The Egyptian Soundtrack

The Egyptian (Sinuhe egyptiläinen, Sinuhe the Egyptian) is a historical novel by Mika Waltari. It was first published in Finnish in 1945, and in an abridged English translation by Naomi Walford in 1949, from Swedish rather than Finnish. So far, it is the only Finnish novel to be adapted into a Hollywood film, which happened in 1954. It's regarded as "one of the greatest books in Finnish literary history". The Egyptian is the first and the most successful, of Waltari's great historical novels, and which gained him international fame. It is set in Ancient Egypt, mostly during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten of the 18th Dynasty, whom some have claimed to be the first monotheistic ruler in the world. The novel is known for its high-level historical accuracy of the life and culture of the period depicted. At the same time, it also carries a pessimistic message of the essential sameness of human nature throughout the ages.