A novel that mixes Ancient Egypt with fantasy and has a younger embalmer as its protagonist wins the twentieth Minotaur Prize | Culture | EUROtoday

The shadow of the black lotusa novel that mixes Ancient Egypt with fantasy and has a younger embalmer as its protagonist, has right this moment been proclaimed winner of the Minotaur Prize in its twentieth version. The creator of the ebook, offered with the unique title of The Wrath of the Jackal —who actually tends extra to Anubis and fewer to Tintin than the one chosen for publication— is the author África Vázquez (Zaragoza, 35 years previous), with round thirty printed books and winner of awards corresponding to Kelvin 505 on the Celsius 232 pageant in Avilés. The novel shall be printed on March 25.

Vázquez, who collected the prize, endowed with 6,000 euros, in an occasion held on the prime of the Urquinaona Tower in Barcelona, ​​70 meters excessive (half the peak of the Great Pyramid of Cheops), is a graduate in historical past, captivated with Pharaonic Egypt and a fan of Christian Jacq, one among whose novels within the sequence about Ramses II, The son of sunshinewas his literary introduction to the previous nation of the Nile, as he defined to this newspaper. Sinuhe the Egyptianthe novel by Mika Waltari wherein the protagonist physician is pressured to work within the Beautiful or Rejuvenation House embalming corpses, “came later, but it has also been a great influence.”

The shadow of the black lotus focuses on Imet, who because the narrative begins is a 16-year-old novice on the temple of Isis in Philae. The discovery of a corpse and the toxic black lotus of the title that sprouts within the Underworld causes Imet to be taken to Abydos as an embalmer’s apprentice devoted to turning recent corpses into incorrupt mummies. The younger lady will then dedicate herself to finishing up an infiltrated revenge on the royal court docket in Thebes. The creator units her novel in a magical and timeless Egypt and actually makes use of the identify “kingdom of Ta-Mri”, a type of utilized by the traditional Egyptians to seek advice from their land. Nor does he place his story within the coordinates of any historic pharaoh, however slightly of the fictional Nekht-en-sen, though he admits that he was pondering of Ramses II and the New Kingdom. “I have mixed everything I like about Egypt and I have done it with the most absolute freedom,” he harassed. “MY story has many layers.” From one of many reference novels that blend Ancient Egypt with fantasy, The Gates of Anubisby Tim Powers, he factors out that he has not learn it however that he actually likes the creator.

África Vázquez has defined that her nice initiation second was the journey she took along with her dad and mom and her older sister to Egypt on the age of 13. The creator revalidated her love for the nation of the Nile on one other journey at 27. Her favourite place is Abu Simbel, which doesn’t seem within the novel, though different locations that fascinate her do, such because the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens of Luxor. The author has identified how in The shadow of the black lotus This love for Egypt is mixed with one other of his passions, which is incredible literature. The award-winning novel is conceived as self-contained and in precept Vázquez doesn’t plan to proceed it.

The award presentation ceremony, hailed because the reference award for incredible literature, was attended by a large illustration of followers of the style, together with the bookseller of Mal, Antonio Torrubia, from Gigamesh, and Alberto Plumed, from Cyberdark.internet. Vicky Hidalgo, editorial director of Minotauro (Planeta group label), has highlighted the “very healthy panorama” of science fiction, horror and fantasy in our nation and has identified how the fantasy style is in turbulent occasions each refuge and a software to think about different attainable futures. Regarding the award, he highlighted that for the primary time within the originals acquired, a complete of 216, principally from Spain however with some novels even arriving from Saudi Arabia, fantasy has surpassed science fiction and horror. Some levels have additionally been acquired romantasyworks that prioritize the romantic plot. The two-time winner of the Minotauro (2020 and 2025) and member of the jury Sabino Cabeza has proceeded to learn the award choice and has said with notable enthusiasm that within the successful work “you can smell the embalmers’ ointment.” It needs to be famous as a curiosity that there’s a paleontologist on the jury, Francesc Gascó, director of the Benagéber museum, in Valencia.

The jury has assessed The shadow of the black lotus as “meticulous, devastating and relentless”, and “a dazzling journey to the heart of Ancient Egypt with a unique protagonist who captivates from the first moment”, and has superior that within the “dark and enveloping” story, plagues, journeys to the Underworld or “corpses that return to life and threaten to plunge the country into chaos” seem.