"Parkinson's thickly textured readings are an interesting example of how to make this material more
accessible to nontechnical readers without sacrificing accuracy or detail." (Common Knowledge, 2012)

"A thoughtful and insightful volume on the Egyptian poems, specifically, and on ancient literature in general. ... All will agree that this 'love letter' is a valuable addition to the field." (Bryn Mawr Classical Review, January 2010)

"The author, one of the foremost scholars of ancient Egyptian literature, provides translations of many poems and stories but also helps to bring them to life by showing how they were part of the lives of everyday ancient Egyptians." (Ancient Egypt, September 2009)

"Parkinson, one of the foremost scholars of ancient Egyptian literature, does much more than provide translations of these well-known narratives: he brings them back to life by showing us how they were part of the lives of everyday ancient Egyptians, reconstructing their entire performative context and giving us a rich picture of the performers, the audiences, and their physical and cultural world. It will be impossible to read these texts in the same way again." Orly Goldwasser, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem

"Parkinson's new book challenges fashions and overcomes mere theory to confront us with living literary actors: both the ancient authors who composed timeless poems and the later readers who reinterpreted them within their own history. This is a jewel of literary perceptiveness." Antonio Loprieno, University of Basel

"In this extraordinary and lyrical book, R. B. Parkinson takes the relationship between text and context to a whole new level, exploring the densely constructed meaning of ancient Egyptian poetry and the ways in which diverse actors and audiences may have experienced it within complex social and physical landscapes. With a strong emphasis on materiality and place, Dr. Parkinson vividly depicts the life history of these texts through to their reception in the modern world, engaging readers in an exhilarating and thought-provoking process of interpretation." Janet Richards, University of Michigan