Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince

Machiavelli is misunderstood, new biography says

This is a superb biography, of interest to anybody — not just management consultants — trying to get along in the contemporary world.

It turns out Niccolo di Bernardo Machiavelli (1469-1527), second chancellor of Florence, Italy (comparable perhaps to today's assistant city manager in, say, Tampa), harbored numerous talents. And contrary to his oversimplified reputation today as the purveyor of evil, Machiavelli was an appreciative husband of Marietta Corsini, devoted father of six children, playwright, thoughtful political theorist and author of numerous books in addition to the one that bestowed lasting fame/infamy.

Author Miles Unger is an art historian based in Massachusetts who reads and speaks Italian. The strengths of his Machiavelli biography — certainly not the first to appear — are threefold:

•Unger's Italian fluency allows him to turn Italian documentation into an English-language biography.

•Unger writes clearly and compellingly.

•Unger is superb at providing context, so readers grasp how Machiavelli's thinking was received during his lifetime, how it has been interpreted/misinterpreted through the centuries, and how it offers meaning in the early 21st century.

Machiavelli began writing The Prince in 1513, after he had lost his government job and even served a brief jail term because of a shift in the power structure of Florence.

Rather than planning to write an ageless best-selling book, Machiavelli hoped to impress the new ruler of Florence, so that he might regain a salaried government job.

The result, according to Unger: "the most notorious and influential political tract ever written."

Today, Unger says, Machiavelli's name "has been turned into an adjective to describe any cynical act or the pursuit of power without conscience." That stereotype is unfair and inaccurate, as Unger establishes on page after page. The biographer is no apologist for his subject. Instead, Unger does what biographers are supposed to do — separate reality from myth.

A large dollop of Machiavelli's current influence within politics and corporate governance can be explained by these words of Unger: "Terms like Realpolitik or raison d'etat, theories that take a dim view of humanity and advocate strong medicine to curb our appetites, can be traced to Machiavelli's writings.

OMERTA TERROR MACHINE: Niccolo Machiavelli-The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli was born on May 3, 1469, in Florence, Italy. He eventually became a man who lived his life for politics and patriotism. Right now, however, he is associated with corrupt, totalitarian government. The reason for this is a small pamphlet he wrote called The Prince to gain influence with the ruling Medici family in Florence. The political genius of Niccolo Machiavelli was overshadowed by the reputation that was unfairly given to him because of a misunderstanding of his views on politics.Machiavelli's life was very interesting. He lived a nondescript childhood in Florence, and his main political experience in his youth was watching Savanarola from afar. Soon after Savanarola was executed, Machiavelli entered the Florentine government as a secretary. His position quickly rose, however, and was soon engaging in diplomatic missions. He met many of the important politicians of the day, such as the Pope and the King of France, but none had more impact on him than a prince of the Papal States, Cesare Borgia. Borgia was a cunning, cruel man, very much like the one portrayed in The Prince. Machiavelli did not truly like Borgia's policies, but he thought that with a ruler like Borgia the Florentines could unite Italy, which was Machiavelli's goal throughout his life. Unfortunately for Machiavelli, he was dismissed from office when the Medici came to rule Florence and the Republic was overthrown. The lack of a job forced him to switch to writing about politics instead of being active. His diplomatic missions were his last official government positions.When Machiavelli lost his office, he desperately wanted to return to politics. He tried to gain the favor of the Medici by writing a book of what he thought were the Medici's goals and dedicating it to them. And so The Prince was written for that purpose. Unfortunately, the Medici didn't agree with what the book said, so he was out of a job. But when the public saw the book, they were outraged. The people wondered how cruel a man could be to think evil thoughts like the ones in The Prince, and this would come back to haunt him when he was alive and dead. However, if the people wanted to know what Machiavelli really stood for, they should have read his "Discourses on Livy", which explain his full political philosophy. But not enough people had and have, and so the legacy of The Prince continues to define Machiavelli to the general public.A few years later the Medici were kicked out of Florence.

The Prince

The prince

The prince

The Prince, Literary Touchstone Classic

The Prince, Easyread Super Large 24pt Edition