Peter H. Fogtdal Reads The Tsar's Dwarf July 30, 2009

Peter H. Fogtdal, 12-time novelist, adjunct, and human being, will read from his weirdly wonderful tragicomical historical novel The Tsar's Dwarf on July 30, 2009 from 7-9pm at Ladybug Organic Coffeehouse, which is located in the St. Johns neighborhood of Portland, Oregon.

What the heck is a "tragicomical historical novel", you ask? Set in early 18th-century Copenhagen and St. Petersburg, this editorial review about The Tsar's Dwarf from Amazon helps explain:

Sorine Bentsdatter, a deformed female dwarf from Denmark, is given as a gift to Tsar Peter the Great, who is smitten by her freakishness and intellect. Against her will, the Tsar takes Sorine to St. Petersburg, where she becomes a jester in his court. There, she lives a life that both compels and repels her. Sorine eventually gives in to the attentions of Lukas, the Tsar's favorite dwarf, and carves out an existence for herself amidst the squalor and lice-ridden world of dwarfs in the early 18th century. In this inhospitable milieu, Sorine's intelligence anlad detached wit provide her some small measure of protection — until disaster strikes in the shape of a priest who wants to "save" her. The Tsar's Dwarf is a masterfully told and brilliantly translated novel about aberration, endurance, and the human condition.

That is one juicy editorial review, no? It doesn't stop there: there are currently 85 Amazon.com reader reviews about this fantastic, highly recommended book. Don't miss this chance to meet Peter H. Fogtdal and hear more of his latest novel!

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. The Tsar's Dwarf is his first novel in English. Peter H. Fogtdal shares his time between Portland, Oregon, and Copenhagen, Denmark. His english language blog is Danish Accent http://fogtdal.blogspot.com. And, yes, Peter is on Twitter as @Danish_Novelist.