Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth A Novel (original 1985; udgave 2008)

This is the story of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Akhenaten, related to a young man by each person who was close to, or who served, the pharaoh. I couldn't help but be reminded of the current state of American politics. Everyone tells a different story. Every single person had a differing opinion on Akhenaten. So, who do you believe? The one consistent thread among all was that he had a strange appearance and that his faith in the One God was unwavering.

I would really like to read other books by Mahfouz, as I'm thinking this probably isn't his best. I mean, it was interesting enough, but the many points of view relating the story made character development difficult...and I'm a big fan of character development. I'm not saying I disliked the book immensely, but I have read other historical novels about various ancient Egyptian royalty and found them much more interesting.

That being said, historical fiction always leaves me wishing I could travel back and find out the real story. A fly on the wall, so to speak. As Akhenaten's life is somewhat of a mystery compared to other pharaohs (due to his name, etc. being obliterated because he was judged a heretic), I especially wish I could learn the truth about him. ( )

"الخير لا ينهزم، والشر لا ينتصر، ولكننا لا نشهد من الزمان إلا اللحظة العابرة ، والعجز والموت يحولان بيننا وبين رؤية الحقيقة"
حين قرأت تاريخ مصر القديمة في كتاب قصة الحضارة : الشرق الأدني
دفعني الفضول للبحث عن أي رواية أو مسرحية تتحدث عن الفترة التي تحيط بحكم اخناتون
لما رأيت في الكتاب - ولو أنه ذكر علي شيء من الإختصار - من تغيير جذري في العقائد وثورة علي التقاليد والكهنة وكذلك أنماط الفن السائدة وقتها
طريقة السرد في هذه الرواية كانت عبقرية حيث يتحدث كل من كان قريبا من اخناتون من وجهة نظره الخاصة وتظهر لك كم التناقض الشديد بين أفعال البعض وقلوبهم
وبين نظرتنا للشخصيات ومبررات كل شخصية لتصرفاتها
ويتجلي لك أن كتابة التاريخ علي يد شخص غير محايد أو أمين تظلم الكثير من الشخوص والفترات وتنشر الكثير من الأكاذيب لمجرد أن الكاتب يميل بأهوائه
لعل أي حامل لرسالة ما وخصوصا إذا كان يحمل الحقيقة سيتعرض للاستنكار الشديد والحرب الشعواء من المستفيدين من الحالة التي كانت سائدة
ولعل ما أفشل ثورة إخناتون هو تعامله بالحب مع من لا يستحقون الحب ولا يعرفون قيم الجمال
و من لم يؤدبه الحب يؤدبه المزيد من الحب
لأنهم يبحثون عن السلطة والمال ويصلون إليها بأي طريقة حتي لو كان إيمانا زائفا
كما أن الثورة علي التقاليد بهدف أن تتغير سريعا لا يولد تغييرا في الحقيقة
وإنما حالة من الانبهار الخاطف بشيء جديد سرعان ما يذهب أدراج الرياح إذا تعارضت مع مصلحة ما أو مع معيشة مترفة هانئة
فالتغيير -أي تغيير - يجب أن يكون تدريجيا
تساءلت كثيرا أثناء قراءتها هل يجوز جلوسه علي العرش بهذه الطبيعة الفنية والإحساس المرهف مثلما انتقده أغلب كارهيه؟
هل كان يلزمه بعض القوة والحزم مع الحب الممتلئ به قلبه ؟
أعجبتني الرواية جدا في الحقيقة ولكن بها بعض الأخطاء حيث أن توت عنخ آمون هو ابن اخناتون وليس أخوه
ولمن سيقرأ هناك إثنتان "تي"
تي الأولي هي زوجة امنحتب الثالث وأم اخناتون
تي الثانية أو الأدق "تاي" هي زوجة آي أبو نفرتيتي ومربيتها
حتي لا يحدث خلط ( )

Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth is the story of Egypt's heretic pharaoh. The format of the book is that a young Egyptian decides to interview contemporaries of Akhenaten in order to uncover and record the truth for posterity. Each chapter was the version of the story from a different one of the historical characters. I liked how Mahfouz was able to get in the head of the different characters and present their version with all of their probable biases. He lets the the history reveal itself to the reader over the course of the book. I found it interesting how the country reacted when Akhenaten challenged their religious beliefs and traditions, especially since his new beliefs would be mainstream today. I also liked how the last line of the book put a different spin on the purpose of the book and its message. It really made me think and I bumped up the star rating a whole 1/2 star because of that one sentence. ( )

A young man wishes to find out the truth about Akhenaten, the monotheistic pharaoh, whose new faith in the god Aten, did not outlast him or the beautiful city he had built in the god's honor. With a letter of introduction to various erstwhile members of the court, the narrator gets a more complete picture of Akhenaten. Each person whom he interviews and tells their impressions of the man, has a different opinion about the man and various facets of his life. Some, such as Ay, the counsellor, and the Aten high priest have nothing but good to say. Others, although they had given lip service to that religion, denigrated him after his death, calling him insane. Each has a different theory on why his wife, the beautiful Nefertiti, left him. Some felt he had died of natural causes and others, that he had been murdered. Sort of a Rashomon-type story set in ancient Egypt.

Recommended. A smooth translation and a quick read. ( )

It is a sky laden with clouds of contradictions.

This book dipped down and restored me when I felt empty. It floated past, a tacit invitation to climb aboard. The subject is both ancient and timeless. A pharaoh catches the bug of a new religion and insists everyone join him. Everyone from the generals and the priests on down bristle; most find that the man, the titular Akhenaten, has lost it. They also blame his queen Nefertiti.
Rumor runs amok.
Incest.
Treason.
Heresy.
Eventually after all has went to hell, Akhenaten is dead and order restored, a young aristocrat wants to discover the truth. He goes to interview the survivors. Very Citizen Kane. Mahfouz is amazing here, broaching state religion in a context almost four thousand years old but with a deft touch. The novel is almost an oral transcription. There isn't detail. There's just a Rashomon of Richard III----or maybe an aside on life under Nasser. ( )