Book 215: Andorra (Spanish) – La gran concubina de Amón = The Great Concubine of Amun (Albert Salvadó)

At the last hour of the afternoon, when it was still possible to distinguish the ochre of the arid lands that encircled and protected the Valley of the Kings, the reddish tones spread out along the horizon to win the battle over the blue ones, and to anticipate the arrival of darkness. It was the hour of silence, of recognition and contemplation of the great spectacle which took place in Egypt every dusk, when the day gave way to sunset and the world of light ceded its reign to the universe of the stars.

[my translation]

If you’re going to read a novel for Andorra, it’s quite likely that you’ll find yourself diverted to ancient Egypt. That’s because that’s what Albert Salvadó, one of its few prominent novelists, writes about. And he is pretty good.

So we travel back to 1100 BCE, quite late in ancient Egyptian history, to a period we don’t hear much about, the weak reign of Rameses XI (c.1098-1070 BCE), ending with the collapse of the New Kingdom, when old tombs were pillaged under the pretext of restoring them. The mummies were hidden in a hole behind Queen Hatshepsut’s beautiful Deir el Bahri temple by the high priests to keep them, at least, safe. Thereafter Egypt was divided, with the XXI Dynasty ruling in the north from Tanis, and the high priests of Amun ruling the south from Thebes.

Here the country is in a state of crisis and has already fractured between north and south. Herihor is a Libyan general, the commander of the Egyptian army, who becomes the high priest of the Karnak temple as well as the vizier and effective ruler of Upper (southern) Egypt. The vizier of Lower Egypt, Smendes, becomes de facto ruler there. The two have come to a modus vivendi to respect each others’ spheres of influence.

Then Herihor dies, his body disappears, and where is his successor? Out of this obscure but fascinating (very) cold case Salvadó weaves this whodunit. Without spoiling the story, it is well told and apparently well researched. I found it very enjoyable.

Salvadó, Albert (1951 – ), La gran concubina de Amón, Barcelona, entreLibros, 2005, ISBN 84-96517-16-0