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Title: Niccolo's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli
ISBN: 0374528004
Author:
Maurizio Viroli
Publicate Date: 2002-01-09
Publish: 2002-01-09
List Price: $13.00
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Paperback
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $7.07
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $4.95
Amazon Merchant Price: $11.05
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Great, human, endearing content (awful translation)
Niccolo's Smile is, undoubtedly, a masterpiece in accessibility, ease of prose, and historical flow. Viroli has written a book that is both deeply human and unabashedly humane, as well as enjoyable, both for the Machiavelli fan and the newcomer.
I cannot, however, understand or even detect where all the kudos and admiration for the translation come from: the book was evidently written in Italian, and the translation is so literal, so unedited, and so evident, that it is sometimes difficult to read through entire paragraphs without picking up a pencil and correcting the evident mistakes.
Perhaps it is due to my Romance-languages background (Spanish is my native language), but I didn't find anything commendable about the translation, whereas the biography itself, on the other hand, is indeed a true masterpiece. (And this from a fan who's read through 12 other Machiavelli biographies, including De Grazia's intriguing Machiavelli in Hell, also available from Amazon).
In short: buy it, enjoy it, and if you find yourself re-reading certain portions in search of a more coherent meaning, don't blame yourself: it's the translation.
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2: A Good Read and Excellent Intro to "Machia's" Life
Every now and then you read a book that brings its subject to life. Having studied Machiavelli from his writings, it helps to now know of his charms. This book contributed to my understanding of his works but more importantly to the background and history of his conversations. A good, quick read... Recommended.
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3: It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret
Maurizio Viroli does a masterful job of bringing the teachings of the world's first modern philosopher, Niccolo Machiavelli, to light. Machiavelli has gained an unwarranted notorious reputation for his "evil" treatise on political thinking and acting through his authorship of "The Prince". "The Prince" received more notoriety than his politically erudite work "Discourses on the First Ten Books of Livy" in which Machiavelli espouses his belief that the Roman Republic was the best and most virtuous form of government to emulate. His breadth and understanding of Roman history is remarkable. Viroli throughout his book emphasizes Machiavelli's love of his country Florence, and the proud political work as a minor government administrator and ambassador Machiavelli performed during its years as a republic. It was on his many ambassadorial trips to the French, Papal, and Italian courts that he learned to observe political leaders and their governmental institutions which formed the basis of his political theories in his many writings. My favorite quote from the book is from a letter Machiavelli writes to a friend; "It's better to act and repent then not to act and regret".
Modern philosophers starting with Machiavelli reject the classical view of politics as undemocratic and elitist. Only wealthy men of leisure would have time to develop the virtues and character necessary to rule. Machiavelli believed that man by nature was selfish and driven by ambition. Machiavelli is not interested in character formation and moral appeal but in building the right kind of institutions to govern society. Laws and justice would protect men from power hungry rulers. Modern philosophy is an out growth of the revolution that takes place in the natural sciences during the Enlightenment. The purpose of science is the conquest of nature man is in control of human life. Philosophers from Machiavelli on become sectarian. "Everything good is due to man's labor rather than to nature's gift." This book is not all politics and philosophy. Viroli gives us a good insight into the life and times of Niccolo Machiavelli with a good study into his character, passions, and psyche.
As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I found this to be a great book to continue one's journey into political philosophy and history of Europe.
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4: Pleasing revisionism
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.
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5: Machiavelli as a human being rather than an epithet
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.
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