About the book: 2014 / As soon as you say the name of Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527), you immediately remember his main work, “The Prince,” a guide imbued with cynicism and cold calculation how subjects should be governed. If we judge the author from this book, we see a cruel person, completely devoid of compassion. Paul Strathern pushes the limits of this idea. It tells the story of the beautiful and bloody Renaissance, where conspiracies and uprisings, along with magnificent festivities, were commonplace, and the ruler had to beware not only of his own people, but also of his closest circle. And even though many centuries have passed, Machiavelli’s book has not lost its relevance…