The Debate Between a Man and His Soul: A Masterpiece of Ancient Egyptian Literature (Culture and History of the Ancient Near East, 44)

xii PREFACE and to William Voelkle, Curator of Medieval and Renaissance Manuscripts, the Morgan Library. The excellent black and white images of the Berlin papyrus published here were made by the Museum's photographer, Sandra Steiss. A full-color photographic record of the papyrus was made by the British Museum photographer, Lisa Baylis, in 2007; these images will shortly be published in CD format by her and Richard Parkinson. Finally, I am grateful to Brill's editors, and especially to Thomas Schneider, editor of the series in which this book appears, for their acceptance and rapid publication of my manuscript. This study can hardly be regarded as definitive. Debate about the translation and larger meaning of the text will undoubtedly continue into the future. It is my hope that I have been able to contribute in some measure to a better understanding of this monument of ancient Egyptian thought. Providence, 2010 ## CHAPTER ONE \* These works are referenced in the text by author and year: e.g., Assmann 1998. This book is a new study of the ancient Egyptian poem known in English as The Man Who Was Tired of Life or The Dialogue of a Man and His Ba (or Soul ). The composition is universally regarded as one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian literature. It is also one of the most difficult and continually debated, as well as being the subject of more than one hundred books and articles. The present study offers new readings and translations, along with an analysis of the text's grammar and versification, and a complete philological apparatus. Epigraphic Analysis -- Philological Analysis -- Grammatical Analysis -- Stylistic Analysis -- Textual Analysis. By James P. Allen. Includes A Transliteration Of The Original Text With English Translation. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This book is a new study of one of the masterpieces of ancient Egyptian literature, offering new readings and translations, along with an analysis of the text’s grammar and versification, and a complete philological apparatus.