Machiavelli In Hell

In this intellectual biography de Grazia presents a new Machiavelli in a way that gives an almost uncanny sense of the great Florentine thinker's presence. After telling the story of Machiavelli's childhood and the period of personal crisis that followed his imprisonment and torture, the book turns to The Prince. Thenceforth the facts of biography—Machiavelli's home, journeys, fears and joys, works, friends, and loves—never cease to weave in and out of the narrative as his ideas gather power and come together to form a unified vision of humankind and the world. De Grazia quotes exclusively from Machiavelli's own words rather than quoting others who commented upon him. In this way he paints a colorful portrait of the man entirely in the context of his time. In The Prince, Machiavelli had famously examined the dilemma of the ruler who must find a resolution between political necessity and ethical behavior. By thus inventing what would later come to be known as 'realpolitik' Machiavelli entered the language of political discourse, and earned himself a rather bad reputation. De Grazia's Pulitzer Prize-winning book goes some way to rehabilitating him, suggesting that his immoral means were put to good political ends.