Mummy Eaters
Mummy Eaters by Sherry Shenoda, published by U of Nebraska Press in September 2022, is a poetry collection that explores themes of ancestry and colonialism. In this 104-page work, Shenoda follows the journey of an imagined ancestor, a daughter of Akhenaten from the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, as she navigates the processes of mummification and the afterlife. The collection delves into the sacredness of the human body and its connection to eternal life, while also addressing the historical fascination with Egyptian remains in European culture.
Readers will find that Mummy Eaters presents a rich interplay between the past and present, framed through a call and response format that reflects the Coptic tradition. Shenoda juxtaposes the reverence for mummification with the exploitative practices surrounding Egyptian human remains, including their use in medicine and art. This collection not only highlights the complexities of identity and heritage but also invites contemplation on the implications of colonialism. The language and imagery throughout the book serve to deepen the exploration of these interconnected themes.
Official synopsis Publisher
Winner of the 2023 American Book Award
Longlisted for the 2022 National Book Award
Winner of the Sillerman First Book Prize for African Poets, Sherry Shenoda’s collection Mummy Eaters follows in the footsteps of an imagined ancestor, one of the daughters of the house of Akhenaten in the Eighteenth Dynasty, Egypt. Shenoda forges an imagined path through her ancestor’s mummification and journey to the afterlife. Parallel to this exploration run the implications of colonialism on her passage.
The mythology of the ancient Egyptians was oriented toward resurrection through the preservation of the human body in mummification. Shenoda juxtaposes this reverence for the human body as sacred matter and a pathway to eternal life with the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European fascination with ingesting Egyptian human remains as medicine and using exhumed Egyptian mummies as paper, paint, and fertilizer. Today Egyptian human remains are displayed in museums. Much of Mummy Eaters is written as a call and response, in the Coptic tradition, between the imagined ancestor and the author as descendant.
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