This book is disappointingly short, and contains only four short stories from the renowned Egyptian author. Because it doesn't delve too deeply into Ancient Egyptian society and has little to no material on modern Egypt, I didn't like it as much as I'd thought I would. Still, the stories are of course well-written and quite enjoyable for what they are.

i only liked 'The Mummy Awakens' .

Yıllardır kitaplığımda bir sürü Mahfuz var ama bir türlü elim gidip de başlayamamıştım. Sonunda Can Yayınları'ndan başladık Necib Mahfuz'a.

Eser yanılmıyorsam beş adet antik Mısır öyküsünden oluşuyor. Hepsi de ustaca kurgulanmış ilginç hikâyeler. Beni en çok sonuncusu etkiledi zira o öyküde yaşam, ölüm, bireyin ölümünden sonra çevresinde yaşananlara ilginç bir bakış açısı var ve bu oldukça ilgi çekici.

Yazarın diğer kitaplarını da biraz öne çekip özellikle roman dalında neler yaptığını okumam gerekiyor buna emin oldum.

Tavsiyedir.

Avevo preso questo libro per iniziare a conoscere lo scrittore Arabo più conosciuto dei nostri tempi. L'ho letto in un fiato, si tratta di cinque racconti che riprendono antiche tradizioni Egiziane ed in tutto sono un centinaio di pagine. Mi ricordo già poco, però, e varrebbe la pena di leggermi uno dei suoi romanzi ormai.

"A peculiar feeling pervaded me that I had left life behind, that I had ceased to dwell among the people of the world.....
What could not be doubted is that Death is neither painful nor terrifying, as mortals imagine. If they knew the truth about it, they would seek it out as they do well-aged wine, preferring it over all others. For it is not regret or sadness that grips the dying person. Rather, life appears as something paltry and unimportant when one intuits on the horizon that divine and joyous light. I was shackled with fetters, then they were smashed. I was trapped inside a vessel, then I was set free. I was intensely heavy on
the earth, then I shed my bonds and was rid of my weight. My form was narrow, then I stretched everywhere outward without any bounds. My senses were limited, then each faculty changed utterly; I could see all and I could hear all and I could comprehend all, and I could perceive all at once what was above me and below me and around me—as if I had left my body sprawled before me to take from Creation an entirely new one."

This gets extra points for being brief. It is a series of short tales each with a moral or lesson and an ancient Egyptian setting. This book reminded me of "The Alchemist," except the lessons are more interesting, not a cliche.

This is a collection of five short stories from one of the most prominent authors of Arabic fiction. These were originally published in 1936, '38, '39, '41 and '45, before they were translated in 2000 to 2003. The stories are inspired by ancient Egypt and read like folk literature.

Maybe it's because of the time they were written, but I was a bit disappointed to find them rather lacking in substance. Some read like they could have been expanded into a longer form, but were just cut short. The first story felt like a fable but any "lesson" that could be learned from it was not very edifying, it seems to me. The last and title story might be a bit gruesome to most because it details the steps taken in preparing a body for mummification.

Overall an interesting read, but a bit flat to me.

“evil adored” was my favorite of these short stories, it was so good ugh! one of those stories that is ALWAYS going to be relevant

apa yang sekiranya akan terjadi andaikan kita bisa bertemu dengan orang yang telah menjadi simbol kejayaan masa lalu di masa sekarang? kalau di buku ini firaun-lah orangnya, bagaimana dengan masa kita, apakah ia sukarno, gajah mada, khalifah umar ibn abd al-aziz, charlemagne, beatles, apa yang akan dilakukan: barangkali kitalah yang akan mengajukan banyak pertanyaan. buku ini tidak memberi kesempatan itu; justru sejarahlah yang menanyai kita sekalinya ia dikenali oleh penggalinya.

A remarkable collection of five short stories by the Nobel Prize-winning Egyptian author. One of the stories, "The Return of Sinuhe," is an adaptation of a genuinely ancient text, but three of the others could easily be taken for ancient tales, incorporating historical characters and written in a form that comes close to a fable (or, in the case of "Evil Adored," a parable. The exception is "The Mummy Awakens," which appropriates the Hollywood trope of a reanimated mummy and sets up a confrontation between the long-dead Egyptian general and an arrogant Turkish pasha, contemptuous of the Egyptians he rules. This story clearly (and powerfully) speaks of Egypt's colonial experience, but the others are solidly rooted in a clear and very believable vision of her Pharaonic past. Gloriously written, and a true revelation to me.

A collection of short, very well written stories relating to ancient Egypt.
The last story - A voice from the other world - was by far my favourite one from the collection.
It's a very unique tale about the life after death of a person.

Maravillosos y atemporales cuentos de un merecidísimo premio Nobel.