Actual rate : 4.25⭐️


Kali kedua membaca karya mendiang Naguib Mahfouz, termasuk buku ini.

Terinspirasi dari cerita rakyat Mesir kala itu, pesan dan makna yg disampaikan dlm kisah2 pendek Voices from the other world pun masih sangat relatable dengan kehidupan masa sekarang. Cerita kedua & terakhir adl cerita favorit saya, tapi secara keseluruhan semua nya memuaskan!

Dengan gaya tulisan beliau yg cenderung "smooth dan compact", hingga saya pikir cerita rakyat begini bakalan berat dan jenuh, tapi justru tidak sama sekali. Bahkan saya gak sadar tau2 udah tamat aja bacanya. Tipikal buku yg bisa kamu baca sekali duduk aja, tapi rasanya saya gak kepengin cepat selesai ketika baca buku ini

Fascinating, short, classic Egyptian myths

Such stark and hard hitting tales.
Told so simplistically.
Reality, then and now, revolve around the same basic truths.
And denials.

b/c i'm a nerd for ancient egyptian symbolism. and in remberance of aunt s.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

A lovely little collection of short stories from a brilliant writer! I'm glad I finally got around to reading these. Most of them feel like fables or fairytales, with twists and messaging that still feel relevant more than half a century later. If you haven't read Naguib Mahfouz before, I would recommend trying this collection out. They are all stories inspired by Egyptian history and give a nice flavor for his writing style, but in a very brief volume.

I really enjoyed the stories. Very thought provoking

Very easy to read book. This was a pleasure - the stories were innovative and fresh, and the style felt very clean.

3.6 stars, rounded down.

evil adored: three stars
king userkaf’s forgiveness: four stars
the mummy awakens: four stars
the return of sinuhe: four stars
a voice from the other world: three stars

I don't know why I picked this book up but I certainly am glad I did. It contains 5 short stories dealing with Ancient Egypt. The stories are written like fables but are all extremely intriguing, especially the final one about death. I would definitely recommend this small book to anyone who wanted something light and very well written.

“The sun was slanting toward the western horizon, the endless expanse of the realm of shadows. The flickerings of its fading rays shook with the shiver of Death upon the surface of the sacred Nile. I continued on my accustomed way, across from the sycamore tree at the southern edge of the village where my lovely house lies.”

Necip Mahfuz’un kaleminden okuduğum ilk kitaptı. Yazış biçimi ve yalınlığı hoşuma gitti.
Ancak kitabın Antik Mısır ile alakası yok. Tamam, her öyküye bir iki firavun ve mumya figürü katmaya çalışmış ancak antik mısır hikayeleri denilince daha ütopik kurgu beklemiştim. Kurgu daha çok siyasi, kültürel, toplumsal eleştiri içeren öykülerden oluşmakta. Son öyküsü olan “Öteki Dünyadan Bir Ses” biraz daha antik mısıra yakın. Onda bile İslamiyet ile Antik Mısır dini arasında kalmış gibi yazmış yazar. Yine de içlerinde en sevdiğim öykü oldu. Mısır’ın uzun yıllar İngiltere ve Fransızlar tarafından içinin boşaltılmasına atıfta bulunulması gerekirken, eleştiri konusunda Türk milleti olarak bu kitapta da nasibimizi almışız. Üzdü.

My arrogance has been tested this weekend and my reading has been restless. I spent a hundred pages each on a couple of books before tossing them aside. I still feel whole.

I was alerted to a good book sale Friday evening by the server at my favorite artisan pizzeria and awoke yesterday to record Manchester United before venturing out. I bought 25 books and my aching biceps are testament to my delight. Amongst this haul was Ahdaf Souef's Cairo -- her account of Tahrir Square and its promise and collapse. I am eager to read that but thought I would broach other Egyptian texts beforehand.

Voices contains a number of historical fiction pieces Mahfouz wrote in the 1930s and 40s which had been unavailable to Anglophones until the last 20 years with their translation to English. Each reveals the timeless traits which befall humanity. Each is relatively brief but rich in detail. I admit I know very little about ancient Egypt and I would like to remedy that. My deficit didn't appear to hamper my enjoyment.