Khafra to have the child killed. (This reminded me of the Biblical story of King Herod telling the wisemen who were on their way to pay homage to the Christ child to report back to him to inform of the Christ child's whereabouts, with the objective of having him killed. Whether this was an allusion Mahfouz intended, I don't know and perhaps the idea comes from ancient Egyptian mythology.) The story unfolds very differently thereafter - the priest tricks the king and his son by showing them another baby that has just been born to a servant in his household.

The priest's wife, learning of what happened from her personal servant, Zaya, escapes with her baby and Zaya hides them under some straw in a wagon. On the way to On, the mother's home town, they are set upon by Bedouins. Zaya escapes with the child, but the mother is kidnapped. Zaya takes the child to Memphis, the capital and royal city, claiming him as her own, intending to find her husband who is one of the laborers building the pharaoh's pyramid. Finding out her husband has died, she ends up the wife of a widower, the inspector of the pyramid, and raises the child in his household along with his two sons. The child, Djedef, grows up to be a very successful military commander. A dilemma arises when Djedef unwittingly falls in love with the pharaoh's daughter.

This is one of Mahfouz's earliest novels and has many historical inaccuracies, but whether these facts were known by Egyptologists of the 1920s-1930s, I cannot say. While these inaccuracies bothered me at first, I finally decided to accept the novel for what it was - a work of fiction. What matters is the story and the ideas it presents. Ancient Egyptians did believe in magic and in the predictions of sages, so the story in that context is well presented.

Mahfouz wrote three other novels early in his career set in ancient Egypt, but he is most well-known for his later works, including the famous "Cairo Trilogy." ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Sep 17, 2019 Chloe Snyder rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Beautiful prose, rich storytelling. Enjoyed every inch.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 02, 2019 Rehab salah Saad rated it it was ok · review of another edition

A wonderful story about the power of destiny and the responsibility of kings to their people. Khufu, the pharaoh responsible for the building of the great pyramids, learns from a magician that none of his sons will inherit his throne. When he finds out who will inherit instead, he decides to take fate into his own hands and rid himself of the competition. Little does he know that his power only extends so far.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Dec 19, 2018 Gabriela Francisco rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"Here is the malady: you believe in duty... Which of the two do you think will be the first to be sold? Duty, or the avoidance of doing harm?“

This is the first novel in THREE NOVELS OF ANCIENT EGYPT by Naguib Mahfouz, he who writes in such an epic style!

Instead of saying "the trees swayed in the evening light," he goes: "In the darkness, the date palms looked like slumbering ghosts, or souls whose tortures stretched throughout eternity."

My gooooooosh!!!! Such a pleasure to read a novel full of b ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 04, 2019 Brad rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2018-read-list

Every time I come back to Mahfouz I am happy that I did. The way he tells stories is so compelling. It is a unique mixture of traditional storytelling and more modern European writing. This combination makes every story feel a little more epic. This works particularly well in a story as grand as Khufu's.

While it is worth noting that the story itself does not line up with much of what we know of the time, but the experiences and feeling of the era rings truer than I expected. The story is simple, ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Ahmed rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Rereading the novel now for that specific scene I want to cite in my newest post on my blog, I remembered that it and not "كفاح طيبة" was my first novel to ever read.
How epic that it's also the first novel for Naguib to write. How great of an omen is it!
بعيداً عن البُعد التاريخى, لأنه غالباً غير دقيق. إلا إن فكرة الصدفة فى الرواية والقدر وبُعدها الوجودى مُثير للتأمُل بشكل جميل.
5 out of 5! ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jun 03, 2009 Natalie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-east, fiction

I love Mahfouz, but I didn't know what to expect from this book because it is so different from any thing else of his I have read, but I loved it. Good characters, great pace, and simply fun to read. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Jan 25, 2015 Jess rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, novel, africa, ancient-world, egypt, readharder

Overwrought and purple and misogynistic. Several times while reading this I had to flip to the back and re-read the flap copy to reassure myself that I hadn't somehow picked up a pulpy romance novel rather than a work by a Nobel Prize winner. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 14, 2015 Mohammed Hamed added it · review of another edition

amazing amazing just brilliant

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2015 Amr Rashad rated it liked it · review of another edition

Good novel, so melodramatic, and typically Egyptian, but feels out of time. It feels like it was written about 52 revolution, not the pharaonic era.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Aug 15, 2016 Asaria rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: literature-arabic, historical, setting-ancient, nobel-laureate, 2016

Enjoyable read, but a bit anachronistic

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2018 Mareo19 rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Feb 15, 2020 Stevefk rated it did not like it · review of another edition

I loved this author's Cairo Trilogy. Palace Walk, in particular, is a masterpiece that should be read by all. Khufu's Wisdom, then, was a huge disappointment. Not once in this book did I feel transported back in time to ancient Egypt. This was more like a fantasy novel, with all the modern trappings and clichés such a work entails. Soothsayers, princesses falling in love with soldiers, who rise from humble beginnings to become rulers of kingdoms, etc etc.... More of a crappy young adult novel th ...more

flag Like · see review

May 30, 2017 Maud (reading the world challenge) rated it really liked it

Shelves: africa-northern

[#12 Egypt] Khufu's (Khéops, pour les francophones) Wisdom is the story of a prophecy slowly unfolding, about how a baby born far away from Memphis eventually ended up inheriting the throne of Egypt. Although not historically accurate, it was a pleasant read. Nothing that happened was tremendously unexpected since we know the ending from Chapter 1, but the story managed to surprise me a bunch of times. I hadn't read a book set in Ancient Egypt for a while and it was nice to get back to it. ...more

flag Like · see review

Nov 06, 2019 Kiliyan rated it liked it

The style of the novel is reminiscent of mythological stories of ancient Greece. It's heavy on things like fate and obviously good or bad characters. It's written simply and tries to convey an equally simple message. But it works and is quite a joy to read, because Mahfouz just writes in such a beautiful prose. It's nothing to write home about, but if you're in the mood for a sort of adult fairy tail similar to the stories of 1001 nights and such, then this is a pretty good catch. And the novel ...more

flag Like · see review

Jan 24, 2018 Katherine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: egypt-historical

Loose retelling inspired by the stories from papyrus Westcar. Khufu is told a prophecy by a magician that he will not be succeeded by his own children. This sets in motion a series of events that will test ideas of fate, power, and morality. Mahfouz clearly doesn't intend to have a rabidly faithful retelling of the ancient story or to strictly adhere to historical accuracy. Nonetheless it is quite evocative of the 4th dynasty, horses and chariots and artist's workshops notwithstanding! ...more

flag Like · see review

Oct 14, 2019 Mohamed rated it it was ok · review of another edition

The storyline is very much predicted. A lot of strange technology and culture used that is not suitable with this historical period like using Pharao as the name for Egypt king, mentioning horseback riding or even chariots, staying in a hotel, referring to a desert road showing the writer inability to research or negligence to the facts about this period. I was shocked that a known writer with Nobel prize will have such falls. 2 stars for the good language and philosophical ideas.

flag Like · see review

Dec 31, 2019 Joan Damiens rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very good read! The characters and their relationships are very well built and written. Only weak point : characters are mainly Male and women tend to have the bad roles (except if young and pretty...)
I am happy I discovered this author... I'll definitely read more from him! His writing style in French is intense but simple. Every word is at the right place, with a great feeling of simplicity and efficiency in the discourse. ...more

flag Like · see review

Apr 15, 2020 Stuart Savage rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5, rushed in places.

flag Like · see review

Jun 09, 2020 Claire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I rarely give 5 star reviews; this was a great book about a real pharaoh and how no matter how you might try, you cannot change fate. The words are rich and beautiful.

flag Like · see review

Jul 20, 2020 Michelle rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars

flag Like · see review

Dec 20, 2020 Kathleen rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, egypt

A fairytale that is not historically accurate, but does show Mahfouz's storytelling skills. I recommend the Cairo trilogy instead. ...more

flag Like · see review

« previous 1 2 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
عبث الأقدار	1	8	Jun 21, 2018 01:10PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Fiction

35 users

Novels

26 users

Historical > Historical Fiction

18 users

Northern Africa > Egypt

11 users

Literature

7 users

Nobel Prize

5 users

Historical

5 users

Cultural > Africa

4 users

Classics

4 users

Audiobook

2 users

See top shelves…

About Naguib Mahfouz

Naguib Mahfouz

13,577 followers

Naguib Mahfouz (Arabic author profile: نجيب محفوظ) was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He published over 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie scripts, and five plays over a 70-year career. Many of his works have been made into Egyptian and foreign films. ...more