Have you ever read a book that is written in a style so unique, you almost don't know how to classify it ? That's how I felt after reading Sebastian De Grazia's magnum opus, 'Machiavelli In Hell'. De Grazia lived from 1917 - 2000 & his illustrious career included a tenure working for the Central Intelligence Agency's progenitor, the Office of Strategic Services as an analyst during the brutal years of the Second World War. Originally born in Chicago, Sebastian eventually became a political philosophy instructor at the illustrious Rutgers University. He did a lot of instructing at Rutgers, from 1962 - 1988. He published a book in 1962 that was so well-received it garnered De Grazia the affectionate nickname, 'The Father Of Leisure'. Then, in 1990 he released 'Machiavelli In Hell', a work of such dominance it earned him the Pulitzer Prize. After finishing his book I most assuredly can say that it was an honor well-deserved.
Niccolò's own tenure in hell consists of three hundred eighty pages, divided into fifteen lengthy chapters. This is not a book for casual admirers of Machiavelli, nor is it for readers unfamiliar with the four extant writings constituting Niccolò's primary political canon, which are 'Il Principe', 'Discoursi Sopra La Prima Deca Di Tito Livio', 'L'Arte Della Guerra', & 'L'Istorie Fiorentine'. Normally, I am all for recommending curious readers to just dive into books on historical figures such as this & learn as they go, because nobody likes to hear someone say that any book's subject matter is too advanced for their level of knowledge. With De Grazia's biography on Niccolò Machiavelli however, my own knowledge base was barely sufficient as I kept pace with the author's often erudite-level arguments & points of discussion. Much of 'Hell's subject matter focuses on lesser-known, more obscure Machiavellian works such as the three 'Sonetti Della Prigione', two of which are addressed to Cardinal Giulio de'Medici & reflect the abject suffering Niccolò endured when subjected to 'Strappado' torture after he was accused of treason when the Medici clan returned to Florence with a vengeance in 1512. One of them, entitled 'On Ambition', was unknown to me prior to reading De Grazia's book & among my favorite parts of the novel.
Early on De Grazia clearly emphasizes four major Renaissance Florentine events that would shape Niccolò's entire career : 1478's infamous Pazzi Conspiracy, the Battle of Poggio Imperiale in 1479, the death of Lorenzo the Magnificent in 1492, & French monarch Charles VIII's entry into Florence in 1494. He goes on to explain in detail all four of these momentous historical occurrences in copious detail, & this portion of 'Hell' I found almost endlessly intriguing. Another part I absolutely loved was in chapter VI, 'Women In Politics', where he speaks of Galeazzo Maria Sforza's daughter, the Madonna Caterina Sforza, & her brave defiance of her besiegers as she stood on the battlements of Forli. Sforza's son, Giovanni delle Bande Nere, would became a condottiere who died at a very young age, fighting Charles V. Signor Giovanni. We also hear the sad tale of Queen Rosamunda, wife of Alboin, King of the Longobards. In a vicious love triangle, Rosamund entices Helmechis, a nobleman serving King Alboin to murder his liege lord. After committing the vile deed Rosamund & Helmechis flee to Ravenna, where after a jealous lovers' quarrel the pair poison one another & both perish, the disgraceful death of the traitor. You can read about this melancholy chain of events in I : VIII of Machiavelli's 'Istorie Fiorentine', I'd suggest to you Laura F. Banfield & Harvey C. Mansfield Jr. translation because it's the one I'm familiar with. I also enjoyed the author's delineation in Chapter VII, 'The Point Of It All' as he speaks of social equality & the three classes of Renaissance noblemen : Landed Gentlemen, Feudal Gentlemen & Gentlemen of Affairs. Sebastian's dominant composition skills also become quite apparent as he defines key Latin terminology : Imperium is a concept associated with Dominion defined as the right, privilege or authority with which to command.
The selection of absolutely stunning Renaissance artwork, architecture & sketches included in 'Machiavelli In Hell' couldn't be more effective in its efforts to illustrate every aspect of this Machiavellian biographical masterpiece, such as Leonardo da Vinci's sketch of the grisly fate of Pazzi Conspirator Bandini de'Baroncelli, hanging from a rope outside the Captain's Palace in his Turkish garb. Baroncelli actually escaped justice at first after the murder of Giulio de'Medici, fleeing to Constantinople. Lorenzo de'Medici, who unfortunately for Baroncelli survived his assassination attempt, persuaded the Turkish Sultan to extradite the conspirator back to Florence, where he was shown no mercy by Lorenzo the Magnificent. Such is the fate of the conspirators when their schemes go awry. At the conclusion of Chapter IV, 'The Way Of Evil', De Grazia's language takes on a staccato, zealous fanaticism that's beautiful to read as he comments on the strong didactic undertones found in Niccolò Machiavelli's writing : 'The freedom to act for good or evil makes their actions liable to moral judgment, & our author does not refrain from judging them. Ingratitude, ambition, envy, greed, cruelty, mass dislocations & killings, tyranny, parricide, impiety & betrayal, & incest he recognizes for what they are : full-blown evil.'
A unique aesthetic choice, the author includes a copious section of expanded notes which unfortunately for me, are exclusively in Italian. They appear to reference 'La Mandragola' & 'La Vita Di Castruccio Castracani Da Lucca' in addition to the primary Machiavellian political canon which you probably already know, so I won't bore you by mentioning it again ! Titles I would suggest that discuss content that enriches what's found in Sebastian De Grazia's book would be the following : Allesandro Campi's 'Machiavelli & Political Conspiracies : The Struggle For Power In The Italian Renaissance' for its detailed discussion of the 'Florentine Histories' & the Pazzi Conspiracy, Professor Yves Winter's 'Machiavelli & The Orders Of Violence' for its analysis of Machiavellian political axioms in relation to the numerous acts of political violence committed during the Italian Renaissance & Late Middle Age, & Andrew Brown's translation of 'The Life Of Castruccio Castacani Of Lucca' for relevant subject matter. I'd also suggest Patrick Boucheron's 'Machiavelli : The Art Of Teaching People What To Fear' because it's so easy to jump into & can give the reader a solid foundation to begin enjoying all of Machiavelli's beautiful extant works. The Penguin Classics editions of the George Bull translation of 'The Prince' the Bernard Crick translation of 'Discourses On Livy' would be my recommendations & the De Capo Press Ellis Farneworth translation of 'The Art Of War' is what I suggest for that particular treatise.
In closing, I would like to thank you most profusely for reading my review. I hope you learned a bit about Renaissance Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli, & Sebastian De Grazia.
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I would recommend this book to the researcher of political philosophy and ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 13, 2016
