Niccolò Machiavelli is sent as envoy of the Florentine Republic to the stronghold of Cesare Borgia at Imola. The dreaded Prince is poised to take Italy by force, and cares not for the Pope, the King of France, nor any of the minor lords in his path. Against that background, a love farce unfolds, in which Machiavelli tries to seduce the young wife of his host at Imola. Maugham weaves a rich tapestry of Renaissance life from these three months in Machiavelli's life, in which he gets the inspiration for both The Prince and The Mandrake.

Posted to jeniwren.

Received via the Australasian Wishlist Tag Game. Thanks as Somerset Maugham is one of my favourite authors and I look forward to reading soon.