Then and Now (novel)

Then and Now (1946 novel)

First US edition
Author	W. Somerset Maugham
Language	English
Publisher	Heinemann (UK) Doubleday (US)
Publication date	1946
Publication place	United Kingdom
Media type	Print (hardback & paperback)
Preceded by	The Razor's Edge
Followed by	Creatures of Circumstance

Then and Now is a historical novel by W. Somerset Maugham. Set mainly in Imola, Italy, but also in other Italian cities, including Machiavelli's hometown Florence during the Renaissance, the story focuses on three months in the life of Niccolò Machiavelli, the Florentine politician, diplomat, philosopher and writer in the early years of the 16th century. The book was first published by Heinemann in 1946. It recollects Machiavelli's encounter with Cesare Borgia, who was the model on which Machiavelli based his Il Principe. Against that background, a love farce unfolds, in which Machiavelli tries to seduce the young wife of his host at Imola. The unsuccessful affair gave Machiavelli the idea of writing his first comedy, The Mandrake. Thus, Then and Now appears to combine the two best-known works of Machiavelli – The Prince and The Mandrake.

External links

• Then and Now at Faded Page (Canada)
• http://catalogue.bl.uk%7C The British Library
• http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/120581.Then_and_Now