Ancient Evenings

by Norman Mailer

Ancient Evenings is set in ancient Egypt. The novel opens with the reflections of a person who does not know who he is or what he was. Its characters include Menenhetet One and Meni living in the rule of Ramesses IX.

The Book of One Man Dead

An unnamed narrator finds himself inexplicably and painfully thrust into the burial chambers of Pharaoh Khufu. He leaves the pharaoh's tomb, recognizes the tomb of Menenhetet Two, and enters to find it in disarray. In Menenhetet Two's chambers, he details the stages of death and names the seven lights and shadows: Ren, Sekhem, Khu, Ba, Ka, Khaibit, and Sekhu. Toward the end of this book, the unnamed narrator discovers he is Menenhetet Two (Meni), and his corpse occupies the very tomb he's exploring. His great-grandfather and the origin of his name, Menenhetet One (Menenhetet), appears. Not knowing his great grandfather in life, Meni initially fears the man who appears dressed as a High Priest. Menenhetet mentors and guides his grandson's journey into the afterlife.

The Book of the Gods

Menenhetet and Meni continue their journey together in "The Book of the Gods", Menenhetet teaching Meni the history of the gods to prepare him for possible encounters in the Land of the Dead. Menenhetet starts with the marriage of Ra, his wife Nut, and Nut's lover Geb. Nut subsequently borne five children, who were all attributed to Ra: Osiris, Horus, Set, Isis and Nephthys. Menenhetet continues, detailing the lives and histories of Nut's five children, their unions, resulting children, travels, and encounters. All the while, Meni is discovering his great-grandfather. Throughout, the fluidity of the experiences shift from an earthly realm to a spiritual one. Meni receives these lessons through face-to-face discussions with Menenhetet and through Menenhetet's visits from within his thoughts. Others, like Ra, also add to the lessons through spiritual methods. The affair between Isis and Horus is absent from the lessons of this book, and Menenhetet and Meni continue their journey into the next book by transporting from the tomb to Necropolis.