In year 1945 a Finnish
writer Mika Waltari published a historical novel Sinuhe the Egyptian, which is
a gripping story of Egypt in times of Pharaos. Waltari pictures most eventful
life of his leading character, doctor Sinuhe. Characters, like Kaptah, who is a
slave to Sinuhe, warlord Horemheb and women Sinuhe loves, Nefernefer, Minea and
Merit, are described delightfully and colourfully. Their characters are
described so precisely that you feel like you knew them personally after
reading the book.
It is time of great upheavals. Period is changing to a new one. People of Egypt
is divided in two by religious wars. The power of Pharaos is in turns blooming
and collapsing. New Pharaos take place from the old ones. Egypt is getting
poorer in this disruption and it is easy for neighbouring
countries to attack
Egypt.
Sinuhe arrives in a
floating basket made out of willow on river Nile, where he is saved and taken
as a foster-child by a poor couple. Foster father for Sinuhe is a doctor and he
learns some doctoring skills even as a child. Growing up, Sinuhe goes to
temple of the Pharaoh to study medical science. He is not contented with the teachings
received in the temple, which are prohibited to question. He leaves the temple
and decides to get his teaching elsewhere. He starts to roam the neighbouring
countries of Egypt for years. His task is to report about war equipment and
manners of other countries to his employer, the great Egyptian warlord
Horemheb. Kaptah follows Sinuhe with devotion in his trips, although he is
often terrified of the dangers he is thrown because of caprices of his master.
During his trips Sinuhe is eager to collect knowledge of healing methods of
other nations and to teach Egyptian knowledge of healing to foreigners.
There is one big secret in
life of Sinuhe and it has impacts to choices he makes and to his whole life.
Sinuhe also get entangled to wheelings and dealings of Pharaohs and upper
class. What Sinuhe does and decides to do has a great impact to social
happenings in Egypt whether he wanted or not. There is also a lot of Sinuhe’s
philosophic consideration about the meaning of life and fairness. For example
he is contented to live a humble life although he could afford a fancier life.
But the slave, Kaptah, who is released in the end of the book by Sinuhe, will
enjoy after getting rich eating, drinking and dressing expensively and using a
sedan.
To my knowledge, Mika Waltari never visited Egypt,
but still this book describes the beings and manners of those times really
accurately even to its smallest detail.To order Finnish books in native language or as translations, find more details on www.etoivonen.net/books.htm