Against a background of the strife-torn land of Judea two thousand years ago, Mika Waltari has written what is certainly his most important novel. Seeking the meaning to his life in the study of philosophy, the young Roman. Marcus Manilianus, discovers in an Alexandrian library a vast number of predictions, all tending to confirm his own feeling that the world is about to enter upon a new era. Two chance encounters with Jews who proclaim the coming of a world leader whom they call the Messiah or King, cause Marcus to resolve to make a visit to the Holy City of the Jews. He arrives outside Jerusalem in time to see crowds—some curious, some shocked—staring up at three crosses on a nearby mound. Above the center cross, an inscription had been fixed: JESUS OF NAZARETH, KING OF THE JEWS. The quest that ensues leads Marcus through all parts of Jerusalem and into contact with men and women of all stations of life who had known this remarkable man. And by degrees, wonderful if strange things are revealed to him of Jesus’ teaching, and he experiences the odd sensation of almost believing in the destiny of this crucified Roman among the alien Jews, Stands alone on the borderline of two worlds, feelings he belongs to neither, and it becomes vital to him to find “the way, “the Kingdom,” to again knowledge and certainty, not merely belief. What follows, as Marcus pursues his search for the promised secret of the Kingdom, bring to a climax as exciting and deeply moving a novel as Mika Waltari, certainly one of the world’s outstanding historical novelists, has ever written. It is a story of a time long past, yet it deals with a theme as modern as today: the dilemma of modern man and his culture in gaining and retaining a faith. And always present throughout the novel is the splendor, the irony and humor which have so delighted millions of readers of other Waltari novels from The Egyptian to The Etruscan.
First published in the 1940s and widely condemned as obscene, The Egyptian outsold every other American novel published that same year, and remains a classic; readers worldwide have testified to its life-changing power. It is a full-bodied re-creation of a largely forgotten era in the world’s history: an Egypt when pharaohs contended with the near-collapse of history’s greatest empire. This epic tale encompasses the whole of the then-known world, from Babylon to Crete, from Thebes to Jerusalem, while centering around one unforgettable figure: Sinuhe, a man of mysterious origins who rises from the depths of degradation to get close to the Pharoah...
Lars Turm's troubles began after having abducted Arsinoe, the wanton priestess of Eryx, as he followed her to whatever lands promised her wealth and luxury. But when she fell in love with another, he was forced to flee... and find a destiny beyond his wildest expectations and powers.
No other city in the world could compare with it in grandeur, splendor, and wealth. And when it fell to the Turks in 1453, it must have seemed like the end of the world to Christians. Famed author Mika Waltari takes us into the last months of this dying city as revealed in the diary of John Angelos, a strange man hopelessly in love with the daughter of an eminent Byzantine official. In this powerful novel which closely follows actual historical events and personalities, Waltari explores the passions and follies of a civilization on the brink of disaster. With shrewd psychological insight, Waltari provides us with an unbelievable tapestry of false hopes, dogged determination, and fanatic Muslim religious faith as seen through the eyes of the 15th century Greeks and Italians who valiantly defended the city to the bitter end. With chaos and despair deepening into a pall of gloom, the sultan's huge army surrounds Constantinople and assaults its massive walls. We peer over the shoulder of John Angelos as he dons his armor and plunges into the tumultuous events taking place amid smoldering suspicions of betrayal and assassination. But as always, the beautiful Anna Notaras lingers in his imagination. "Today I am called a spy and the lover of the empires most desirable woman. But no one knows my true identity and no one ever shall. For it is the year 1453; and here in Constantinople a mighty Christian empire is dying brutally as the Muslim hordes storm its massive wall." The sweeping, powerful story of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire in 1453 and a hopeless love affair—these are the background for this intimate and exciting historical novel.
The Roman is a superb reconstruction of a time long ago, the Roman world in the time of the Emperors Claudius & Nero. It's the story of Minutus, of noble birth, who serves the government and travels widely through the Empire, from his home in Antioch to the seat of world power, Rome. A historically consistent portrayal of the highest levels of society in ancient Rome. One of Waltari's great historical novels.
En compagnie du jeune Minutus qui va devenir tour à tour légionnaire dans les forêts bretonnes, favori du philosophe Sénèque, époux de la fille de l'empereur Claude, intendant de Néron et ami de l'apôtre Pierre, Mika Waltari nous emmène dans l'empire romain au sommet de sa gloire. Dans ce roman d'une précision historique hallucinante, deux destins se croisent, celui de Minutus, et celui du christianisme naissant avec comme personnages secondaires Vespasien, Agrippine, les apôtres Paul, Pierre et Luc, Pétrone, Messaline, Simon le Magicien, Titus, Claudia, Octavia, Popée, Britannicus, Domitien, Flavius Josèphe et bien évidemment Néron, dont Mika Waltari nous raconte l'incroyable règne. Plongés dans la folie, la grandeur et la barbarie de l'empire romain, on découvre la montée en puissance d'un empereur fou et celle des premiers chrétiens, prêts à tout pour leur foi. Prouesse littéraire sans égal et pur joyau du talent extraordinaire, voire divin, de Mika Waltari, ce livre est plus qu'un livre : il abat la frontière du temps et de l'espace pour nous poser au coeur de la plus grande ville de tous les temps : Rome. Mika Waltari est mondialement connu pour son livre Sinouhé l'Égyptien. Membre de l'Académie de Finlande, il est considéré par le quotidien Le Monde comme "le maître absolu du roman historique ".
In The Wanderer, Michael of the charmed life continues his erratic career as an adventurer with an interlude which takes him through much of the 16th century Islamic empire. The holocaust in Rome singed his conscience a bit, and he decided - with his brother in arms, the bull-like Andy, to seek peace in a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. But Fate decreed otherwise. The pilgrim ship was seized by the infidels. Michael, chameleon like in his loyalties, became for all purposes an aspirant to Islam, and - though a slave - rose rapidly in the service of his masters, until he was confidante, adviser, military leader, political intriguer, whatever suited his mood, and landing - as one of his owners said - "always on his feet." Richly detailed with the lushness of a tawdry era in Europe and the Near East, the novel is more tightly plotted than was "The Adventurer," and Michael finds himself smitten by the strange woman of the evil eye who has captured his heart and imagination. A complex plot, with successive interlocking episodes, this adds up to another picaresque romantic adventure novel which those who enjoyed its predecessors will want to read for sure.
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