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Didn’t Like It “The only good thing I have to say about this book is that it has some interesting quotes. I only read until the end to know how it ended. Boring and highly confusing.” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“Evil stalks the halls of a medieval Italian palace, in the form of a malignant dwarf. The Dwarf is a bitter, cruel, envious man, whose stature reflects the smallness of his soul. He exudes malice and poisons the lives and souls of those around him. Lagerkvist is rather bold in presenting a central character so devoid of humanity and so impossible to excuse or explain away. The novel is a rebuttal to the prevailing cult of the Anti-Hero. There's no romanticized rebellion or misunderstood loner here. There is only the dark, brutal, unflinching portrait of what man can make of himself.”
Sorella M wrote this review yesterday. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“The only good thing I have to say about this book is that it has some interesting quotes. I only read until the end to know how it ended. Boring and highly confusing.”
Helena C wrote this review Wednesday, February 1, 2012. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“One of the most hateful narrators ever! And since he's not likeable himself, the novel is a bit difficult to stomach. Read it for insights that hate provides. A bit like getting to know your enemy.”
muque and shylock tomes wrote this review Sunday, June 12, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“
jwhenderson wrote this review Thursday, November 17, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
This was my introduction to Lagerkvist and what a book it is. I found it unique in my experience and well worth rereading. It is narrated by the title Dwarf, 26 inches high, at the court of an Italian City-state in the renaissance. He is the narrator of the story, obviously obsessed by writing down his experiences in a form of diary. Everything in the novel is described from his particular viewpoint, mostly in retrospect, ranging from a few hours or minutes to several weeks or months after the actual events. The dwarf is a profound misanthrope and generally embodies all things evil. He hates almost every person at the court except for the prince (who is the ruler of the city-state, rather king than prince), or rather aspects of him. He loves war, brutality and fixed positions. While almost all other characters of the novel develop during the chain of events, the dwarf does not change. He is still exactly the same character from the first to the last page. He is deeply religious, but his take on Christianity includes the belief in a non-forgiving God. He is impressed with Bernardo's science but soon repelled by its relentless search for truth.
The exact locations are unclear, but since the character named Bernardo, which is unmistakably modeled on Leonardo da Vinci, appears in the novel and it is full of political inrigue that is truly Machiavellian the setting is not in doubt. In addition it is considered his most important novel and the most artistically innovative. If you are interested in Renaissance history or the politics of Machiavelli you are sure to find this novel a great read.”
“One of the best books I've ever read so far.”
alvin r. c. wrote this review Wednesday, February 16, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
0 of 1 members found this review helpful“Makes Machiavelli look like a wuss. ”
Gordon B wrote this review Tuesday, August 17, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
2 of 2 members found this review helpful“fascinating but depressing”
Sarah R wrote this review Saturday, March 6, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“I read it in Swedish for my Swedish class in school. It is weird and the protagonist is seriously distrubed, but it's a fascinating book. It's the only book I've read with a point-of-view from a murderous dwarf. In Swedish it's called "Dvärgen" and the atuhor's name is actually Pär, not Par..:P”
Jessica L wrote this review Saturday, November 21, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“grim”
hannah g wrote this review Thursday, April 16, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
1 of 1 members found this review helpful“The Dwarf is quite bizarre but is at its best a captivating philosophical peek into the mind of a sneaking, conniving misanthrope with sociopathic tendencies. His accounts of palace life are quite funny in their brutal honesty, like when he describes the princess and ends with “I hate her”. He hates everyone, but no one more than himself. The Renaissance, human suffering, devotion, love, faith and art are all distorted in the mind of this twisted little man who himself misses the beauty of humanity, but in his rantings illuminates it all the more for us.”
Parkles wrote this review Tuesday, January 27, 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
