Novels can be categorized into different types based on their content. One category is the historical novel which examines historical events/issues from a realistic perspective. In this type of novel, the writer presents historical facts intertwined with imagination, reshaping history in a new and appealing form. It can be argued that the blend of historical facts and literary imagination is one of the most important characteristics that has attracted various classes of society to such novels and has made these novels easily comprehensible to them. This study examines two novels written by Naguib Mahfouz (Egypt) and Ibrahim Modarresi (Iran) based on historical events. The two writers artistically depict historical documents as they are familiar with the ancient history of their countries. Therefore, and due to the importance of research in historical novels, this study aims to explore the characteristics of historical novels in Mahfouz’s Radobis and Ibrahim Modrresi’s Bride of Madaen, by building on comparative literature theory. The results indicate that the writer’s extensive attention to the historical dimension in Bride of Madaen brings it closer to historical writings while in Radobis, the writer focused more on the artistic and imaginative aspects, making it more artistic than historical.
