The Dwarf
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.
The first person narration of the story told through constant journal entries became a little forced at times; Lagerkvist gave context and a sense of time to each entry which made it feel artificial. The structure reminds me of Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.-She has nothing which a man could find desirable. One can only see that once upon a time she was utterly beautiful.-They spread out their star maps and read the heavens like a book. But they are the authors of the book, and the
I read Lagerkvist's Barrabas before. While I really enjoyed his writing, I couldn't connect to the topic of faith and the inability to believe. The Dwarf seemed like the perfect combination of writer and topic. It didn't disappoint, this is a great novel.The story takes place in a renaissance principality in Italy. The dwarf serves the sovereign in various functions but he insists that he's not the court's jester. The humiliations and rejections he experienced from early childhood onwards made
The Dwarf observes. He judges. He despises. And he hates. It is difficult to understand those whom one does not hate, for then one is unarmed, one has nothing with which to penetrate into their being. The familiar tautology, Haters gonna hate, does not do justice to the bile which bubbles from this narrators pen and mouth. He loathes the weakness of humans, the false faces they present socially, their enslavement to desire and affection, their very existence. His character operates like a
Written in clear, concise prose, Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist's The Dwarf is a richly philosophical novel, that offers perceptive insights on a host of topics from personal identity to religion to war and even romantic relationships. Like all great first-person narrators in fiction, Piccoline The Dwarf is an excellent choice due to his status as an outsider in the Prince's court, he sees much and has a lot to say.
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
Pär Lagerkvist
Paperback | Pages: 228 pages Rating: 3.8 | 4746 Users | 322 Reviews
Be Specific About Out Of Books The Dwarf
Title | : | The Dwarf |
Author | : | Pär Lagerkvist |
Book Format | : | Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 228 pages |
Published | : | January 1st 1958 by Hill and Wang (first published 1944) |
Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. European Literature. Swedish Literature. Historical. Historical Fiction. Scandinavian Literature. Literature |
Description Toward Books The Dwarf
"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.
Itemize Books Conducive To The Dwarf
Original Title: | Dvärgen |
ISBN: | 0374521352 (ISBN13: 9780374521356) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | the Prince, Piccoline, Maestro Bernardo, Boccarossa |
Setting: | Italy |
Rating Out Of Books The Dwarf
Ratings: 3.8 From 4746 Users | 322 ReviewsWrite-Up Out Of Books The Dwarf
This is my third Lagerkvist, the more I read, the more I like them. Individual agents in Lagerkvists books seem to also work as metaphorical vehicles to deliver, to question, to explore otherwise esoteric, ethereal concepts. Concepts like what it means to be human, whats hidden and unsaid within us, what it means to believe, what is love, etc.If Barabbas the unbeliever was physically chained to a believing-martyr, the Dwarf is figuratively chained to his exact opposite. If the Prince wasThe first person narration of the story told through constant journal entries became a little forced at times; Lagerkvist gave context and a sense of time to each entry which made it feel artificial. The structure reminds me of Richardson's Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded.-She has nothing which a man could find desirable. One can only see that once upon a time she was utterly beautiful.-They spread out their star maps and read the heavens like a book. But they are the authors of the book, and the
I read Lagerkvist's Barrabas before. While I really enjoyed his writing, I couldn't connect to the topic of faith and the inability to believe. The Dwarf seemed like the perfect combination of writer and topic. It didn't disappoint, this is a great novel.The story takes place in a renaissance principality in Italy. The dwarf serves the sovereign in various functions but he insists that he's not the court's jester. The humiliations and rejections he experienced from early childhood onwards made
The Dwarf observes. He judges. He despises. And he hates. It is difficult to understand those whom one does not hate, for then one is unarmed, one has nothing with which to penetrate into their being. The familiar tautology, Haters gonna hate, does not do justice to the bile which bubbles from this narrators pen and mouth. He loathes the weakness of humans, the false faces they present socially, their enslavement to desire and affection, their very existence. His character operates like a
Written in clear, concise prose, Nobel Prize winner Par Lagerkvist's The Dwarf is a richly philosophical novel, that offers perceptive insights on a host of topics from personal identity to religion to war and even romantic relationships. Like all great first-person narrators in fiction, Piccoline The Dwarf is an excellent choice due to his status as an outsider in the Prince's court, he sees much and has a lot to say.
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
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