5.0 out of 5 stars
This beastly world, January 18, 2011
The little-known short stories in this bundle are a magnificent introduction to Naguib Mahfouz's formidable literary work. They contain in a nutshell most of his main universal themes, like power and power struggles, virtue, sin, corruption, wealth and poverty or man's restless heart and insatiable longings.
`Evil Abroad' tells the story of a magistrate who fights corruption and depravity: `the wicked dwelt on the land in wanton corruption, disease and pestilence claimed the wretched and the weak.' `The stomach is the basis of the malaise in this region. I found many that could not fill its gaping emptiness; others consume greedily all that they wish.'
In `King Userkaf's Forgiveness', a retired king returns to his homeland and finds `no intimates except his loyal dog.' He comes to understand that life is `a revolting farce and miserable misfortune hidden by a mask of fraudulent bliss.'
In `The Mummy Awakens', a pasha is insulted by a deceased man: `Madness and vanity have overtaken you. You aren't satisfied with robbing my sons - so you have come to plunder my tomb, as well.'
`The Return of Sinuhe' is an emotional story of a missed life opportunity: `A person does not merit the divine term `human' until he is able to govern his lusts and his passions. Have you not behaved like dumb beasts and love-struck idiots?'
In `A voice of the Other World', life appears as `something paltry and unimportant. A farce.'
These great short stories are a must read for all lovers of world literature.
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Nice stories., March 19, 2010
Voices from the Other World : Ancient Egyptian Tales by Naguib Mahfouz is a nice little book of stories, classically structured fables of Pharaohs, princes, princesses, mummies and the afterlife. The stories move along very smoothly, with little excess or indulgence. There is a feeling that Mahfouz and his translator give just what is necessary here.
The final story, "A Voice from the Other World" is an amazing vision of the Soul witnessing his Body's death and the surrounding people and world. One of my favorite aspects of the story is the narrators objective, detached visions of the interior life of some of the people who surround his death. Most of the stories take place in the ancient past, except "The Mummy Awakens," which features a Turkish/Egyptian professor who is a Francophile a rich man who seems dismissive of ancient Egypt, to his peril.
All of the stories are good and could even be read to children as a lesson about Egypt and it's glorious past.
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7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love road movies..., January 6, 2007
I love this tales. They put me on the way of adventure. They are big flashes-back to far away countries whereof I dreamt during my whole youth. A second reason of joy in my lecture of that special book, is he tale with the title 'A voice from the other world', where a mummy from the 18th Dynasty awakens to explain what happens when a man passes to the other side. He was 26 years old when he died. He tells us how he felt when he saw that his family and friends wept; and with the embauming of his corpse... He tells us how people are mistaken. That the only thing that counts is the happiness and the sunshine in life after dead..''I yielded myself t an infinite love... I sank into eternity!'' Death is neither painful nor terrifying, as mortals imagine. If they knew the truth about it, they would seek it out as they do with well-aged wine, preferring it over all others. - I must read more ofd those wunderful books.Mahfouz is a great poet. Johan Everaert
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