Customer Reviews

Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth A Novel

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Not being much of a history-seeker, I borrowed this after having it recommended by a friend who read it, and was startled by its immediacy and was easily pulled in to the story of Akhenaten. The framework of having the story proceed as the narrator, Meriamum, piece together the history through interviews, brought everything into believability, and somehow contemporary at the same time.

Even if you have only a passing interest in Egyptology (and I can hardly claim that... only a few minutes of halting channel-surfing on the Discovery Channel), you will be drawn in to this well-written and engrossing book!

Okay, I confess: I plagiarized the adjective beguiling from the back cover, but it was the best one word phrase I could come up with to describe this quirky book. In some senses, it reminds me of a detective narrative, a kind of Egyptian Oedipus who is searching for the "truth." The story in this case revolves around this monotheistic pharaoh and his peculiar religious leadership and reign. I'm not an expert at the history of the period -- my above reviewer points out several inaccuracies which if true would be disappointing to me. After reading 15 or so different interviews of those close to Akhenaten, some of the mysteries are resolved. It's a short read and quite a unique narrative that will transplant you to ancient Egypt. It's amazing at times how modern the narrative feels. How much really separates sexual escapades of someone like Clinton from those of the ancients? Not much as we see from our study of history. A bit offbeat, but a good read on an intriguing subject.

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 asking his father about the recently deceased king, and his father suggests that the true story could best be told by those who knew him well ... the surviving members of the royal party. Curiosity propels our narrator to visit a host of Akhenaten's supporters and detractors, ending with a conversation from even the exiled queen, Nefertiti.

However, is it truth ... or is it fiction?

As is the case with KANE, the reader ends up learning more about the psyche of the tale's teller (those who knew Akhenaten best) than we do the late king. The pieces of the puzzle do provide a fascinating look, nonetheless, at Akhenaten. Was he a visionary? Was he a heretic? Was he a scholar and artist, or was he driven to do what he did -- changing the complete worship structure of Egypt to one God instead of many -- out of madness?

A work of excellence by a scholar on the subject, AKHENATEN, DWELLER IN TRUTH is highly recommended for any students of ancient history, archaeology, and perhaps even conspiracies. We may never know all regarding the 'heretic king,' but Mahfouz brings us close enough to believing that we were there.

Naguib Mahfouz is one of my favorite writers and, though this tome is not my favorite of his titles, it is, no less intriguing. Mahfouz tackles the controversial historical figure, Pharaoh Akhenaten, by posing the question of his identity and impact on the ancient land, to historical figures of the time.

The chapters of the book, are linked by the narrative of a fictional writer, seeking the 'real story' of Akhenaten. The narrator interviews, Maya, Horemheb, Nakht and several others, including the ignigmatic Queen Nefertiti. Each respondent has a different perspective on the so-called 'heretic king'. Some hate him. Some love him. Many have mixed emotions about the man who, first, selected a god among the pantheon of Egyptian gods, then promoted this god to the position of state god. As time and political events passed, the king came to conceive of his one god as the ultimate, unseen power in the universe. The tales detail the effect this revolutionary concept had on the ancient land. It is obvious that Mahfouz sees Akhenaten as the precursor to the three 'great religions', in that he was the first in recorded history to espouse the concept of one god. The story teller is a master at creating the whole complex picture, from disparate views. He has succeeded again.

Pharaoh Amenhotep IV - husband of Nefertiti and brother of Tutanhamen - is enlightened to "The One and Only God". He changes his name to Akenaten, denies the god Amun, has the name of all other gods extinguished and distributes their temples and the wealth of the priests to the poor. He leaves Thebes and creates Akenaten, his own city of light. He will never tell a lie, will never punish an evildoer and believes only in the surmounting power of love.

How do you deal with such a heretic? Love turns to envy, envy turns to hate. The enemy crosses the country's borders. The people revolt. The priests plot against him. All friends desert. Nefertiti leaves him. He dies young. His city of light disintegrates.

The book consists of "interviews" - about 15 years after the Pharaoh's death - with his closest friends and counsellors: his teacher, the high priest of his new religion, the chief of police, the leader of the army, and many more - ending with Nefertiti herself. By now they can tell the truth about their relationship to the king. Obviously, the message of all encompassing love for all the creatures on earth did not penetrate very far. Some want to promote their own gain, others just simply hate. Most think that he was somewhat demented.

The author looks at the story of love from many sides and comes up disappointed. The Pharaoh has a striking resemblances to a more modern Messiah who also had to fail in his lifetime. The parallels to he New Testament are striking and wonderfully written. Mahfouz is a religious thinker and writer of the very first rank. He makes you think.

It would help greatly in the understanding of this book to study the historical background of the heretic Pharaoh. I recommend "The Murder of Tutanhamen" by Bob Brier.

This book belongs to the first stage of Naguib Mahfuz literary production, a series of 40 novels dedicated to the history of Pharaohnic Egypt. Later on, he was deflected into a new type of novel, one that addressed social/political issues, the raw reality of his native country, and it is within this phase that we have him at his best ("Cairo Trilogy", "Children of the Alley", "Miramar", amongst others). Readers who are familiar with Mahfuz's outstanding novels might be disappointed with this one.
Akhenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV) was one of the most enigmatic pharaohs, one over which there is much historical, archeological, and mystical debate. Details about his life were purposely erased from Egyptian history as he was usually referred to as "heretic" or "rebel." Little can be said and affirm about him, and a good deal of supposition is what accounts for his life, deeds, and character. Was he in fact a victim of Marfan's Syndrome, which accounted for his peculiar physique? Was he a product of miscegenation and therefore had Negroid features? Was "Tut" his brother, son, or son-in-law? Over some aspects, historians seem to have reached an agreement: he was a visionary who implemented a monotheistic religion, had a new city built as the main center of his empire (Amarna), changed the traditional structure of the Egyptian society, and reversed Egyptian's foreign policy. In this revolutionary undertaking his main victim was the priesthood upon which power and tradition was based. The result was a general disruption of traditional patterns of religion, resistance from those representing the previous status quo, and the inevitable failure and death of the new system (including the Pharaoh himself).
The main character in the book, young Meriamum sets to understand the truth about Akhenaten by means of several interviews with a number of the Pharaoh's contemporaries (friends, his wife Nefertiti, the high priest, soldiers, etc). He is a passive listener, makes no attempt to ellaborate on the information given, and what is being told turns out to be extremely contradictory and quite repetitive.
By dealing with a historical character over which there is little factual evidence, Naguib Mahfouz could indulge in the realm of fiction, but by doing so he is further undermining whatever truth might be said about Akhenaten. There is no reference to the social/political/religious reality of Ancient Egypt. As a work of fiction it needs more structure, as a historical fiction it swims in shallow waters.
Leaving the fictional element aside, a much broader, academic and meaningful account of Akhenaten and his time is to be found in "Akhenaten: King of Egypt" by Cyril Aldred.

Although Mahfouz is best known in the West for his novels of modern Cairene life, he also has written a number of novels based on ancient Egyptian history. "Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth" is one such work. Technically a novel, this book is more a meditation on historical truth and the multiple perspectives of different individuals on the same event.

The frame story of a young nobleman investigating the truth about the notorious heretic pharaoh provides a vehicle for those close to Akhenaten tell their versions of what happened. They each have their own axes to grind, their own secrets to hide, and their own versions of reality. Politics, power, ambition, idealism, mysticism and pure pragmatism all play their parts. The only constant in each narrative is Akhenaten's devotion to his one god, though some view it as heresy and some as revelation. But the Pharaoh is convinced that his god and his god's way of peace and love will triumph in the end. Of course, Akhenaten and all he worked for were destroyed, but it is for the reader to decide if he won in the end.

This is not a book to read for plot development and sweeping action. But, if you are interested in a book that takes a more character-driven and philosophical stance, then "Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth" is a rewarding read

When I first learned that Mahfouz had written, at long last, about the ancient times of his beloved Egypt, I could not wait to get my hands on the book. With great anticipation, I began reading "Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth." The recreation of the city of Akhetaten is outstanding, the writing as you would expect from this author, is both insightful and lyrical, however, the book itself is not worthy of the great Naguib Mahfouz.

The format though is interesting. Set after the death of the "heretic" Pharoah Akhenaten, who banned traditional Egyptian religion to institute the worship of the one god - the Aten, Mahfouz chronicles the interviews of the heretic's friends and foes conducted by a young nobleman who visits each one persoanlly in an attempt to learn what "truly" occurred during this time in Egypt's history. While most interviews provide the reader with court intrigue, family issues and theological dilemmas, the weakest interview in the book, in my opinion, seems to be with Nefertiti. The entire book leads up to this interview...and, upon completing his interview, our interviewer sums it up in three sentences! What a let down...

Perhaps I am asking to much, but I really don't think so. I have had the pleasure of reading such Mahfouz masterpieces as the Cairo triology and "The Fountain and the Tomb" ....

Living in a modern Egypt where the belief in one God is the accepted denomination of worship, Mahfouz poses this question: what would it be like a few thousand years ago when the table was turned, and the concept a sole-creator was a subject of heresy? In Akhenaten, the historical heretic of ancient Egypt, Mahfouz finds a way to construct a little tale that is laden with the ever-important philisophical questions about faith.
The narration, done in what I always call a 'Rashomon' style, is based on the stories from different people around Akhenaten as told to a curious young man in search of the truth about the heretic. These views reflect a wide spectrum of perception about Akhenaten, from simply abhorrent as in the high priest of Amun's, (Amun is God of Thebes, the leader of all Gods in the structure of beliefs in ancient Egypt), to the loyal and loving views of Nesfertiti, the infamous wife of Akhenaten.

Ironically, for stories that are supposed to shed light on the truth, they pose more problems than answers. These questions can be divided into two levels, one that relates to the myriad of characters, and the other the philosophical realm of one's faith. The stories as told are intrinsically intriguing, filled with insinuations that get muddier as more perspectives are offered. They encompass greed, jealousy, loyalty, love and more, and the narration is built in such away that the next interviewee tells on the previous' motives. However, as these are purely opinions and hearsays, it is hard to construct an objective story that reflects the true nature of each character aside from mere speculations. On the other hand, as the story of Akhenaten begins to take shape, most readers who adopt a monotheistic take on religion might discover a lot of parallels between Akhenaten's religion and their own. And in these reflections lie the eternal questions about one's belief, such as how much of religion should be tied to governance or if being an absolute pacifist can solve the mundane but realistic conflicts.

In its simplicty, lurks a deeply evocative book. Short and straightforward as it might be, 'Akhenaten' does not leave you in peace even after you finish reading it. It is a deep parable that makes you wonder what it takes to be a faithful being.

i didn't buy this looking for historical insight into ancient egypt, but rather because i've been impressed by translations of mahfouz's work, especially "arabian nights and days". again mahfouz addresses a modern audience using the ancient world, and it's immensely enjoyable.

the format is understandably repetitive, recounting events and motivations through a multitude of viewpoints and of course often saying more about the individual giving the account.

beautifully sparse yet shimmering with little details, this little book is a good introduction to mahfouz's style.