First, the caricature.
My friends know that I love Egypt. Not the bundle of confusion that it is today, but the Egypt that existed in its glorious past – the Ancient Egypt. Blinded by this love, a few years ago, I purchased a book called “The Tutankhamun Affair.” It is written by Christian Jacq, an author noted for the fiction and non-fiction works on Egypt. My friends also know that I have a marked preference for fiction. When I picked up the book around a decade ago, I had no idea that the guy wrote non-fiction too…and that I was buying a somewhat boring biographical account of Howard Carter’s quest for Tutankhamun’s tomb.
I brought the book home and settled down for a thrilling ride that I hoped would take me through both ancient and modern Egypt. As I started turning its pages, I realized that there were easier ways to die than reading The Tutankhamun Affair, and as dying wasn’t on my to-do list, I pushed the book the farthest I could inside my boring-books book-rack.
A month ago, one of my archaeological expeditions yielded The Tutankhamun Affair – a book I hadn’t read. So I gave it another shot.
Oddly, I didn’t find it as boring this time as I did earlier. Either my own boredom-resistance quotient has gone up, or I’ve learned a few things in the last 10 years – things that now enable me to relate to the tribulations of poor Mr. Carter.
I know that the yarn is growing longer – before you get tangled up and are thrown off-balance and off my blog, I’ll let the story of this imaginary caricature of Mr. Theodore Davis out of the bag.
Mr. Davis appears on page 124 of the soft-cover edition.
“Of average height, Theodore Davis gave an impression of weakness.He did not move without a stick, hid his throat with a white scarf and covered his head with a wide-brimmed hat. His Jodhpurs and puttees made him look like a rider without his horse. A thick moustache spread like the wings of a bird covering the lower part of his face. His gaze was aggressive behind the round lenses of his tiny spectacles.” – Chapter 28, The Tutankhamun Affair by Christian Jacq
I removed his Jodhpurs and puttees and gave him a sensible pair of trousers. (Jodhpurs and puttees are both Indian terms – puttees: bandages.)
That description painted a picture for me and I laughed. So I drew that picture for you, hoping that it would make you laugh too 🙂 I hope it does.
As with all your work, so clever and evocative, I have made a note to read this book, fellow Egytophile:)
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It’s interesting…though it moves at a pace that belongs to the beginning of the twentieth century – but then who wants to see Egypt in a hurry.
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Great…and it is fun an funny.
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Thank you, Margo 🙂
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Very much amusing. You presented Theodore just like what he should look like according to the descriptions. Fantastic drawing!
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An aggressive look with big mustaches on an emaciated body…the description just forced me to draw him 🙂 Thanks Mr. Venkatachari.
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Haha, you did a fabulous job of drawing him! I can see the exact same thing from reading the paragraph to looking at your interpretation. 🙂
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Thank Lydia. I guess I shouldn’t have exchanged his jodhpurs for a pair of trousers…but what’s done is done 🙂
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Nah, I think he looks great just how you have him! 🙂
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Love it! And I want to read that book now, too.
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I am sure, you’ll love it Your Gibship! Did you know that the first mummy that Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter unearthed together was that of a royal Egyptian cat?
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No! There’s a message there.
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Yes. All cats are royal.
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Love it!
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Thanks Robyn 🙂
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