The Artist, The Philosopher and The Warrior

Oct 5, 2024 2:19 AM

Author:Paul Strathern

In the autumn of 1502 three giants of the Renaissance period - Cesare Borgia, Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli - set out on one of the most treacherous military campaigns of the period. Cesare Borgia was a ferocious military leader whose name was synonymous with brutality and whose reputation was marred with the suspicion of incest. Niccolò Machiavelli was a witty and subversive intellectual, more suited to the silken diplomacy of royal courts than the sodden encampments of a military campaign. And Leonardo da Vinci was a visionary master and the most talented military engineer in Italy. What led him to work for the monstrous Borgia? And what attracted him to the cunning Machiavelli?

In his extraordinary new book acclaimed historian Paul Strathern ingeniously focuses on this improbable collusion of three iconic figures of the Italian Renaissance to unite three mighty strands of the period - war, politics and art. As each man's life unfolds, so does the Italian Renaissance.

Reviews

A brilliant snapshot of Renaissance Italy... a triumph

—— Sunday Telegraph

This is popular history at its narrative best... rich in colour, character and consequence

—— The Times

This is a portrait of a fascinating trio, and an insight into the apparent paradox of why such turbulent times produced such an outpouring of human sentiment almost unparalleled in the history of the West

—— Edward King , Sunday Times

The story he has to tell is exciting and revealing...and the narrative has a natural arc, beginning in hope and fear and climaxing in deceit and bloodshed

—— Guardian

Strathern deftly interweaves the narratives of his three main characters and successfully evokes their odyssey... he has a sensitive ear for memorable phrases and a keen eye for striking detail

—— Thomas Wright , Independent on Sunday

A lucid an highly readable history displaying and enjoyable flair for the salacious

—— Holly Kyte , Sunday Telegraph

The fascinating story of the brief collusion of these three famous men is told with craft and brio

—— Brian Maye , Irish Times

As with her previous book The Italian Boy, Sarah Wise is superb on statistical detail... In every respect this is a note-perfect work of social history, thoroughly researched, charitable in its sympathies, and sadly still embodying lessons for today

—— Independent

Carefully researched... a wide-ranging study

—— Sunday Telegraph

Her achievement is remarkable... This engrossing work shines a light not only on a turbulent period in London's history, but on humanity itself. Only the best histories can claim as much

—— Guardian

Spilling facts, lives, conditions, intolerable burdens and the spirit expressed by spontaneous dancing in the streets, The Blackest Streets is a little masterpiece

—— Herald

Extraordinary scholarship and rare sensitivity

—— Ophelia Field , Daily Telegraph

Sarah Wise mines the archives to bring the local inhabitants back to life, and makes particularly brilliant use of the interviews that historian Raphael Samuel conducted in the 1970s with Arthur Harding.

—— LRB

As in her wonderful book The Italian Boy, she explores a milieu that was hungry, dirty, threadbare and exploited

—— Christopher Hirst , The Independent

Sarah Wise animates the horrors in fascinating detail

—— Toby Clements , The Telegraph

Previous Article：Conspirator Next Article：Ekaterinburg

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.