The EgyptianThe Egyptian
Score Classic
What it's about
Sinuhe is found as a baby floating on the Nile in a reed boat and grows up to be a physician in Egypt in the fourteenth century BC, the time of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to replace Egypt's gods with a single sun god. Sinuhe travels through Babylon, Crete and the Hittite lands, loses everything to a beautiful courtesan, and returns to serve at a court torn apart by faith and power.
Why it's worth reading
It spent 16 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is the most famous novel ever written in Finnish. It's a sweeping, cynical adventure through the ancient world, written just after the Second World War.
You'll love it if you liked
Memoirs of Hadrian
I, Claudius
The Name of the RoseGood to know
It's long, and Sinuhe is a weary, world-worn narrator. Older English translations are abridged.
By the numbers
- Readers83 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
Why it made the list
Reads as
Adventurous, Epic, Moving
If you like this, read next
The Color Purple
Lonesome Dove
Pride and Prejudice
The Pillars of the Earth
One Hundred Years of Solitude
War and PeaceExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Egyptian worth reading?
Yes. It spent 16 weeks at #1 on the New York Times list and is the most famous novel ever written in Finnish. It ranks #630 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.8 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Egyptian about?
Sinuhe is found as a baby floating on the Nile in a reed boat and grows up to be a physician in Egypt in the fourteenth century BC, the time of the pharaoh Akhenaten, who tried to replace Egypt's gods with a single sun god. Sinuhe travels through Babylon, Crete and the Hittite lands, loses everything to a beautiful courtesan, and returns to serve at a court torn apart by faith and power.
How long does it take to read The Egyptian?
About 13 hours (516 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Egyptian?
If you liked it, try Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, I, Claudius by Robert Graves or The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.