First chapter in the book: My name is Sørine Bentsdatter. I was born in 1684 in the village of Brønshøj. My father was a pastor, my mother died in childbirth. When I turned six my body decided not to grow anymore. I don't care for the term "dwarf." As a rule, I don't care for dwarves at all.
The Tsar's Dwarf is Fogtdal's first novel in English. This book has been translated from the Danish by Tiina Nunnally.
The first thought that comes to mind after reading The Tsar's Dwarf is that I have never read a book quite like this before! It is unlike any book I have ever come across! It is a strange little booky-wook.
Sørine is unlike any other dwarves in the world. First of all, she is uncommonly ugly. She can both read and write. She knows German, Latin and a little French apart from her native Danish. She is funny, witty, brilliant, sarcastic, vulgar, intelligent and impossibly human. She is almost capable of love. She is by no means a victim. There is no reason to feel sorry for her because she can manage to get by in the world without extra assistance. She can certainly take care of herself. She has a right bossy mind of her own! On the other hand, she can be quite unpredictable - she can be kind, compassionate and caring. However, you can never know what to expect from her or what her little mind is thinking until she tells you so. Lastly, she can see things with her dwarf vision.
One day, she is gifted to Russian Tsar Peter Alexeyevich by King Frederik of Denmark and is sent to St Petersburg where the tsar's wife, Catherine, farts freely and audibly and finds Sørine amusing and contemptible at the same time.
Sørine's chronicle of her pitiful and obnoxious life begins in Copenhagen and ends in Copenhagen. Compartmentalized into ten chapters with pencil drawings of herbs and written in the present tense, her search for the quest and meaning of life springs forth a lot of thought-provoking and challenging questions about Life, Heaven and Hell and God for the simple reason that she hates God and the world for the way she is treated; questions that we probably ask or ponder ourselves from time to time, some more than others. This IS the central theme of the book. I must salute Fogtdal for his superior understanding of the human psyche and emotions and for his talent in projecting them through this affable yet complex and extremely original character, Sørine.
Sørine has gotten under my skin. It is impossible to spend three days and nights with her without loving this sardonic creature. She tells it like it is. She is a girl dwarf after my own heart. This book will make you snigger/chuckle non-stop or shout "Aha!" or cringe with embarrassment or go into meditation. It is very much Fogtdal's signature. It is a wonderful historical novel that gives us an insight, whether real or imagined, into life in the Russian and Danish courts in the 17th and 18th century. The Tsar's Dwarf has ticked all the boxes (plot, narrative, historical details, dialogue) that a good book should be.
I will recommend this book to anyone who are compelled to read outside their comfort zone or who have the audacity to read something so overwhelming and heartbreaking. I will be looking forward to reading Fogtdal's next book in English and I am already curious as to what it shall be.
Here is Peter Fogtdal on the legendary Sørine and the fact that he does not own an automobile:
Fogtdal maintains the weblog Danish Accent on http://www.fogtdal.blogspot.com/
To get more intimate with Fogtdal, you can also friend him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/peter.h.fogtdal
Rating: 6/5 (Unusual, far-out book)
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