Tomorrow evening, July 30th from 7-9pm at my beloved (air-conditioned) Ladybug Coffeehouse in my cherished St. Johns neighborhood, I’ve invited a lice-infested, boil-covered Danish Dwarf and her life of squalor in early 18th Century Russia and Denmark to visit. They’ll be coming there in the form of a novel called The Tsar’s Dwarf, which blossomed from the darkly fertile mind of author Peter H. Fogtal.
The Tsar’s Dwarf is the tale of beauty found in even the darkest periods of time. The novel follows the life of Sørine Bentsdatter, a female dwarf living in Europe’s Early Modern Age, in Scandinavia. She is given to Tsar Peter the Great as a gift by the Danish King. The Tsar carts intelligent, well-read Sørine off to St. Petersburg, where she lives in a decaying world made of meanness, armed only with unrepentant wit and endurance. Don’t feel sorry for Sørine, however. Although she refuses to consider herself a human being, like humans she wrestles with guilt about past choices.
The Tsar’s Dwarf is Peter’s 12th novel, but the first to be translated to English. He will discuss his tiny protagonist and read short sections from his weirdly wonderful story. I’m pretty sure he’ll be reading the visceral cake scene, which is one of my favorites.
Edit: Here’s an excerpt of The Tsar’s Dwarf from Danish Accent, Peter’s blog.
Ladybug Organic Coffee will have its air conditioning on full blast, and its full menu of scrumptious organic coffee and food stuffs available. If you haven’t yet ventured through the doors of this award-winning establishment, a wickedly witty Danish dwarf and A/C during a heat wave should get you there.
Don’t miss this chance to meet Peter H. Fogtdal and hear more of his latest novel.
The Deets
Thursday July 30, 2009, from 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Ladybug Coffeehouse
8438 N Lombard Street
Portland, Oregon 97203
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About the Author: Peter H. Fogtdal was born in 1956 in Copenhagen, Denmark and has a degree in playwriting from Cal State Fullerton. He is the author of twelve novels in Danish. Three have been translated into French, two into Portuguese. In 2005 he won The Francophonian Literature Prize (Le Prix Litteraire de la Francophonie) for Le Front Chantilly. Peter H. Fogtdal shares his time between Portland, Oregon, and Copenhagen, Denmark. His English language blog is Danish Accent. Peter is on Twitter as @Danish_Novelist.
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