The Egyptian

The Egyptian is the first, and the most successful, of Waltari's great historical novels. It is set in a fascinating period of ancient Egyptian history, the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaton who has been claimed the first monotheistic ruler in the world. The hero of the novel is not Akhenaton, however, but Sinuhe, the royal physician, who tells the story in exile after Akhenaton's fall and death. Sinuhe is a historical character, too, but little is known about his life. The details of the story are thus Waltari's imagination, though he was much concerned about the historical accurary of his narrative and carried out considerable research into the subject. The result has been praised not only by readers but also by egyptologists.

Waltari had long been interested in Akhenaton and wrote a play about him which was staged in Helsinki in 1938. World War II provided the final impulse for exploring the subject in a novel which, although depicting events that took place over 3000 years ago, in fact reflects the contemporary feelings of disillusionment and war-weariness and carries a pessimistic message of the essential sameness of human nature throughout the ages. Such a message evoked a wide response in readers in the aftermath of the World War, and the book became an international bestseller, topping the bestseller lists in the USA in 1949. It has been translated into some 25 languages.

The Egyptian is also a Hollywood motion picture based on Waltari's novel and released in 1954. The film was produced by Darryl F. Zanuck and directed by Michael Curtiz, and the screenplay was adapted by Philip Dunne[?] and Casey Robinson[?]. Leading roles were played by Edmund Purdom[?] (Sinuhe), Jean Simmons (Merit), Victor Mature[?] (Horemheb), Gene Tierney (Baketamon), Michael Wilding[?] (Akhenaton), Bella Darvi[?] (Nefernefernefer) and Peter Ustinov (Kaptah). Cinematographer Leon Shamroy[?] was nominated for an Oscar in 1955.