Why Machiavelli Matters Now

An exploration of Machiavelli's poetry, love affairs, friendships, and his preoccupation with truth and perception. Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what Machiavelli really believed – and why he still matters today.

Who was Niccolo Machiavelli and why should we consider him relevant to the problems and vexations of the modern world? Stephen Bowd and Alexander Lee aim to 'defamiliarize' Machiavelli.

Given that he is so well known, if only by name, and the subject of such grave misconceptions and prejudice, the authors set out to explain why he is not the 'Machiavellian' figure he is supposed to be, and that he was not just a political thinker.

Examining his frequently bawdy poetry, his comedies and his love affairs and friendships, this book will lead modern readers on an exhilarating and thought-provoking journey through Machiavelli's mind, bringing him to life and illuminating why such a seminal thinker should be of urgent interest to us today.

Alexander Lee is a fellow in the Centre for the Study of the Renaissance at the University of Warwick. Educated at the universities of Cambridge and Edinburgh, he has previously held posts at the universities of Oxford, Bergamo, and Luxembourg, amongst others. A Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, he is the author of six acclaimed books, including most recently Machiavelli: His Life and Times (a Financial Times and New Statesman 'Book of the Year') and The First Ghetto: Venice and the Jews.

Stephen Bowd is Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Edinburgh and has published extensively on the history of Venice and on the Renaissance. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, and is committed to widening access to historical studies. He has presented his work to a wide range of non-academic audiences by means of live talks, BBC radio appearances (including In Our Time), newspaper interviews (e.g. Corriere della Sera) and podcasts.