In 1988, Naguib Mahfouz was WINNER of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
A fresh view of an old story.
In naming his novel Akhenaten: Dweller in Truth, Nobel Prize-winning author Naguib Mahfouz signals his belief that Akhenaten’s views of religion, the same views that led Akhenaten to be called the “heretic pharoah,” show him to be more a man of our times than a man of his own times. Akhenaten, formerly Amenhotep IV, changed his name to reflect his belief that Aten, the sun god, was m
ore powerful than Amen (Amun), the traditional god of the Egyptians, the god served by a huge and powerful class of priests and recognized as the Most High by the large Egyptian population. Following a mystical revelation, however, he also came to believe that there was a god even higher than Aten–One God, the Sole Creator, who was a god of love, forgiveness, and peace. In this respect, Akhenaten becomes a pharoah whose beliefs make him seem almost “like one of us.”
When Akhenaten eventually prohibits the worship of any god other than the One God, he shows himself to be a zealot more interested in promoting his religious views than in ruling his large and diverse country, more a priest than a pharoah. Whether he is right or not becomes less important historically than the chaos his views create–the people become fragmented, the priests become infuriated at their sudden loss of political and social power, the enemies of the country see their opportunity to attack, and the foundation of law and order crumbles in the ensuing cataclysm.
Mahfouz examines Akhenaten’s life from the points of view of more than a dozen of his contemporaries, including the High Priest of the new religion, the High Priest of the old religion, Akhenaten’s wife Nefertiti, his teacher and counselor, his chief of security, and his doctor, among others. Each gives a fresh view of who Akhenaten is, what he believes, and what his legacy might have be. Mahfouz offers a fascinating, cautionary story of what happens when the ruler of a large and diverse country uses his position of power to impose new religious thought on a highly developed and traditional culture. The parallels to contemporary life are obvious.
Note: The Naguib Mahfouz Wiki page is here.
Note: This excellent site shows the evolution and changes in the art during Akhenaten’s reign, including the changing styles of faces.
Also by Naguib Mahfouz: KARNAK CAFE, THE DAY THE LEADER WAS KILLED, THE MIRAGE, BEFORE THE THRONE, MORNING AND EVENING TALK, CAIRO MODERN
