Memoirs of a Dwarf

Set in the over-scaled, decadent Versailles of Louis XIV, ""Memoirs"" is the story of Hugues, an impoverished dwarf who maneuvers his way up into the very highest of court circles by clandestinely serving the needs of a mob of unscrupulous gamblers, of a priest notorious for saying black Masses at midnight, and, from under the gaming tables, of a number of sex-starved society women, including Louis's mistress. Two-thirds of the way through, Hugues finally discovers the truth of his own identity, a revelation that is a political bombshell and which subjects him to a grisly turn. The story combines historical events and characters - Louis, his mistresses, his outrageous brother Philippe, and many other baroque personalities - with fictitious ones, and it reaches its climax during the famous affaire des poisons, the sexual and political scandal that thundered through the royal court and threatened wholesale destruction.