I’m a History major and I have heard very little about Poliziano from my professors, but I’m hoping that will change now that I am concentrating more fully in Renaissance studies. I was once told in a Humanities class (in which we studied Giovanni Pico rather extensively) that my knowledge of Poliziano meant I was vastly ahead of the class objective. Still, it was one of the better classes I’ve ever taken. My dream is to teach at the LdM Institute in Florence, but we will see whether that happens.

My novel is set, in a quite dull way, in the town in which I’ve lived for my whole life– they say to write what you know, I suppose, and my town is full of immigrants and multinational businesses. It centers on the Pazzi Conspiracy, but also involves a mafia family of my own creation that comes to the service of the Medici in the aftermath of the attack. It drags in some interesting characters from history and from my own mind, and I have done all that I can to write the historical figures as true to character as possible, because I agree with you that historical fiction really can be truer to life than most of the textbooks out there,

I haven’t gotten to this scene yet but I am looking forward to a particular moment in which Lorenzo is at home recuperating and surrounded by his friends/court: Poliziano, Luigi Pulci, Braccio Martelli, Marsilio Ficino, et al. The only regret I have surrounding this novel is that I’d love to write Giovanni Pico into it, but he was only 15 at the time. There’s always sequels, I suppose.

I’ve just followed you on Facebook and I am delighted to have made your acquaintance.

Any friend of Poliziano is a friend of mine! I felt as if he were my guide throughout the process of writing the trilogy. I really wanted to write his biography but did not have the academic credentials, so I wrote it out as a story instead. Just this year Richard III has been re-established in the hearts and minds of the British nation as a good king – a process which began with the publication of a novel back in the 60s. I do hope one day Poliziano is similarly reinstated as a major figure in both the Renaissance and history of Italian literature.

I do believe that the people who murdered him went on to murder his reputation and have been incredibly successful. You still see old lies perpetrated by modern scholars who should know better!

Very good luck with your work – tell me more.
Linda

I’ve been following your blog for a while and I love it! I declared you to be a Very Inspiring Blogger. Please go here ( http://mlbarneswrites.com/?p=295) to grab the badge and see my post.

And keep blogging!

Mari