“Wise, witty, razor-sharp” Stephen Greenblatt, author of the swerve: how the Renaissance began interested in Machiavelli? That may be a bad sign. We always turn to Machiavelli at crisis points in history – he is the philosopher for dark times. But what do we really know about this man? Is there more to his work than that perennial Term for political evil, machiavellianism? In this concise, elegant book, Patrick boucheron undoes many assumptions about this most complex of figures. By honing in on Machiavelli’s role in the political life of his own time, boucheron shows how his thought remains essential to understanding not only how authoritarianism works, but also how it can be fought.
Review
An elegant introduction to this disturbing, incisive, many-sided thinker-and a reminder of why we must read him right now
This wise, witty, razor-sharp anatomy of Machiavelli demonstrates why the most notorious thinker of the Renaissance is the perfect companion for our own time
Packed with insights into how Machiavelli has been construed and misconstrued down the ages and why his ideas still resonate so powerfully today...Boucheron's book...reminds us that Machiavelli is no advocate of unbridled state violence - Financial Times
Energetic... playfully conspiratorial. Boucheron invites us to think through how Machiavelli became synonymous with unscrupulous despotism when the real man suffered for his republican allegiances - New York Times
[Boucheron] makes a case for Machiavelli as a misunderstood and villainized figure with political insights that can be applied to modern times - New York Times Book Review
To reframe our understanding of Machiavelli, Mr. Boucheron asks, Who was he writing for?...If The Prince was meant to help ordinary people understand what their leaders were up to, then it is not a handbook for the power-crazed but a means of stopping them - Wall Street Journal
Machiavelli is the antidote we need to today's delusion that reality can be virtual or augmented-that is, easily doctored by us ourselves or the media. Reading him now is necessary, more than ever before. But who reads him? Patrick Boucheron's little book is by far the best inducement to Machiavelli that I know of -- Francesco Erspamer, Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
A penetrating portrait of a complex political thinker - Kirkus Reviews
A more nuanced and comprehensive look at this brilliant but tortured genius... highly recommended - New York Journal of Books
Machiavelli provide[s] a distinct perspective on the influential philosopher... Readers looking to learn more about the thinker, as well as those seeking an introduction, will find this creative work appealing - Library Journal
It is never too late to break the clichés surrounding Machiavelli. He is never going out of fashion - Le Figaro
Patrick Boucheron has the talent of good teachers: he makes history accessible for everyone - Le Monde
About the Author
Patrick Boucheron, born in 1965, is a French historian. He previously taught medieval history at the École normale supérieure and the University of Paris, and is currently a professor of history at the Collège de France. He is the author of twelve books and the editor of five, including France in the World, which became a bestseller in France.
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