Terenci Moix, born Ramón Moix Meseguer in Barcelona in 1942 and passing away in 2003, was a talented writer from Catalonia during the latter half of the 20th century. He wrote in both Catalan and Spanish, with the majority of his historical novels being written in Spanish, as they were intended for a wider readership. These novels, inspired by history, reflect key aspects of Moix's own life, such as unattainable love due to his homosexuality in a society strongly influenced by Catholic morality, as well as his passion for exploration and travel.
Moix's fascination with Egypt developed through popular culture, particularly after watching the film Cleopatra directed by Leo Mankiewicz in 1963. This led to his deep love for the country and its ancient history, inspiring him to set many of his novels in Egypt. One of the highlights of his career came in 1986 when he won the prestigious Planeta Prize for his novel No me digas que fue un sueño (Don't Tell Me It Was a Dream), which was set in ancient Egypt. This achievement marked a significant milestone in his literary journey.
In Terenci Moix's novel La herida de la esfinge (The Wound of the Sphinx) (1991), he takes us to Egypt at the end of the 19th century and captures the enduring fascination that European Romantic travelers had for this land. The book beautifully evokes various monuments of ancient Egypt, including the iconic Sphinx, which becomes a witness to fascinating events. Another setting depicted in the novel is the city of Luxor, during a time when several royal mummies were being transported from Deir el-Bahari to Cairo.
Moix's portrayal of Egypt in this novel is based on his own personal experiences traveling through the land of the Nile, mirroring the journeys undertaken by the characters. Rather than merely seeking to capture the essence of ancient Egypt, the author's true intention is to immortalize the spirit of those Romantic travelers . This is exemplified by the protagonist's arrival in Egypt through the notable literary port of Alexandria. The protagonist's journey mirrors Moix's own first visit to Egypt in 1968. Within the story, mummies play a significant role, and Moix alludes to a practice that allegedly took place in 19th-century Egypt, where certain counterfeiters would take the bodies of their deceased relatives and sell them to foreign tourists as genuine mummies.

Author: Guillermo Juberías Gracia