Thebes at War by Naguib MahfouzMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
"Oh, God! What will my life be without you?“
"It will be like my life without you."
THEBES AT WAR is the most action-packed of the trilogy of Ancient Egyptian novels, as well as the love story that broke my heart the most. T.T
Having read the three novels, it is very apparent that for Mahfouz and his characters, the primary love that surpasses all other sacred loves for wife and children, mother and father, is love for the Motherland.
It is evident in the loving descriptions of Egypt's landscape and its people, who seem to live and breathe again after thousands of years asleep. Mahfouz's writing shakes off the desert dust that covers their graves and brings their loves and passions to life.
The scene that struck me the most was one where the enemy hid behind Egyptian women and children in the hopes of deterring Egyptian archers from shooting. Mahfouz writes:
The women nodded their heads to the soldiers and called out in high, hoarse voices, "Strike us, may the Lord grant you victory, and take revenge for us!“
I suppose the reason I am deeply touched is because love of country js something we Filipinos speak often about, but rarely demonstrate in deed. Christmas is the season of love, and I can't help but think that perhaps it is our nation's great challenge to channel that love towards acts for the Motherland. For after all, if there's one thing Mahfouz demonstrates in these novels, a nation is only as great as its people.
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