Niccolo's Smile: Amazon.ca: M Viroli: Books

Product Description

From Booklist

Machiavellian is a pejorative term suggesting serpentine scheming and use of immoral, ruthless means to achieve desired ends; those ends usually include the maintenance of power at all costs. Inevitably, it is often assumed that Machiavelli himself must have reflected and practiced these methods in his personal and public life. Viroli, a professor of politics at Princeton, effectively refutes that notion in this absorbing and surprising survey of a full, eventful life. Machiavelli was cursed to live in interesting but chaotic and violent times. In Viroli's view, his longing for a powerful ruler was not merely based on a cynical wish to see power exercised; rather, Machiavelli hoped for a strong and, if necessary, devious ruler who could rule effectively but also wisely and justly. In his personal life, he is revealed here as a caring, sensitive man who, contrary to expectations, was frequently ruled by his heart rather than his head. This is a compact and enjoyable look at a man far more interesting than his myth. Jay Freeman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A welcome antidote to the clichéd image of self-interested knavery for which [Machiavelli] has become known . . ." -- Alexander Stille, The New York Times Book Review

"Elegant and accessible . . . gracefulness has not been lost in Antony Shugaar's excellent translation . . ." -- Mark Lilla, The Washington Post Book World

See all Product Description

Inside This Book (Learn More)

First Sentence
According to legend, just before his death on 21 June 1527, Niccolo Machiavelli told the faithful friends who had stayed with him to the very end about a dream he had had, a dream that over the centuries became renowned as "Machiavelli's dream." Read the first page

Explore More
Concordance

Tag this product

(What's this?)

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Pleasing revisionism, April 15 2003

By

M. A Michaud "michael_michaud" (Dulles, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Niccolo's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli (Hardcover)

This biography presents the full Machiavelli, not just the cynical philosopher of politics. The reader discovers many other facets of his sometimes lusty, sometimes ironic, sometimes mischevious personality. The book places Machiavelli in the context of local events current to his time. We can see how he was influenced by, and tried to influence, the politics of his day. Above all, this book conveys Machiavelli as a writer, more effective in offering advice than he was at managing events. Viroli's brief essays at the beginnings of some of his chapters are elegant works in themselves. A plan of Renaissance Florence would have been a useful addition.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars Machiavelli as a human being rather than an epithet, Aug 26 2002

By

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Niccolo's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli (Hardcover)

This is a concise and lively account of Machiavelli's life. It provides the general reader with much needed context and background in order to read Machiavelli's works with any kind of understanding. While there are good scholarly works that can provide the feeling of more intellectual heft, this book should not be underestimated simply because it is easy to read and doesn't require weeks to read.

Machiavelli is one of those brand-name characters that evoke certain reactions in people in such a generalized way that people mistakenly believe they know something about the man and his work. This book can help debunk much of that received nonsense. It is surprising how "modern" a man he was considering he lived nearly 500 years ago.

The author has admiration for Machiavelli's skills as an analyst and as a diplomat, has sympathy for his personal suffering and disappointments, and forgiving in his attitude towards Machiavelli's human failings (the author might not even agree they were failings - they were just human). And that is the book's greatest contribution; it shows its subject as a human being rather than a caricature or a statue.

In any case, I found this to be a very valuable and entertaining book. I recommend it highly. You can draw your own conclusions about the subject and they author's conclusions. But you will have gained a lot in the process of coming to those (now better informed) conclusions.

There are a few helpful maps throughout the book and a suggested reading list at the end. The translation is terrific.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

3.0 out of 5 stars The man behind the smile, May 29 2002

By

cHaRLeNE rAMaN (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Niccolo's Smile (Paperback)

"No man has been more misunderstood," some would say. Who truly is the man behind the famous smile of determination and challenge? Why would anyone advise a ruler to be deceitful? Viroli's Niccolo's Smile is one of few biographies on Niccolo Machiavelli which can help lead us to the answers of our most controversial questions about his life. The book starts off by stating Niccolo's date of birth, family life, and means of education. However, if you read closely about his education, the author helps unlink a clue for us behind the mystery of how Machiavelli was launched into his political career. In the middle of the book are the tales of Machiavelli's first and most important missions while he was second chancellor. Viroli also talks about the politician's most famous work which he's known for, The Prince. Here and there the author talks about Machiavelli's love life and hard times in life, including his banishment in 1513. Sadly, the book does have a depressing ending when it starts to unwind when the author tells the details of this poor man's, whose ideas were ahead of his time, last, depressing days.

My favorite part of Niccolo's Smile was the chapter about Niccolo's banishment from Florence. I liked this chapter because it was written with such an amount of detail. To me, it seemed like the author interviewed Machiavelli because he knew Machiavelli's exact feelings during every minute of his expulsion from his native town. It was in this part of the book which made me feel the deepest sympathy for this man. Especially since Machiavelli's banishment was his punishment for committing a crime he was falsely accused for.

Viroli's Niccolo's Smile was a slightly interesting read considering it was a biography. It taught me many new things behind the world of politics. It also showed me how depressing the life of a person misunderstood was. Though, I wouldn't recommend this book as a "free read" for kids my age, 11-13, because the chapter based on Machiavelli's love affairs isn't very appropriate for children under the age of 15. It was disturbing for me to read about Machiavelli's sick urges, plus those of his friends. Other than that, Niccolo's Smile was well-written. If anyone had to write a report on the life of Machiavelli this book would be first on my list of recommendations.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 19 reviews 4.1 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Rather light but enjoyable biography of Machiavelli
Machiavelli has been unfairly portrayed as the unethical and ultimately immoral original proponent of "realpolitik". Read more

Published on Mar 22 2002 by Virgil

4.0 out of 5 stars A Perceptive Man at the Death of the Renaissance
Viroli's concise, readable biography of Niccolo Machiavelli describes the violent times he lived in and the diplomatic missions Machiavelli was assigned, and how he achieved them,... Read more

Published on Jan 24 2002 by guiscard