The Prince: An Extreme Book for Extreme Times

The latest translation of Machiavellis shocking Renaissance masterpiece presented at Seton Hall University (NJ)

South Orange, NJ (PRWEB) February 24, 2005 -- Renaissance enthusiasts, political scientists, and general readers will be highly interested in the publication of the latest translation of Machiavellis The Prince" by Professor William J. Connell of Seton Hall University (NJ).

The Prince, a remarkably terse book about how to secure and maintain political power, is a masterpiece by Niccolò Machiavelli (1469-1527), one of Renaissance most original and brilliant thinkers. It can be considered the founding document of the Enlightenments secularism and thus of the modern era. Based on Machiavellis observations of the effectiveness of leaders, the rules for governing set forth in his manual were considered radical and harsh by his contemporaries and shocking to many since then. Although Machiavelli was immediately demonized and the term Machiavellian has long been used as a reproach, The Prince is widely read; still today, some of his famous maxims such as "it is better to be feared than loved" and the end justifies the means", are much more than aphorisms...

Connell presents now a major new translation (published in paperback by Bedford St. Martins Press, a leading publisher of textbooks in history that are used in universities throughout the English-speaking world) with important related documents, many of which appear here in English for the first time. Machiavelli was a powerful and innovative writer of Italian prose. My edition attempts to restore the integrity of his style in a new, more readable English translation. Words that he masterfully used, virtue, liberty, state, and fortune, have meanings that still reverberate in languages throughout much of the world," says Connell.

The Prince is a classic in the history of political thought. Yet, the reasons to produce a new edition of Machiavellis work were to enable first-time readers to understand how this masterpiece profoundly influenced (and disturbed) people in the past. Because Machiavellis text has been interpreted in many different ways, it is important to offer readers a translation that is true its original sense, something not found in the previous renderings of literary scholars or political theorists who have been largely unaware of the historical circumstances surrounding The Prince. Furthermore, Connell introduces a new interpretation of events, asserting that Machiavelli actually regretted composing his manual. Thus, he was in all probability involved in an effort to publish a rewritten, Catholic" version of the book in Latin, to restore his reputation. Among the many merits of this edition, are the inclusion and translation of essays by writers, philosophers and political leaders from the XVI till the XX century (including Mussolini and Gramsci) who commented on The Prince.

William J. Connell, professor of history, holds the Joseph M. and Geraldine C. La Motta Chair in Italian Studies and directs the Charles and Joan Alberto Italian Studies Institute at Seton Hall University. A specialist in late medieval and early modern European history, he is the author of La citta` dei crucci: fazioni e clientele in uno stato repubblicano del '400" (2000), editor of Society and Individual in Renaissance Florence (2002), and co-editor of Florentine Tuscany: Structures and Practices of Power (2000). He has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Villa I Tatti Fellow and a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and he serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of the History of Ideas and Renaissance Quarterly.

A book signing will take place on Monday, March 14, 2005, from 4 to 6 p.m. at Seton Hall University (Kozlowski Auditorium), 400 South Orange Ave., South Orange, New Jersey. This event is the second in a series of lectures on Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and it is sponsored by Seton Hall University Libraries and Seton Hall Universitys Center for Catholic Studies. For additional information, please contact Daniela Puglielli at (908) 212 7846, or Professor Connell at (973) 275 2928.

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