[.ca] The Dwarf (ISBN 0374521352)

Wrong side of the great debate:
This is the story of renaissance hero Da Vinci as told by a Dwarf in the service of one his patrons. There is a great scene in this work where the Da Vinci character forces the Dwarf to disrobe so that he can sketch him. The Dwarf is infuriated, he feels violated. The Da Vinci character does this in the name of such noble ideals; sympathy for the Dwarf; scientific understanding, 'wisdom', enrichment, blah, blah, blah. The Dwarf rightly feels rage at being violated in the name of such lofty ideals. We are supposed to side with the Da Vinci character. The Da Vinci character represents the classical hero of the author and much of society. Successful people, especially those who have been blessed by nature and nurture, (and especially those who are not fully aware of how blessed they are in these ways) have a totally different view of society, humanity, and morality than those who have had a rough going. Da Vinci is their hero: he is noble, thoughful, bold yet humble, a regular Christ. What these people hate is embodied in the character of the Dwarf. It can be plainly said that life has taken a massive dump on the Dwarf. Quite naturally he is seen as small, myopic, petty, too cynical, full of hate, twisted, etc.. The author, a classicist, stays true to this view of humanity and its 'correct' aspirations. The Greeks had this (all too arrogant though rarely realized as such)idea (remember that Aristotle thought manual laborors and ugly people to be incapabale of 'virtue'). This is really the great debate or divide in humanity. Not the haves and have nots, but the in-crowd and the outcasts. The arbitralily lucky in-crowd congratulates and justifies itself with its various world-views. Outcasts have a different view of life and what it offers and what should be taken from it. This view is not necessarily superior, but surely is not inferior to the sugar-water that the in-crowd uses for philosophy (and since the world is run by various in-crowds, many people whom they would enver allow to mix with them foolishly happily drink this same sugary concotion and proclaim it nourishing). If one wants a voice that defines and chronciles the outcast, why they feel the way the way they do, how it came that way, and a defense of these feelings and view of the world, read the author Charles Bukowski. The Dwarf is a well told tale, but in my opinion takes the wrong side in this great debate...

Wicked Little Man:
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.

War: Evil at a Distance:
"The Dwarf" is the story of a pompous, self-important member of a king's court, some time in the past. He sees himself as a warrior in armor, but is really quite a troublemaker. His king may request a dirty deed of him from time to time (such as a political assassination), but he will take it one or two steps beyond the request (killing a few extra people in the bargain). He also delights in causing chaos in general. For example, the king does not know his daughter the princess is surreptitiously consorting with the prince of a rival kingdom. The dwarf causes great panic and confusion with this information, leading to quite a painful set of events, all to the dwarf's great pleasure. He even manages to turn the queen against her own daughter, driving her into the deepest depths of anguish through his vicious sadism. The book is permeated with the notion of evil at a distance, and the idea that evil has a mind of its own, never to be controlled by a master, and to be unleashed only at peril. The dwarf is supposedly the king's agent, and may conduct an assassination or two at the king's bidding, but is remote from the king, as if the king were sending a rocket-launched missile to a distant land, and would not feel the consequences of the explosion himself. Unfortunately, the dwarf always manages to cause enough trouble that the king might wish he had not launched his agent in the first place. The rocket always manages to blow back shrapnel, one way or another. Despite orders, the dwarf has his own agenda, arrogant and sadistic, and will interpret his tasks to suit his fashion. Another attribute of the relationship between king and dwarf is that the dwarf is taken almost as an extension of the king himself. While this is to the benefit of carrying out the king's tasks, it reflects badly on the king when the tasks are carried out with collateral damage. The theme of "evil at a distance" is reinforced through a DaVinci-like character who builds machines of war, but does not wish to stay long enough to see his machines actually being used. He invents them, but their usage is not his concern. It is instructive to reveal at this point that "The Dwarf" was written in 1945. It is clearly an allegorical condemnation of war and its intruments. The dwarf, i.e., the instrument of war, may be asked to perform a certain destructive task, but may cause more destruction than necessary. He may perform tasks of his own choosing, in order to satiate his own lust for power, control, or damage. He may be unleashed by people who believe they are clever for their schemes, or wise in their rule, but will reflect badly on them after the deed is done. This is a highly effective and thought-provoking novel. The reader will remark on the dwarf's amazingly cavalier attitudes toward the other members of the court, at his shocking sadism, and his chaotic mentality. Lagerkvist shows us that we unleash such demons at our own risk.

A tall book about a short subject:
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.

A dark tale about something small and treacherous:
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.