Laywoman-accessible, yet well-researched, biography of Machiavelli?

August 21, 2019 11:09 AM

I recently read a children’s biography of Machiavelli, which piqued my interest but didn’t differentiate enough between documented history and the author’s personal opinion. Can anyone recommend an accessible and reputable biography of Machiavelli for adults?

I am particularly interested in the difference between Machiavelli as he’s known in pop culture (conniving, evil) and the sympathetic figure represented in this biography (cynical, honest, speaking truth to power).

My attention span has been lessened by copious smartphone use so if the book is <300 pages, and/or engaging/exciting/witty, that would be even better. Thanks in advance!

posted by rogerroger to Media & Arts (4 answers total)

The Oxford Very Short Introduction series is definitely reputable and generally accessible; how engaging the volume on Machiavelli is, I don't know.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:48 AM on August 21, 2019 [1 favorite]

Possibly _Fortune is a River_. I remember the biographies of Machiavelli and Leonardo as tidy, though the framing story is probably over-sold.
posted by clew at 12:22 PM on August 21, 2019

Best answer: Ada Palmer's blog, Ex Urbe, has a great series on Machiavelli, starting here. She's best known as a fiction author in these parts, but she's also a legitimate academic, so don't let the fact that it's a series of blog posts rather than a book put you off.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:51 PM on August 21, 2019 [5 favorites]

I came here to mention Ada Palmer too.
posted by adamrice at 1:59 PM on August 21, 2019 [1 favorite]