The Dwarf by Pär Lagerkvist

What caught my attention about this author was his description in the website provided by my professor: https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/

It says:

"for the artistic vigour and true independence of mind with which he endeavours in his poetry to find answers to the eternal questions confronting mankind"

I proceeded to get more familiar with him and I read something very interesting in his biography:

"Su obra se caracteriza por el pesimismo, la angustia, la indagación de la naturaleza humana y las constantes alusiones a la muerte."

I've always enjoyed reading dark stories, and although I wasn't entirely convinced, I decided to look up one of his most famous works in order to determine if I'd would enjoy the novel's story, his style and tone.

I read the first paragraph and I knew it was meant to be. The story is dark and complex, with an intricate main character. The vocabulary used is not simple nor complicated, but the message and the sentence structure might be challenging to translate.

Here's a review I found on http://kinga-thebooksnob.blogspot.com/2014/11/par-lagerkvist-dwarf.html :

"The Dwarf is a strange little book written by a Swedish Nobel Prize winner some time during WWII. It’s a rather allegoric story narrated by a dwarf living on the court in an unnamed Italian city probably in the 15^th century, but actually all the hints point us in the same direction as Machiavelli’s Prince who was modelled on Cesare Borgia. In The Dwarf we also find Master Bernardo who is obviously Leonardo da Vinci (and who coincidentally also resided in Cesare Borgia’s court often.)

The plot is rather simple and fable-like, it consists of war, tragic romance and a plague, so really all your renaissance staples. The twist is our little narrator, though. He is so unabashedly evil and full of hate for almost everything and everyone, that I must admit I found it occasionally laughable. The unnamed dwarf finds excitement in conflict and battle. It’s only then that he can achieve a state that could be described as happiness. He takes no joy in food and finds the idea of sex absolutely repulsive. He is the agent provocateur and the catalyst for all the terrible decisions that the Prince (and some other characters) make. He schemes and plots always aiming for the worst possible outcome. "