The Dwarf (original 1944; edition 1958)

An evil little man talks about life. A glimpse into the rancor of angst and despair and hate which supposedly exists within us all. ( )

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. ( )

Somewhere between a classicist parable and an ethical study, this Swedish novel depicts the mind of a medieval dwarf serving a Machiavellian prince. The dwarf's deep cynicism and complete disregard for human life makes for some compelling contrasts. Wonderfully readable work. ( )

in a perfect world I'd have time to do this book justice--there is a lot to say. It is a story that seems simple until the end, when you see the twisted innards; I see it as an allegory on war guilt, a look at how we impose narratives of guilt and punishment on scapegoats to turn the infinitude of human suffering into the individual banishable ill, and a creepy gothic story about a melodramatized Italian Renaissance court and the atavistic dwarf who lets evil out of the bottle and looks on with his ancient eyes, who is expelled at the end but lies in wait still, who is nothing but what we made him. Second-best WWII face-of-evil story about a dwarf, after The Tin Drum, whose protagonist Oskar convinces as a human monster of ego and not just the mask on a malevolence. ( )

gives you another take on the ducal palace in Mantova