An unusual novel that reveals to the reader a new side of Somerset Maugham's talent. The work, based on the "History of Florence" by Niccolo Machiavelli, immerses the reader in the era of the medieval city - a time of political and financial intrigues of influential families, scandalous love affairs and the amazing flowering of science and art. The main character of the novel, who later became a revered Catholic saint, appears in this work as almost a knight of cloak and dagger, a man who embodies the features of a hero and an anti-hero. Published in Russian for the first time!

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