Dwarf: Amazon.ca: Par Lagerkvist: Books

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"Don't miss this. You will not soon find another like it. The evil in the Dwarf's nature is in ours, too--is universal." --Dorothy Canfield

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"I have noticed that sometimes I frighten people; what they really fear is themselves. They think it is I who scare them, but it is the dwarf within them, the ape-faced manlike being who sticks up his head from the depths of their souls."

Pär Lagerkvist's richly philosophical novel The Dwarf is an exploration of individual and social identity. The novel, set in a time when Italian towns feuded over the outcome of the last feud, centers on a social outcast, the court dwarf PIccoline. From his special vantage point Piccoline comments on the court's prurience and on political intrigue as the town is gripped by a siege. Gradually, Piccoline is drawn deeper and deeper into the conflict, and he inspires fear and hate around him as he grows to represent the fascination of the masses with violence.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
I AM twenty-six inches tall, shapely and well proportioned, my head perhaps a trifle too large. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

18 Reviews

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.5 out of 5 stars (18 customer reviews)

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4.0 out of 5 stars A tall book about a short subject, Jun 19 2007

By

Reader and Writer "Chris" (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dwarf (Paperback)

The Dwarf has been described in many of these reviews, so I won't dwell on the events here. The misanthropish dwarf ruminates on life and evil, on Jesus and hatred. He is barely more than two feet tall yet he towers over other men with a meglomaniacal hatred and self justification. Even when he is put in chains he considers himself free. First published in '45 one must consider the lingering effects of the two wars on Lagerkvist as he used the Medici palace as the touchstone for his musings on the way the absolute power corrupts absolutely. This is a quick read, nothing in fancy wordplay to consume the brain, a straightforward diary of events that is interesting although slightly tedious because the dwarf as narrator does not possess a particularly thrilling voice, and it's all we get. There are quite a few contradictions in the writing too, the dwarf apparently sees the stars but then later says he cannot, he can see in dim light beyond the power of men then in other scenes his eyes must adjust. I hate finding such contradictions because it makes me believe the writer just wasn't careful enough with his craft. It's a book that I'd recommend, yet to call it a masterpiece of modern literature is a hyperbole.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Wicked Little Man, Sep 2 2003

By

Bluelens (Alexandria, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dwarf (Paperback)

The book is set as a journal for Piccoline. Not set-up as a diary, where the entries are entered via a date, but more of an account of the events. No chapters, no sections, no representation of passage of time (outside of the events discussed), just new paragraphs double-spaced down with a bolded first capital letter. No dialog, or conversations, aside from the interaction with certain people, but still al woven into the paragraphs and not braking up the pages. This style is nice. It adds a flow to the entire read yet doesn't seem drawn out.

Piccoline is one angry little guy. He hates everything there is about humans; being a dwarf he seems himself as a different 'being.' Every smile, laugh, togetherness is nauseating to him. The sole item in his world that he actually respects and idolizes is the prince. In Piccoline's eyes the price can do no wrong and wants to be like him. Because of his job and his devotion, he has the rust of the Prince and Princess, which he eventually uses to his advantage.

As a reader you want to sympathize with the character presenting their story, with Piccoline, it's a different story. That is not to say the book isn't good, quite the contrary, I found it very fascinating to see the world through the eyes of a pissing vinegar, angst filled, bitter, mean little man. Some of his actions are unbelievable, but the better you get to know him the more it makes sense.

To take part in the evil of a servant dwarf is an adventure all its own. Here, an example:
"Then she asked me what I thought of her. I said that I considered her a voluptuous woman and that I was sure that she was one of those who are destined to burn for all enernity in the fires of hell.
...it was natural that the Savior should not listen to her prayers. He had not been crucified for the redemption of such as she."

A masterpiece of literature that I think many should read, if you can handle the audacity of this dwarf. Very enjoyable.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A dark tale about something small and treacherous, May 10 2003

By

Pillarist (Azerbaijan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dwarf (Paperback)

This dismal book consists of the diary of a fiery, misanthropic dwarf in a city-state in
Renaissance Italy. The dwarf's words depict his poisonous and precisely wrathful actions.
Consumed with hatred the dwarf feels himself to be clean and all other humans and dwarves,
except the most cunning and fiendish of them, to be foul. He is incapable of love and
has honed his disgust and loathing into a razor-sharp contempt. He's the sadist we dare not
to be.

The characters in the book potray the dwarf as one with his master, the prince, and it is
rightly so. One of the tragedies of the book is that the prince fails to see this.

The whole story and most of the dialogue is allegorical. Although exhibiting reprhensible
attitudes, one sees the Dwarf as the hero of the story. At the least you might identify
with the sides of yourself mirrored within him. And I assume Pär Lagerkvist meant it to be
so.

Aside from some slow parts (a war and a feast) the book flows nicely. It's also entertaining
to follow the dwarf's reactions to guilt, love, humiliation, art, politics, religion and
psychology. Rich images and the Dwarf's personal narrative swallow the reader into a world
that still continues...

Although mostly allegory "the Dwarf" is a great story in it's own right. This book's
message about our lesser parts has something to offer us all.

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