Be a Scribe! by Michael Hoffen
A father who wants a better life for his son, offering sage advice about the kinds of professions to avoid and the kind of career to pursue.
But what makes this father-son relationship so incredible? It took place 4,000 years ago!
Be a Scribe! represents an extraordinary translation of a papyrus dating from ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom era by 16-year-old Michael Hoffen, along with co-authors Dr. Christian Casey and Dr. Jen Thum. It tells the tale of a teenage boy, Pepi, living almost 4,000 years ago, and how his father, Khety, who works in the mines, wants a better life for his son and takes him on a journey upriver to a school that will train him to be a scribe, a much more prestigious vocation than the 18 other jobs that Khety describes to his son.
At the same time, the book captures an amazing slice of life about ancient Egypt, which screams out for comparisons with our present-day world.
In this recent Q&A, Michael Hoffen shares his fascination with research, writing, ancient Egypt in particular, and how this innovative work came about.
Q: Where did you get your passion for ancient Egyptian history?
A: When I was younger, I used to read the Usborne Encyclopedia of World History — it was my favorite book, and I loved the illustrations and depictions of daily life that the book presented, and of course, one of my favorite chapters was on ancient Egypt. In general, I’ve always been an avid reader who loves reading more than TV! — I have a real passion for non fiction and history books, pictures, maps, museums, biographies and watching documentaries. My parents always read and took me to bookstores, libraries, museums, etc.
This passion for reading turned to a passion for writing. In 6th grade I participated in the Concord Review Middle School summer program and was incredibly riveted by the process of writing a history research paper. I was able to consider topics, start research using primary sources, and begin the process of writing. I spent 1 ½ years writing this paper — I have firsthand appreciation of what artists experience. I wrote about the “Green Goods Game,” a fraud scheme popular in the 19th century, and to my shock, my paper was not only accepted by the Concord Review but I received the Emerson Prize — an award for the top 1% of all submissions.
Along the way — I should mention another favorite pastime of mine is puzzles, and this led to me taking classes in linguistics and computational linguistics — really the study of languages using models and math. One area where research and modeling is being done here is in the most ancient of all languages — hieroglyphics. Studying this exciting intersection of my interests in history, archaeology, and linguistics was a natural next step.
Q: What is Be a Scribe! about?
A: The main focus is the daily life of ordinary ancient Egyptians — their jobs, their lives, their tribulations. This focus is accomplished through my translation of the Satire on the Trades, which Khety, its Egyptian author, organized into three main parts. The first part introduces the frame story, where Khety and his son Pepi are sailing along the Nile to the capital of Egypt, where Pepi is to enroll in scribal school.
The second part comprises the bulk of the text and sees Khety naming off common jobs in ancient Egypt — before disparaging them and praising the scribe. The third part consists of Khety offering his son valuable advice — advice that I believe is still relevant today — and encouraging him to study hard in school, with assurances that his effort will be well rewarded. As the story progresses, the book introduces readers to not just aspects of daily life, but also important information about Egypt’s history, social structure, calendar, religion and more.
Q: How long did it take to write your book?
A: I started working on my book in the summer of 2021, beginning first by translating The Satire on the Trades, and then editing it to be fresh and timely. After finishing the translation, I began working on the “insets,” little 100-word pieces of text that elucidate and build on the ancient Egyptian story — providing historical context, as well as fun facts that relate to a specific moment in the text. I then added images of artifacts and tomb scenes to colorfully depict the story and the insets — illustrating how ancient Egyptians did their jobs — and concluded the process with a timeline, map, introduction to hieroglyphs, and index. The whole process took a little over two years.
Q: Why do you think people should read your book?
A: There are many reasons. One is that it’s important to read a text that wasn’t written in your language or time, as it helps familiarize you with a different culture, a different way of thinking, a different mode of life. One thing that is special about ancient Egypt in particular, that is different from other ancient civilizations, is that little of its writing and ideas have remained popular into the present day.
At the same time, much of the advice Khety offers is echoed in other philosophical documents and still seems to be relevant today. “Don’t speak boastfully,” Khety declares, “Fight words that are against initiative.” Not only is this wisdom still relevant for today, I believe people have no greater need for it than now. Finally, the book is the ultimate repository of fun facts about ancient Egypt and imbues the reader with a clear understanding of daily life in ancient Egypt, and how people plied their trades.
Q: What advice do you have for other students who are interested in writing and publishing books?
A: My biggest piece of advice would be to just start your book. Whether that means envisioning, planning, or actually writing — you can’t finish unless you begin. As Theodore Roosevelt once said, “It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.” And while you may be concerned about the viability of finding a publisher, even if your book does not get published, what matters is the fact that you wrote one — that itself is an accomplishment few will ever experience in their lifetime.
Q: What’s next for you with your publishing journey?
A: The next step is the second book, which will be written in a very similar style as the first, but with a completely different Egyptian text: The Story of Wenamun, rather than the Satire on the Trades. That story focuses on a priest of Amun named Wenamun, who is sent to Phoenicia to buy wood for a new ship — but is robbed and appeals to the ruler of the town for help. This new book will be structured in much the same way as the first, with images, tomb scenes, the translated text, and insets to explain it.
Q: What do you want to do in the future?
A: Although I am not completely certain about what I’ll do once I finish high school or college, I intend to continue studying ancient history and languages. I also know that writing books is certainly one great path for me. Even if my career doesn’t involve writing books, it will most certainly be something I do on the side.
Read the review of Be a Scribe! on BookTrib.
About the Author:
Michael Hoffen is the youngest-ever recipient of the annual Emerson Prize, awarded by the Concord Review for outstanding promise in history. While still in middle school, he was introduced to the joys of translating ancient texts and never looked back. During the pandemic, Michael decided to embark on an ambitious project to bring ancient Egyptian literature to life outside the classroom. Be A Scribe! is Michael’s first book in a series intended for young readers. When not chasing down new stories to translate or write, Michael enjoys biking, swimming, and rock climbing. He lives with his family in New York. Visit www.beascribe.com.
