Somerset Maugham is one of the most widely read authors of the 20th century. He acted as a playwright, novelist, short story writer and critic. His novels such as “Theater”, “The Burden of Human Passions”, “The Moon and a Penny”, as well as short stories that became classics of the genre, became widely known in Russia. “Then and Now” - a novel about Niccolò Machiavelli - is dedicated to the activities of this outstanding politician of the Renaissance during the period when he, while in the service of the Florentine Republic, carried out various diplomatic assignments. Caesar Borgia, Duke of Valentino, at whose court Machiavelli was, aroused his great interest. Impressions from communication with one of the most criminal figures in the history of mankind later formed the basis of Machiavelli’s treatise “The Prince.”