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The Dwarf

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"Human beings need flattery; otherwise they do not fulfill their purpose, not even in their own eyes." These are the words of the bold and heartless protagonist of Par Lagerkvist's novel, Dwarf. At only twenty-six inches tall, the dwarf, whose keen insights are described throughout the book, is both a shocking and thought-provoking character, one of the most original in literature. Told from the viewpoint of the dwarf, the book is a study in hatred, for the dwarf is filled with both hatred and rage toward humans and towards his own "detestable" race. A truer nihilist there never was; not even Celine, himself, could have conjured up this much rancour and despair.

The dwarf lives as a servant and confidante to a Prince during the time when the Black Death was effectively wiping out the population of Europe. There occur many instances in this book when the dwarf must commit the most vile and heinous crimes at the behest of the Prince, and the dwarf does so with a relish that is unconscionable. Ultimately, his crimes force him into eternal imprisonment in a fortress dungeon where he spends his days writing daily recordings of the wickedness of his life and hopes to be called again to duty by the Prince.

From the very beginning, the dwarf condemns human beings as "a pack of ingratiating cows" who value such useless things as nobility and beauty and who babble about virtue, honor and chivalry. Believing human beings to be "shrouded in mystery," the dwarf exclaims, "...nothing ever comes up from my inner depths." Nothing but hate, that is.

Despite his vile and repulsive nature, the dwarf is loyal to and respectful of the Prince. His most prevalent views of disgust are engendered by those of his own race and by himself. "It is my fate that I hate my own people," he declares. Thinking of himself as an inferior being, less than human, the dwarf revels in the fact that humans hate him. "It fills me with satisfaction that I am hated...But I hate myself, too. I eat my own splenetic flesh. I drink my own poisoned blood. Every day I perform my solitary communion as the grim high priest of my people."

It does not help matters that people fail to see this miserable dwarf as a separate being, with thoughts and feelings of his own, but instead see him as only an extension of the Prince. "If you kick him," they cry out, "you kick his master." Hating himself as he does, the dwarf relishes this treatment; at times he even comes to believe that he represents the nobility of the Prince, for it is common knowledge that "A dwarf always knows more about everything than his master."

The dwarf goes on to depict several experiences with the Prince and with the unsightly, lascivious Princess, whom he also loathes. When the Princess's lover dies, the dwarf, unable to comprehend love of any kind, himself, becomes involved in an intrigue that finally sends him to the dungeon. There he records his own vile remembrances and reflects "on the day when they will come and loosen my chains, because he has sent for me again."

While the purity of the hatred in Dwarf can be unnerving at times, the book is an extremely well-written and fascinating psychological portrait that has been somewhat sadly overlooked.

"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.

This book, told from the point of view of a twenty six inch tall dwarf, entails numerous expressions of hatred towards humans and towards the dwarf's own "detestable" race. Living as the servant and confidante to a prince during the time when the Black Death was wiping out Europe, the dwarf experiences many instances in which he must commit wicked crimes for the Prince. He does so willingly, considering his lack of conscience. Ultimately, these crimes force him into eternal imprisonment in the dungeon under the fortress, where he can only write daily recordings of his empty life during the hours when the sun shines through the cracks, and hope to be called upon again by the Prince.

The thoughts and emotions of the dwarf are both shocking and thought provoking. His hatred for himself, his own kind and humanity provide insights into the true motivations of society and many of its flaws.

This book is highly unique and I recommend it to anyone seeking a deep and meaningful book.

First of all, in reference to the previous review, the dwarf (NOT jester -- a dwarf and a jester held two very separate positions) was retained by an Italian prince, not a Scandinvian court (where on earth did that come from?). Just had to set the record straight.

Lagerkvist won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1951, and rightfully so. This book is an excellent example of his masterful treatment of the duality of humans and, in particular, their evil side, which the dwarf personifies. It truly makes one think about the "ape-like" man/dwarf within.

The narrative, while purposely biased by the dwarf's extremely negative view of the world and the humans he serves, grips the reader from the beginning as Piccolino (the dwarf) describes himself and the world around him. The secret lives of the courtiers (the Princess, in particular), the wars and battle scenes, the visits to the Prince (to whom the dwarf is a sort of "right-hand man" at times) by condottieri and intellectuals alike, and the dwarf's personal trials and thoughts on these matters are all fascinating, both as a history lesson in disguise and as a look at human nature from a refreshing point of view. Granted, that point of view comes from a man who identifies with Satan himself, but it is interesting, nonetheless.

This book was completely different from anything I've read before and I have been completely taken by it. If you are interested in the duality of humans, God, and nature, in learning more about oneself, or even just the Italian renaissance period, this book is a must-read.

'I am twenty-six inches tall, shapely and well proportioned, my heads perhaps a trifle too large.'

With this, Piccoline the dwarf begins his tale of hate and murder. He is the special servant of the Prince, and is devoted to the man like no other on this Earth. For Piccoline hates, despises, denies each and every single living thing, human, dwarf, animal: it does not matter to his hatred. He delights in his hate, lavishly describing his distaste for this or that person, or for this or that emotion.

Consider:

'I seized the opportunity to sneer...'
'They are buffoons, though they do not know it, and nor does anybody else...'
'I stood there defenceless, naked, incapable of action, though I was foaming with rage.'
'My hatred was so alive that I almost thought I should lose consciousness...'

All this and more within the first fifty pages. He is consumed by his hate. Yet, at least in the beginning, there are occasional flashes of some other emotion - not love or kindness, but at the very least some sort of neutrality. He admires the paintings of the 'genius' Bernardo, and still later admires the weapons of war that the man designs, but would never call him a friend. There is, of course, the love for the Prince, but this is a white love ringed with black, for he only loves the Prince when the Prince is commanding him to do bleak things, or when the Prince holds him visibly higher than the other servants.

Towards the middle of the book, a war begins with a rival kingdom, and it is here that Piccoline almost succumbs to an ecstasy of negative emotion. He revels in the violence and terror, killing another dwarf he finds merely to be part of the destruction. He compares this murder to the time when he killed the little Princess' cat, and the comparison is dispassionate and intelligent. Later, the dwarf sets into motion his greatest triumph, an orgy of death and despair that ruins both kingdoms, perhaps forever.

It is difficult to recommend this book, yet I believe it is a necessary read. A diligent reader would not deny himself the pleasure of a treatise on love, so why not dip into the opposite, a dirge of hate? We all suffer from the emotion, whether cold hate or fiery, rational or not so much, and through Piccoline, we are able to view every terrible aspect.

In a telling section, Piccoline describes the creation of dwarfs as such: '...Our race is perpetuated through them, and thus and thus only can we enter this world. That is the inner reason for our sterility.' It is here when it is made clear to the reader - if it is not already - that Piccoline is a metaphor for the hate that we all carry within ourselves. He is hatred unleashed, unrestrained, and unapologetic. We may feel remorse after our actions, Piccoline never does. Strip away all positive qualities from a human being and you are left with this terrible creature. He embodies the desires we should not give in to, indeed, he executes them with glee

The end is as expected as it is chilling, and serves as a lesson to us all. At the risk of spoiling, I will say that Lagerkvist does not take the easy way out by killing the dwarf. No, he is left alive, though suffering, and this is an important choice. While incarcerated, the two kingdoms set about rebuilding their shattered empires, forging ties of peace and harmony, and Piccoline seethes. He knows that one day, perhaps soon, perhaps far away from now, but one day, he will be summoned again to do his master's bidding. He will be set forth on the world, to spread his seeds of hate and torment, and until that day, he is content to lie silent, forgotten, hating.

The Dwarf is a wonderful allegory on various aspects of the human condition, particularly in the realm of politics, statesmanship, leadership, and nation-building; it is also a novel that has a lot of applications to current global political situations, despite the fact it is set in medieval Italy. The titular character, the dwarf Piccoline, is one of the most chilling literary creations of the 20th century. Piccoline is the physical manifestation of the corruption, the dark-side, the hidden cruelty, and the amorality of the prince he serves. By extension, the Dwarf is the shriveled ethical and moral part of ourselves as a society. The image at the end of the novel, of Piccoline in chains, miserable, yet completely confident that the Prince will once again require his services, is a frightful, sobering, and potent image that serves as a reminder that evil and those who would be its agents are always close by and ready to act.

Lagerkvist was the Nobel Laureate in 1951. He is a great, often overlooked writer. He has a gift for tackling moral issues and presenting them through plots and characters that are never dated. I also recommend his novels Barabbas and The Sibyl.

This is a bitter little morsel of a book about the fear and hate that lies within us all. It may be a small seed inside you, but it is definitely there (listen to the album "Hate" by the Delgados for more insight into this idea), and it has the power to consume you if you do not keep it in check. The main character, the dwarf, in this book is similarly small, but his hate spreads quickly and soon infects an entire Renaissance court. This book addresses the ways in which people commit evil deeds to achieve their goals - how fear can be used to gain advantage in any given situation. Does evil exist innately or do we create it when it is useful to us? Is the dwarf the source of this evil or a by-product of our need for evil to exist? What came first - war or the desire for it? This is a great book.

Written in Lagerqvist's deceptively simple prose, the title character observes three people who interact with his master, the prince: a mercenary soldier, a courtier, and a scientist/artist. The prince is a complex person in whom the three forces that these supporting characters represent (violence, love, intellect) are constantly competing. The cruel dwarf, who insists that he is not human but of a separate species, greatly admires the single-minded ruthlessness of the soldier and is therefore constantly perplexed by his master's all-too-human contradictions. Women, delicate and emotional, appear to be detested altogether by the dwarf, though the typically-enigmatic Lagverqvist ending puts this in doubt.

Par Lagerqvist's novel is a portrayal of the human soul at its most raw, unmasked levels of egocentrism. Truly a magnificent achievement, the novel is structured as the diary of a Dwarf in an Italian medieval court. The narrator is the Dwarf of the king.

At the center of solipsism, lies the fact that we can only know our own thoughts. Even so, our own mind is so often an abyssmal mystery. Par Lagerkvist uses a character who is unique beyond doubt, a dwarf, to portray humanity in the most candid, nihilistic and harsh way imaginable. The Dwarf's self proclaimed uniqueness parallels that of the human race he considers alien, his hatred for his own "species" mirrors the threat humans feel when their special status is questioned. His nihilism may be a product of this uniqueness: he owns nothing and belongs nowhere, or rather, as he proclaims, he belongs to the castle, a dark, uninviting, lifeless structure.
This novel is the portrait of a man without any emotion,knoweldge of the world or analytical intellect. His perception of those around him is narrow and prejudiced. His raw, barbaric senses make him honest in intent but add a peculiar dimension to the novel, as everything is narrated by him and what we see is only through his eyes, not necessarily the truth. This simple fact makes the novel fascinating and demands multiple readings, almost like a mystery novel with no solution. Brings to mind Kurosawa's Rashomon only with one of the characters telling his story. Everything we read is the truth and at the same time it couldnt possibly be objective.

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.