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Machiavelli: A Renaissance Life
Discover the real Machiavelli through this nonfiction novel based on the life of the man whose name has, perhaps wrongly, become synonymous with immoral abuse of power.This epic piece of storytelling brings the world of 15th-century Italy to life as it traces Machiavelli's rise from young boy to controversial political thinker.
The much-vilified Renaissance politico, and author of The Prince, comes to life as a diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil servant in this nonfiction novel. Author Joseph Markulin presents Machiavelli's life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism, betrayal, sex, bad popes--and, of course, forbidden love.
While sharing the same stage as Florence's Medici family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately abandoned. Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless champion of freedom and the republican form of government.
Out of the cesspool that was Florentine Renaissance politics, only one name is still uttered today--that of Niccolò Machiavelli. This mesmerizing, vividly told story will show you why his fame endures.
The much-vilified Renaissance politico, and author of The Prince, comes to life as a diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil servant in this nonfiction novel. Author Joseph Markulin presents Machiavelli's life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism, betrayal, sex, bad popes--and, of course, forbidden love.
While sharing the same stage as Florence's Medici family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately abandoned. Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless champion of freedom and the republican form of government.
Out of the cesspool that was Florentine Renaissance politics, only one name is still uttered today--that of Niccolò Machiavelli. This mesmerizing, vividly told story will show you why his fame endures.
720 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2012
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February 22, 2022
Book: Machiavelli: A Renaissance Life
Author: Joseph Markulin
Publisher: Prometheus Books (3 September 2013)
Language: English
Paperback: 720 pages
Item Weight: 735 g
Dimensions: 14.99 x 4.57 x 22.61 cm
Price: 1729/-
‘Machiavelli: A Renaissance Life’ by Joseph Markulin would without complicatedness find its place among the top five books on the Man ever read by yous truly.
The influence of Machiavelli upon the history of political theories can hardly be exaggerated.
Not only the method and substance of his philosophy but also the awe-inspiring literary art with which it was expressed, served to win for it universal attention.
If truth be told, Machiavelli was a man of enormous genius. He viewed politics from the closest distance and therefore culled first hand knowledge.
In conclusion, he expressed his views with great literary skill. He had methodical knowledge of history.
The observation of W. T. Jones may be quoted here “He was rather a man of affairs who found the time, in a multitude of other interests, to write down his impressions of the world and of the man, but who lacked the inclination or the ability to organise these impressions into a systematic account.”
Among other things, among other nitty gritty aspects of his life, this bio-fiction shows you that Machiavelli is not a philosopher, not even a theorist of political science.
Inspite of this we are studying his ‘The Prince’ in 2022.
Why?
Just since Machiavelli was the son of Renaissance and by virtue of that he made a significant break with the medieval political thought.
The Prince analyses the state from a hardheaded standpoint and here lies his credit.
He makes no attempt to idealise the state as Plato and Aristotle did.
He has freed the state from the clutches of church and pope and placed it on a genuine foundation.
The power of the state is of prince’s consideration and without it no state can ensure peace, unity and security. Hobbes’ people left the state in search of peace and, security.
So there is a fine resemblance between Machiavelli and Hobbes.
In the final 3200 odd words of this book, you get to learn why ‘Machiavellian’ is usually used to indicate ‘double standard’ of morality and ethics, depravity, decadence, and judiciousness.
He has been regarded as, the ambassador-spokesman of unattractive politics.
But all these are due to the wrong interpretation of his political ideas. He is to be judged in the milieu of his own age.
The feudalism and the church not only destroyed the identity and importance of the state, but also threw it into midst of tremendous anarchy and disarray. Being a great lover of nation-state and advocate of rising bourgeoisie his first duty was to strengthen its power..
Machiavelli has charmingly depicted the variance between two principal classes. The common people do not like the restriction of their democratic right and power and oppression coming from the aristocratic class. On the contrary the purpose of nobility is to oppress the people and to capture power.
He says “For the aim of the people is more straightforward than that of the nobility; the latter desiring to oppress..” (The Prince, Ch.9).
The impact of this bitterness between the nobility and common people falls upon the entire society and affects it. The powerful class captures power and the law-giver, being under the influence of the nobility, enacts law.
Inequality is surfaced.
And this author does reflect upon other works too.
Discourses, for instance!
In the Discourses he says that out of inequality comes corruption and people do not find ways to lead their lives honestly. This is a clear picture of class-society.
It is a fact that Machiavelli has forgotten to emphasise upon the economic factors. But the picture he has depicted undoubtedly conforms to reality….
And boy O boy, does this author harp upon the Marxists!!
Some Marxist thinkers have estimated the importance of Machiavelli and Machiavellianism from their own stand-point.
They argue that Machiavelli and is replete with innumerable examples of bourgeois political revolution, and the entire political life of bourgeois Society.
This author feels that there is a certain amount of exaggeration if this generalisation. But it is true that Machiavelli acted to some entext as a spokesman of bourgeois society and interests.
He revealed the conflict between the nobility and people, and unmasked the character of aristocrats, but did not utter a single word on revolution!! Poor Marxists!!
He favoured the existing social system and its reforms.
This author has proved that his advice to the Prince was consciously followed by Cromwell.
Napoleon read several times his ‘The Prince’. |As a matter of fact, he always carried the book.
Machiavelli is popular, to this very day among the people of the English-speaking world.
He is more popular than Dante. Bacon has profusely praised him. His influence upon Hobbes is undisputed.
The list can easily be elongated but it is needless.
The author, in his footnotes, quotes the famous essay “Machiavelli and the self-sufficient state” by J. R. Hale. Hale has expressed the following view, “Machiavelli, then, in we look at the whole shelf and not just at the half inch of The Prince, was not a defender of tyranny, though he advised strong action; he did not revel the deceit, though he thought it sometimes necessary. But he did preach on a text that was found congenial at the time and has had a famous history: the text that the state has autonomous values of its own, and that political behaviour should be determined not by appeal to Christian morality or private conscience, but to raison d’etat — reason of state. A state was not a fragment of Christendom or of any other supra-rational abstraction, it was itself, it should make its own rules.”
The author asserts that Machiavelli attempted to establish the state on the foundation of self-sufficiency. It is dependent neither on the church nor on the feudal lords.
Machiavelli’s state is powerful and the rest of the society is dependent on it. It will pursue its own policy, and make its own law.
There is no doubt that Machiavelli’s emphasis upon absolute power and authoritarian state is the source of the Fascist movement. This has also received nourishment from The Prince.
The authoritarian rulers of Italy, Germany and several other countries accepted The Prince as their textbook. The Fascists see the coercive power of the state as the central idea of Machiavelli’s political thought. They think that this is the proper manifestation of state in its reality.
On the occasiort of the 500th birth anniversary of Machiavelli’ in 1969, it was said that his analysis of human nature, advice to the prince, application of coercive ways and finally the ideas of republican form of government are still relevant.
One can disagree with Machiavelli, but cannot keep him aside for long !
The evaluation made by the Marxists would be an apposite conclusion to this review.
In the opinion of Marx, Machiavelli fully realised, that maldistribution of property was the root ‘cause of political struggle. Machiavelli noted that the loss of property led its owners to take the side of the state. Again it was property and its unequal distribution which sowed the seeds of corruption.
By saying all these, Marx says, “Machiavelli depicted a true picture of ‘bourgeois society…”
In the Introduction to the Dialectics of Nature, Engels has said “Machiavelli was a statesman, historian, poet and at the same time the first notable military author of modern times.”’
To the Marxists, Machiavelli, no doubt, is a spokesman of the bourgeois ideology and interests and an anti-revolutionary.
But he is also a great patriot, a republican and a great genius.
His support for the secular politics, Marxists say, is to be remembered gratefully.
His anti-papacy mentality has made him famous and also a modern political thinker.
His criticism of feudalism and attempt to make state all powerful are to be regarded as added contribution.
In seeking to write a fictional biography, the author of this book has penned a pristine non-fiction.
Loved it. Every bit of it.
Author: Joseph Markulin
Publisher: Prometheus Books (3 September 2013)
Language: English
Paperback: 720 pages
Item Weight: 735 g
Dimensions: 14.99 x 4.57 x 22.61 cm
Price: 1729/-
‘Machiavelli: A Renaissance Life’ by Joseph Markulin would without complicatedness find its place among the top five books on the Man ever read by yous truly.
The influence of Machiavelli upon the history of political theories can hardly be exaggerated.
Not only the method and substance of his philosophy but also the awe-inspiring literary art with which it was expressed, served to win for it universal attention.
If truth be told, Machiavelli was a man of enormous genius. He viewed politics from the closest distance and therefore culled first hand knowledge.
In conclusion, he expressed his views with great literary skill. He had methodical knowledge of history.
The observation of W. T. Jones may be quoted here “He was rather a man of affairs who found the time, in a multitude of other interests, to write down his impressions of the world and of the man, but who lacked the inclination or the ability to organise these impressions into a systematic account.”
Among other things, among other nitty gritty aspects of his life, this bio-fiction shows you that Machiavelli is not a philosopher, not even a theorist of political science.
Inspite of this we are studying his ‘The Prince’ in 2022.
Why?
Just since Machiavelli was the son of Renaissance and by virtue of that he made a significant break with the medieval political thought.
The Prince analyses the state from a hardheaded standpoint and here lies his credit.
He makes no attempt to idealise the state as Plato and Aristotle did.
He has freed the state from the clutches of church and pope and placed it on a genuine foundation.
The power of the state is of prince’s consideration and without it no state can ensure peace, unity and security. Hobbes’ people left the state in search of peace and, security.
So there is a fine resemblance between Machiavelli and Hobbes.
In the final 3200 odd words of this book, you get to learn why ‘Machiavellian’ is usually used to indicate ‘double standard’ of morality and ethics, depravity, decadence, and judiciousness.
He has been regarded as, the ambassador-spokesman of unattractive politics.
But all these are due to the wrong interpretation of his political ideas. He is to be judged in the milieu of his own age.
The feudalism and the church not only destroyed the identity and importance of the state, but also threw it into midst of tremendous anarchy and disarray. Being a great lover of nation-state and advocate of rising bourgeoisie his first duty was to strengthen its power..
Machiavelli has charmingly depicted the variance between two principal classes. The common people do not like the restriction of their democratic right and power and oppression coming from the aristocratic class. On the contrary the purpose of nobility is to oppress the people and to capture power.
He says “For the aim of the people is more straightforward than that of the nobility; the latter desiring to oppress..” (The Prince, Ch.9).
The impact of this bitterness between the nobility and common people falls upon the entire society and affects it. The powerful class captures power and the law-giver, being under the influence of the nobility, enacts law.
Inequality is surfaced.
And this author does reflect upon other works too.
Discourses, for instance!
In the Discourses he says that out of inequality comes corruption and people do not find ways to lead their lives honestly. This is a clear picture of class-society.
It is a fact that Machiavelli has forgotten to emphasise upon the economic factors. But the picture he has depicted undoubtedly conforms to reality….
And boy O boy, does this author harp upon the Marxists!!
Some Marxist thinkers have estimated the importance of Machiavelli and Machiavellianism from their own stand-point.
They argue that Machiavelli and is replete with innumerable examples of bourgeois political revolution, and the entire political life of bourgeois Society.
This author feels that there is a certain amount of exaggeration if this generalisation. But it is true that Machiavelli acted to some entext as a spokesman of bourgeois society and interests.
He revealed the conflict between the nobility and people, and unmasked the character of aristocrats, but did not utter a single word on revolution!! Poor Marxists!!
He favoured the existing social system and its reforms.
This author has proved that his advice to the Prince was consciously followed by Cromwell.
Napoleon read several times his ‘The Prince’. |As a matter of fact, he always carried the book.
Machiavelli is popular, to this very day among the people of the English-speaking world.
He is more popular than Dante. Bacon has profusely praised him. His influence upon Hobbes is undisputed.
The list can easily be elongated but it is needless.
The author, in his footnotes, quotes the famous essay “Machiavelli and the self-sufficient state” by J. R. Hale. Hale has expressed the following view, “Machiavelli, then, in we look at the whole shelf and not just at the half inch of The Prince, was not a defender of tyranny, though he advised strong action; he did not revel the deceit, though he thought it sometimes necessary. But he did preach on a text that was found congenial at the time and has had a famous history: the text that the state has autonomous values of its own, and that political behaviour should be determined not by appeal to Christian morality or private conscience, but to raison d’etat — reason of state. A state was not a fragment of Christendom or of any other supra-rational abstraction, it was itself, it should make its own rules.”
The author asserts that Machiavelli attempted to establish the state on the foundation of self-sufficiency. It is dependent neither on the church nor on the feudal lords.
Machiavelli’s state is powerful and the rest of the society is dependent on it. It will pursue its own policy, and make its own law.
There is no doubt that Machiavelli’s emphasis upon absolute power and authoritarian state is the source of the Fascist movement. This has also received nourishment from The Prince.
The authoritarian rulers of Italy, Germany and several other countries accepted The Prince as their textbook. The Fascists see the coercive power of the state as the central idea of Machiavelli’s political thought. They think that this is the proper manifestation of state in its reality.
On the occasiort of the 500th birth anniversary of Machiavelli’ in 1969, it was said that his analysis of human nature, advice to the prince, application of coercive ways and finally the ideas of republican form of government are still relevant.
One can disagree with Machiavelli, but cannot keep him aside for long !
The evaluation made by the Marxists would be an apposite conclusion to this review.
In the opinion of Marx, Machiavelli fully realised, that maldistribution of property was the root ‘cause of political struggle. Machiavelli noted that the loss of property led its owners to take the side of the state. Again it was property and its unequal distribution which sowed the seeds of corruption.
By saying all these, Marx says, “Machiavelli depicted a true picture of ‘bourgeois society…”
In the Introduction to the Dialectics of Nature, Engels has said “Machiavelli was a statesman, historian, poet and at the same time the first notable military author of modern times.”’
To the Marxists, Machiavelli, no doubt, is a spokesman of the bourgeois ideology and interests and an anti-revolutionary.
But he is also a great patriot, a republican and a great genius.
His support for the secular politics, Marxists say, is to be remembered gratefully.
His anti-papacy mentality has made him famous and also a modern political thinker.
His criticism of feudalism and attempt to make state all powerful are to be regarded as added contribution.
In seeking to write a fictional biography, the author of this book has penned a pristine non-fiction.
Loved it. Every bit of it.
August 10, 2022
4,25 stars - English Ebook
This epic piece of storytelling brings the world of fifteenth-century Italy to life as it traces Machiavelli's rise from young boy to controversial political thinker.
The often-vilified Renaissance politico and author ofThe Prince comes to life as a diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil.
Machiavelli's life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism, betrayal, sex, bad popes, noble outlaws, deformed kings, menacing Turks, even more menacing Lutherans, unscrupulous astrologers, untrustworthy dentists-and, of course, forbidden love.
While sharing the stage with Florence's Medici family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately abandoned.
Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless champion of freedom and the republican form of government.
This is what historical fiction ought to be be.This is a remarkable book. If nothing else, it will make you think twice about deploying the term "Machiavellian."
the wisdom about Machiavelli turned on its head, delivering a nuanced portrait of Machiavelli that begins with a marvelous rendering of his childhood and adolescence. What forces fashioned the controversial figure and made him the man he was.
And along the way it gives us a rollicking tale of adventure, replete with bawdy subplots and political intrigues.
I kept vowing to put the book aside but found myself glued to its pages, drawn in by the story and the superbly drawn characters, from the Medicis to the fascinating Savonarola.
But it is the texture of daily life that is perhaps the greatest strength of this book and sets it apart from others of its likes.
We learn what Machiavelli ate and wore, where he lived and on how much money, what he studied formally and what he learned on the streets: what Renaissance Florence looked like, sounded like, and even smelled like.
An story about a man who has fascinated the world for centuries, beautifully told.
This epic piece of storytelling brings the world of fifteenth-century Italy to life as it traces Machiavelli's rise from young boy to controversial political thinker.
The often-vilified Renaissance politico and author ofThe Prince comes to life as a diabolically clever, yet mild mannered and conscientious civil.
Machiavelli's life as a true adventure story, replete with violence, treachery, heroism, betrayal, sex, bad popes, noble outlaws, deformed kings, menacing Turks, even more menacing Lutherans, unscrupulous astrologers, untrustworthy dentists-and, of course, forbidden love.
While sharing the stage with Florence's Medici family, the nefarious and perhaps incestuous Borgias, the artists Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, and the doomed prophet Savonarola, Machiavelli is imprisoned, tortured, and ultimately abandoned.
Nevertheless, he remains the sworn enemy of tyranny and a tireless champion of freedom and the republican form of government.
This is what historical fiction ought to be be.This is a remarkable book. If nothing else, it will make you think twice about deploying the term "Machiavellian."
the wisdom about Machiavelli turned on its head, delivering a nuanced portrait of Machiavelli that begins with a marvelous rendering of his childhood and adolescence. What forces fashioned the controversial figure and made him the man he was.
And along the way it gives us a rollicking tale of adventure, replete with bawdy subplots and political intrigues.
I kept vowing to put the book aside but found myself glued to its pages, drawn in by the story and the superbly drawn characters, from the Medicis to the fascinating Savonarola.
But it is the texture of daily life that is perhaps the greatest strength of this book and sets it apart from others of its likes.
We learn what Machiavelli ate and wore, where he lived and on how much money, what he studied formally and what he learned on the streets: what Renaissance Florence looked like, sounded like, and even smelled like.
An story about a man who has fascinated the world for centuries, beautifully told.
January 21, 2020
This book was everything I hoped for and more besides. It gave me the life of this fascinating man but placed it in all that was happening in the world around him (Borgias, Medici, kings of France) while also telling a personal narrative of a moving yet exciting life. (strange for a man who was mostly a clerk or envoy). The writing was a joy to read and I stormed through what originally appeared a daunting book of some 700+ pages. How I wish there was more!
May 22, 2020
This is a BIG book; it’s more like two books put together as one. It sat on my shelf for a long time because I found it so intimidating. But I will say, when I finally started it, I was caught up in a lively, interesting story. As you might expect, the book began in Niccolo Machiavelli’s youth and ended with his death. Whew. He lived in an interesting time and I knew very little about him; if this book is any indication, what I knew was wrong. I thought he wrote “The Prince” using Cesare Borgia as a role model, but apparently not. (I haven’t read “The Prince” yet, but it’s worked its way up my reading list!). The Machiavelli of this book didn’t admire Cesare, except that he gave him grudging credit for all he achieved. But since Borgia’s intent was to crush Florence—or at least conquer it—he was more of a threat than a paragon, and someone to be watched with trepidation. But Borgia was only part of the story. We learn about Fra Girolamo Savonarola, the war between Florence and Pisa, a dizzying array of Medicis, as well as the stress between Florence as a republic and its subjugation under the Medici. I learned a lot, and at times the author put on his historian’s hat and gave us some important background (which I liked) before getting back to the story.
It wasn’t until he reached the age of thirty that Machiavelli began his career in the government; he was a secretary in the Chancery, a diplomat and ambassador, holding a position of confidence and importance, attached to foreign leaders like Borgia. When the Medici took over, he was degraded, then imprisoned, then worse. But that’s much later in the book. Along the way he made many friends and many enemies, and fell in love with Guiditta, a Jewish girl who slipped in and out of his life through no fault of her own (or his). It’s a violent time, and when cities fall to invaders, people get murdered right and left, and nothing is sacred, no wonder lovers get separated—especially lovers of different faiths.
“The days after Don Micheletto’s assassination were anxious days for Niccolo. Since Guiditta left for Rome, he had received only one brief, coded, communication from Michelozzi—‘Everything under control.’ And then silence.
A week passed. Ten days. She promised she would come back. With Don Micheletto dead, the veil of evil had been lifted from Florence, and city absolved of her guilt. The real culprit had been made to pay for his crimes. Giuditta could come back now. But in the back of his mind, other arguments echoed, her other objections sounded: ‘What kind of a life do I have here? I’m not a woman like other Florentine women. I’m an outsider…’”
I believe Guiditta is a made-up character, and an inordinate amount of energy is devoted to her relationship with Niccolo. However, she does serve to link many events in the story that might otherwise have been difficult to explain. There are a lot of people to keep track of and numerous episodes, and Guiditta helps break things up, so to speak, as well as give motivations to characters’ actions. After all, she has enemies, too. Niccolo is very kind to her, and she serves as a lifeline through his difficult times. My take-away is that Machiavelli does not necessarily deserve to be thought of as Machiavellian; he is hardworking, honest, and loyal to Florence. Perhaps his epithet is more appropriately applied to the times he lived in rather than himself. He has many ups and downs and manages to recover his influence at the end of his life, but by then he is a spent force and so was I. I had to plough through the last fifty pages or so, and was quite relieved when it was over. But I’m glad I read it, which is always a good thing.
It wasn’t until he reached the age of thirty that Machiavelli began his career in the government; he was a secretary in the Chancery, a diplomat and ambassador, holding a position of confidence and importance, attached to foreign leaders like Borgia. When the Medici took over, he was degraded, then imprisoned, then worse. But that’s much later in the book. Along the way he made many friends and many enemies, and fell in love with Guiditta, a Jewish girl who slipped in and out of his life through no fault of her own (or his). It’s a violent time, and when cities fall to invaders, people get murdered right and left, and nothing is sacred, no wonder lovers get separated—especially lovers of different faiths.
“The days after Don Micheletto’s assassination were anxious days for Niccolo. Since Guiditta left for Rome, he had received only one brief, coded, communication from Michelozzi—‘Everything under control.’ And then silence.
A week passed. Ten days. She promised she would come back. With Don Micheletto dead, the veil of evil had been lifted from Florence, and city absolved of her guilt. The real culprit had been made to pay for his crimes. Giuditta could come back now. But in the back of his mind, other arguments echoed, her other objections sounded: ‘What kind of a life do I have here? I’m not a woman like other Florentine women. I’m an outsider…’”
I believe Guiditta is a made-up character, and an inordinate amount of energy is devoted to her relationship with Niccolo. However, she does serve to link many events in the story that might otherwise have been difficult to explain. There are a lot of people to keep track of and numerous episodes, and Guiditta helps break things up, so to speak, as well as give motivations to characters’ actions. After all, she has enemies, too. Niccolo is very kind to her, and she serves as a lifeline through his difficult times. My take-away is that Machiavelli does not necessarily deserve to be thought of as Machiavellian; he is hardworking, honest, and loyal to Florence. Perhaps his epithet is more appropriately applied to the times he lived in rather than himself. He has many ups and downs and manages to recover his influence at the end of his life, but by then he is a spent force and so was I. I had to plough through the last fifty pages or so, and was quite relieved when it was over. But I’m glad I read it, which is always a good thing.
May 17, 2014
i read it like a novel, not as a critic to Niccolo's political view. amazing feeling of 15th century, especially if the reader has not much knowledge about the Italy that time, like myself.
must note that i enjoyed the language ( read Turkish translation ) very much!
next is to re-read The Prince, may be i understand it a bit more this time.
must note that i enjoyed the language ( read Turkish translation ) very much!
next is to re-read The Prince, may be i understand it a bit more this time.
July 7, 2022
This was a good read, with some well-crafted scenes. It grafts an entirely fictional love story onto Machiavelli's life, and puts him in closer contact with some famous people of the era than he probably was. But it also captures very well the life and times of the man, bringing that era vividly to life. Religious fanaticism. Ignorance. Torture by government. The ravages of disease in an era without real medicine or healthcare. The emerging republican form of government. The challenges of making it work in an era of corruption and conflict.
You also get a great sense of how shaped NM was by his reverence for the Roman Republic.
The portrait of the papacy is stunning in its mendacity, greed, and lust for power.
I would say that the book is spoiled somewhat by the merging of fact and fiction in a way that satisfies neither entirely. The arc of a life, honestly told, rarely matches the dramatic sweep of a novel. This is a novel about a real person. The end is not poetic, but more pathetic. Whereas a real work of history could meditate on what Machiavelli meant for the eventual unification of Italy, or for Western thought generally, this ending makes a feeble attempt to link his death to the grand sweep of the democratic republican movement he helped spark and interpret.
The book also makes a strong effort to rescue NM from the impression that he was...Machiavellian. However, once again, the mix between fact and fiction makes this largely fail. A traditional biography would have explored quotes from The Prince, and put them in the context of his life. Here, we learn almost nothing directly about The Prince...which is a shame.
I think of other historical fiction I've read, such as the marvelous When Nietzsche Wept, and this doesn't achieve that, I think because of an odd hesitation to truly imagine how NM would behave. The author goes both too far and not far enough in his daring. He boldly gives NM a Jewish mistress for most of his adult life, and his love for her is second only to his love of republicanism. But he hesitates to give us more of NM's inner thoughts on politics and governance? In When Nietzsche Wept, the author deploys Nietzsche ideas more deftly into a fictional story.
Still, it was a good read, and I enjoyed the journey, and learned much.
You also get a great sense of how shaped NM was by his reverence for the Roman Republic.
The portrait of the papacy is stunning in its mendacity, greed, and lust for power.
I would say that the book is spoiled somewhat by the merging of fact and fiction in a way that satisfies neither entirely. The arc of a life, honestly told, rarely matches the dramatic sweep of a novel. This is a novel about a real person. The end is not poetic, but more pathetic. Whereas a real work of history could meditate on what Machiavelli meant for the eventual unification of Italy, or for Western thought generally, this ending makes a feeble attempt to link his death to the grand sweep of the democratic republican movement he helped spark and interpret.
The book also makes a strong effort to rescue NM from the impression that he was...Machiavellian. However, once again, the mix between fact and fiction makes this largely fail. A traditional biography would have explored quotes from The Prince, and put them in the context of his life. Here, we learn almost nothing directly about The Prince...which is a shame.
I think of other historical fiction I've read, such as the marvelous When Nietzsche Wept, and this doesn't achieve that, I think because of an odd hesitation to truly imagine how NM would behave. The author goes both too far and not far enough in his daring. He boldly gives NM a Jewish mistress for most of his adult life, and his love for her is second only to his love of republicanism. But he hesitates to give us more of NM's inner thoughts on politics and governance? In When Nietzsche Wept, the author deploys Nietzsche ideas more deftly into a fictional story.
Still, it was a good read, and I enjoyed the journey, and learned much.
February 15, 2020
Reads like a T.V. show.
October 16, 2013
This is not a serious history book, it reads like a novel. But for the sheer pleasure reading it gave me, I have to award it five stars.
July 30, 2015
Ay çok sıkıldım.
June 5, 2016
Although, not a real biography but a storytelling, it was a very enjoyable read and it did stick to the historical facts ...
July 5, 2017
Got half way through this and couldn't finish it - the moment Machiavelli and Caterina Sforza slept together just ended it for me. A shame, as it's not badly written.
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