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Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici | 
 enlarge | Author: Miles J. Unger
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Category: Book
List Price: $32.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 18697
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 528
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.7
ISBN: 0743254341
Dewey Decimal Number: 945.51105092
EAN: 9780743254342
ASIN: 0743254341
Publication Date: May 6, 2008
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Product Description
Magnifico is a vividly colorful portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici, the uncrowned ruler of Florence during its golden age. A true "Renaissance man," Lorenzo dazzled contemporaries with his prodigious talents and magnetic personality. Known to history as Il Magnifico (the Magnificent), Lorenzo was not only the foremost patron of his day but also a renowned poet, equally adept at composing philosophical verses and obscene rhymes to be sung at Carnival. He befriended the greatest artists and writers of the time -- Leonardo, Botticelli, Poliziano, and, especially, Michelangelo, whom he discovered as a young boy and invited to live at his palace -- turning Florence into the cultural capital of Europe. He was the leading statesman of the age, the fulcrum of Italy, but also a cunning and ruthless political operative. Miles Unger's biography of this complex figure draws on primary research in Italian sources and on his intimate knowledge of Florence, where he lived for several years. Lorenzo's grandfather Cosimo had converted the vast wealth of the family bank into political power, but from his earliest days Lorenzo's position was precarious. Bitter rivalries among the leading Florentine families and competition among the squabbling Italian states meant that Lorenzo's life was under constant threat. Those who plotted his death included a pope, a king, and a duke, but Lorenzo used his legendary charm and diplomatic skill -- as well as occasional acts of violence -- to navigate the murderous labyrinth of Italian politics. Against all odds he managed not only to survive but to preside over one of the great moments in the history of civilization. Florence in the age of Lorenzo was a city of contrasts, of unparalleled artistic brilliance and unimaginable squalor in the city's crowded tenements; of both pagan excess and the fire-and-brimstone sermons of the Dominican preacher Savonarola. Florence gave birpth to both the otherworldly perfection of Botticelli's Primavera and the gritty realism of Machiavelli's The Prince. Nowhere was this world of contrasts more perfectly embodied than in the life and character of the man who ruled this most fascinating city.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 convoluted narrative history September 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This biography is difficult to follow. It starts off in 1466 with a 17 year old Lorenzo traveling to Florence to address some political crisis. Then the author jumps back and forth in a very confusing manner talking about Lorenzo's father and grandfather, Piero and Cosimo. It was difficult for me to remember where in time I was at any given moment. I understand the need to give background information but it was done in a very disorganized manner (at least to this reader). To top it off, six chapters later we're still with Lorenzo and he hasn't even reached Florence yet! Perhaps someone who is very familiar with the Medicis won't find this so disorienting but for a layman like me I just thought it very confusing.
 Magnifico: The Brilliant Life and Violent Times of Lorenzo de' Medici August 28, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Miles J. Unger's "Magnifico" is a fascinating narrative about one of the most powerful and influental figures in renaissance Italy and in the history of Europe. Although there are several books on the subject, I found "Magnifico", with it's detailed focus on the everyday-life of the uncrowned ruler of Florence the most interesting and enjoyable to read. I was amazed by the level of detail in this book. Unger focuses heavily on the subject's personality: From his taste in horses, banquets and women (or men), to his favourite tuscan villas where he spent much of his time writing poetry. We are also introduced to the lesser-known Lorenzo, with the author revealing his wickedness and disabilities, as a failure in heading the inherited familydriven bank-empire, which eventually paved the way for his son, "Piero the Unfortunate". In this, Unger succeeds in providing an excellent account on Lorenzo's double life as a young playboy-prince, diplomat and shrewd politician on one side, and the benign, unsecure poet and family-man on the other side. The author underlines how Lorenzo affected everyday-life of Florence and Tuscany, both political and cultural as a the leading statesman and patron of the arts, turning Florence into a great power on the Italian peninsula, and an international exporter of renaissance culture. The book is not only a biography, it also provides the reader with a brief topic on both Florence's turbulent history and the Meidici's road to power beginning with Giovanni di Bicci de' Medici in late 14th century.
A Magnificent account of a Magnificent life August 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is an absorbing account of one of history's greatest characters. Unger brings to life not only Lorenzo de' Medici, the man, but the rich fabric of Renaissance Florence with all its colours, contours and unsurpassed creativity. Written for the general reader, Magnifico is a fantastic primer for anyone who wants to learn more about these turbulent times and their most influential leaders. And for fans of historical fiction writers, such as Dorothy Dunnett in particular, the book provides a wealth of background information and personalities sketches that show up in her fictionalised and composite narratives. In fact, when Unger describes the bloody plot that threatened Lorenzo's life and claimed that of his brother, the book reads like a historical page-turner.
One volume histories of figures who have already inspired tomes of scholarly (and not so scholoraly) writing are often dismissed as simple rewrites. Unger's book is far from this. It provides insights and analysis based on solid research and a great eye for detail. I would recommend this book to all who share a love of the great characters of history and the Renaissance in particular.
Magnifico: The LIfe and Times of Lorenzo de' Medici July 28, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
"Magnifico" is the sixth and most interesting book I've read this summer on Florence and the Renaissiance. The author's writing style is flowing and an easy read. However, more than any of the other books I've read on this topic, this one captured the essence of the times. It is fascinating that some of the most brilliant artists in the Western World flurished during such a chaotic social and political period. Although scholars disagree on the importance of Lorenzo in encouraging such artists as Michelangelo and Donatello, this book emphasizes the sheer personal power and intellect of a man who managed to hold together a family empire while fostering all forms of art, writing, and philosophical investigation in the midst of political uncertainty.
You don't have to be a scholar to enjoy this book. It paints an entertaining, colorful picture of a great man in turbulent times who made his mark forever in history. Definitely worth your time.
Good Place to Start on Lorenzo and the Medici July 20, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
No one volume life of Lorenzo can ever be comprehensive because he is a significant figure in too many areas. He is a major figure in Florentine, Italian and European political, diplomatic and cultural history. In the history of art, indeed, he may be said to be of global importance. He was himself a poet of skill, eminent in the literature of his time. Yet his cultural significance is his legacy to posterity. To the people of his city and time, however, his main importance was political and diplomatic; and that is the role most completely explored in this book.
This is not an unreasonable choice since his political role consumed most of Lorenzo's time. He worked endlessly to buttress and expand his family's de facto control of Florence, modifying the voting and political systems at least twice to do so (always to concentrate more power in his hands while careful to observe the old republican forms). He was equally active in trying to expand Florence's influence in Italy and beyond. These efforts were strenuous and stressful, especially in the early years of Lorenzo's primacy, for there were many who sought to challenge his ambitions and those of Florence.
Indeed, his first decade or so of power was fraught with a seemingly endless series of revolts and conspiracies, internal and external, culminating in the murderous Pazzi conspiracy that resulted in Lorenzo's wounding and the death of his beloved brother. There were also wars, especially after the Pazzi plot, with great danger for the regime and for Lorenzo personally. He not only survived all of this, he increased both his power and prestige because of the brilliant political and diplomatic outcome that he personally brought about. For the rest of his life he was both highly adroit and greatly influential in Italian affairs, to the point that many of his contemporaries credited him with keeping the intense rivalries of the various regimes from causing the peninsula to implode. The book's author believes that, if Lorenzo had lived (he died at the early age of 43), he might have been able to prevent the French invasion of Italy and the innumerable disasters that followed. It is a kind of tribute to Lorenzo that this wholly improbable notion cannot be totally ignored.
The book covers all of this in some detail and does a good job of describing what these monumental efforts cost Lorenzo in terms of stress and energy. Note that leaders of the day had to do much of their work personally as there were no significant administrative agencies or personal staffs to carry out their intentions for them. The tasks of governing were immense and consuming; and Lorenzo was personally beset every day by dozens of citizens seeking his opinion, his favor or his fiat. Note too that Lorenzo had also to run the far flung Medici banking business, one of the two major roles in which he performed poorly (the other was trying to educate his son Piero in how to rule: Lorenzo's constant efforts and advice were ignored and Piero remained an arrogant and ultimately unsuccessful fool). These enormous demands on Lorenzo make his cultural impact even more astonishing.
The book also sketches Lorenzo's role in some of the arts, primarily literature, architecture, painting and sculpture. The author does this well but just enough to whet the appetite. And other arts are mostly untouched (e. g. music, philosophy).
The book is clearly aimed at the educated general reader and is almost entirely based on printed works written in English or translated into that language. There is little, if any, research into contemporary documents or archives. The book is primarily an able retelling and contains no unexpected insights or research finds. Its prose style is clear and reasonably fluid, if not enchanting. The book is marred, however, by a significant number of the sorts of typos, omissions and other printing errors that should be caught by a competent publisher's staff. The author was poorly served in this respect.
Overall this is a worthwhile, if necessarily incomplete, portrait of an amazing man. In Lorenzo's day the word magnifico ("magnificent") was a term of polite respect accorded to prominent leaders. Only with Lorenzo did it in his own time become part of his personal identity and it has remained so to this day. This book suggests why.
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