Egypt, with its pyramids and deserts, holds many secrets. Like many ancient civilizations, answering one question often leads to many more questions, luring the professionals and amateurs alike. Of course, with the intense competition and the dream of immense material and intellectual rewards at the end (if you are successful), it often result in people working with obsession and single aim of getting the fame, which they feel is their due.
"The Egyptologist" by Arthur Phillips is a novel of a young man's obsession, ambition and how that can easily result in tragedy.
The story starts with an Australian detective Harold Ferrell, who is investigating the deaths of an Egyptologist called Ralph M. Trilipush and his benefactor, an American millionaire called Finneran. Trilipush is a man who has found a piece of poetry by a little known, yet visionary Pharaoh (or so he believes), thinks that he can find the tomb of the Pharaoh, which will mark a triumph of his research and make his fame as an Egyptologist permanent. After becoming engaged to the daughter of Finneran, the arrogant and snobbish British man sets off to Egypt, with the promise of untold riches.
After reaching Egypt, he begins by hiring a team of local laborers and starts digging in the hills where the piece of poetry was found. After hitting a lot of dead-ends, his laborers leave him and go to the next valley, where a man called Carter is digging for the tomb of a little known king called Tut.
When the Trilipush's initial reports are all negative, and there is no return on the huge investment, Finneran decides to visit Egypt himself. Trilipush — broken and abandoned by his laborers, without his benefactor sending him money — starts to live in the cave where he thought he would find the tomb of his Pharaoh. Shortly after learning that his benefactor, Finneran, is coming to keep an eye on him, Trilipush starts finding the clues to his elusive tomb. His journal entries give the descriptions of his findings, leading to a bizarre climax.
Article comments