My comments on this book must be prefaced by two caveats. First, I am reading a translation from the 1950s (by Evelyn Ramsden), which I suspect would benefit from being updated. Second, it seems that this translation has drastically slashed the length of the original novel, resulting in a story that alternately drags and leaps without any real internal logic. It's hard to tell how much of my assessment is based on the unsympathetic editing and how much on the original story, so I wanted to make that clear at the outset! Set in the 5th century BC, this is the story of Turms, an exile who has come to Delphi seeking judgement in the aftermath of a religious crime. Recognised by the oracle as a man of destiny, he is acquitted and then embarks on a journey around the ancient Mediterranean, taking in battle with the Persians, piracy and - eventually - a romance with a priestess of Aphrodite, the alluring Arsinoe. As Turms follows this beguiling woman from the Greek colonies of Sicily to the nascent republic of Rome, he grows ever closer to his fate. With all this taken into account, it's quite remarkable how this translation manages to make it all so dull. Turms spends the vast majority of the book aimlessly wandering around the Mediterranean, and even when he meets the much-vaunted Arsinoe, his relationship with her is thoroughly implausible. One moment he can see right through her, as she flirts outrageously with his friends; the next minute he is plunged into a frenzy of desire for her. Arsinoe herself is merely a cardboard cut-out femme fatale. The gods are invoked to explain sudden changes of loyalty, friendships or allegiances that can't be justified by rational human behaviour, and the whole thing is an awkward mess. Judging by comments from people who've read the original, Waltari's text is actually much richer and more lyrical than is suggested in this translation. It's unfortunate that such an admired writer isn't given justice, but I really can't recommend this particular edition. If anyone should happen to find a more successful translation into English, I'd be enormously grateful for recommendations.You can find further bafflement, and a longer review, here on my blog:http://theidlewoman.blogspot.co.uk/20...
Turms lähtee liikkeelle verkkaiseen tahtiin, kiihtyy mukavasti luettavaksi matkakertomukseksi ja lässähtää kovasti loppua kohden. Parasta antia kirjassa on henkilöhahmojen suuri ristiriitaisuus ja kaksinaamaisuus. Mutta eri valtioiden poliittisen kuviot on kerrottu todella pitkäveteisesti ja miten onkaan Waltari onnistunut tekemään sota- ja taistelukohtauksista näin tylsiä! Parhaimmillaan kirja yltää Sinuhemaiseen aaltoiluun Turmsin onnistumissa/epäonnistumisissa. Vahinko, että hyvä alkuasetelma vähän hukkuu tylsiin tapahtumiin. Turmshan on ikäänkuin jumala, joka ei suostu sitä ymmärtämään/hyväksymään. Siitä olisi voinut repiä huomattavasti enemmän irti kuin mitä nyt Waltari onnistuu nyhtämään.
Do You like book The Etruscan (2015)?
No, it is definitely not easy to say which of MW novels is the best, as they score equally well in all aspects. This one, however, might have a half of a point higher ranking because ... I don´t know :))) I just love this book!
—Martina
Another very good book, written in 1956, from Mika Waltari. Although the period of history, roughly the 5th century BCE, is not as significant as the history covered in The Egyptian or The Roman, the book does cover the period of the Persian invasions of Greece, the conflict between the Etruscans and the Romans, and the early rivalry between Carthage and Rome. I like the lead character, a man who does not know his origins and wanders from Ephesus and the other Greek cities to Sicily, and finally to Rome and the twelve cities of the Etruscans. His abduction of one of the servants of the temple of Aphrodite at Eryx provides many amorous adventures. She bears three children, none of whom is fathered by our hero.I also enjoyed the many religious and magical scenes, which are treated, first, with skepticism but later with sincerity and belief. I could only wish that the author had told us more about the Etruscan culture, which was virtually obliterated by the rise of Rome. If I can obtain copies of Waltari's other books, by inter-library loan, I plan to read The Adventurer and The Wanderer. The author is a little-known treasure.
—Victor Carson
