Help me find my childhood favourite novel about ancient Egypt
September 25, 2017 12:02 PM   Subscribe

I read this book around 1990. It was a first person account by a fictional female Egyptian ruler, from her earliest memories to her death. I recall she married her brother the pharaoh for formality's sake, but the father of her child was an artist she had an affair with. It was set in one of the earliest dynasties.

Other things I remember:
- I read it in Polish translation, but it was definitely by a foreign author, so it may have been originally published much earlier than 1990
- the heroine presided over at least one armed conflict during her reign
- there were many cultural details and descriptions that were accurate, or at least the same as in the popular-history books on Egypt I inhaled around the same time
- it was not about Hatshepsut, it was set much earlier
- the book was either Young Adult or my mother gave something very questionable to an Egypt-obsessed eight year old
posted by I claim sanctuary to Writing & Language (4 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
The Lost Queen of Egypt, by Lucile Morrison?
posted by Iridic at 12:23 PM on September 25, 2017


Best answer: Winged Pharaoh by Joan Grant? It is one of my favorite books, and yes, I agree, it may have been too intense for an 8 year old! :)

It is still in print, and available through Amazon!
posted by Hanuman1960 at 12:23 PM on September 25, 2017 [4 favorites]


Response by poster: Oh gods that was fast (and totally worth joining Metafilter for after something like 7 years lurking). It's definitely Winged Pharaoh - I recognise both the names of the characters and the cover of the Polish edition published in 1989. Now to buy it and see if it holds up!
posted by I claim sanctuary at 12:38 PM on September 25, 2017 [4 favorites]


I think you would also enjoy His Majesty, Queen Hatshepsut, also written at the YA level.
posted by homodachi at 1:56 PM on September 25, 2017


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