Set in Renaissance-era Florence, this ravishing debut reimagines the intersecting lives of three ambitious young men―a banker, a priest, and a gay painter named Leonardo.

"A dazzlingly prescient parable of ambition, greed, and wealth rattling even the firmest foundations. Like the fractured Italy leaping from its pages full of life and sound and smell, Florenzer churns at the quicksilver pace of creation itself."―Isa Arsén, author of Shoot the Moon

Leonardo da Vinci, twelve years old and a bastard, leaves the Tuscan countryside to join his father in Florence with dreams of becoming a painter. Francesco Salviati, also a bastard and scorned for his too-dark skin, dedicates himself to the Catholic Church with grand hopes of salvation. Towering above them both is Lorenzo de' Medici, barely a man, yet soon to be the patriarch of the world's wealthiest and most influential bank. Each is, in his own way, a son of Florence. Each will, when their paths cross, shed blood on Florence's streets.

Brash and breathtaking, this lush historical drama explores the dangerous pursuit of artistic and political achievement-especially at a time when "florenzers," or gay men such as Leonardo, were often persecuted.

Mining the origins of one of history's finest artists and the city where he came of age, Florenzer introduces an enthralling new voice in fiction.

"Phil Melanson's entertaining historical fiction debut, Florenzer, imagines the early life and same-sex longings of Leonardo da Vinci against the backdrop of a conflict between the Medici family and the Vatican. The novel, which owes a debt to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy in the detail and immediacy of its telling, feels freshly contemporary in its papal intrigue and plutocratic power battles." ― Charles Arrowsmith, Washington Post

"Phil Melanson's debut novel, Florenzer is set in Renaissance-era Florence, and follows three ambitious men―a banker, a priest, and a gay painter named Leonardo. (Yes... that one.) For anyone who loves historical fiction, this is your summer must-read." ― Queerty

"Melanson's tender historical novel reinterprets the lives of three celebrated men in 15th-century Florence... As each man matures, he grapples with his own ambitions, responsibilities and secrets in the thriving Renaissance city that is also teeming with tension between commerce, art and religion." ― Becky Meloan, Washington Post

"[Florenzer] focuses on a young Leonardo da Vinci as he comes to terms with his talent and what we would today call his queerness...But really, the thing I most love about the book so far is the physicality of it, how it feels to walk the streets of Florence in different sections of it, the sights and sounds and smells, the immediacy of it. I am only about a quarter of the way through this book. But I have it on very good authority that it gets, as the kids today say, pretty spicy. But right now, I'm loving the prose, the vividness of this writing, what we used to say in grad school, the availability of this place and time."― Glen Weldon, NPR, Pop Culture Happy Hour

"Melanson introduces us to a teenage Leonardo still struggling to find himself amid the roiling artistic and political atmosphere of late-15th-century Florence . . . For a young man sexually attracted to other young men, this can be particularly dangerous . . . Yet his work may be his salvation." ― Alida Becker, New York Times Book Review

Details

ISBN13: 9781805338246
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 368
Edition:
Publication Date: 13 Oct 2026
Publisher: Pushkin Press
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 21.6(H)x13.5(L)
Weight (gm):

Author Biography

Phil Melanson is the author of Florenzer, longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. He is a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and the University of Warwick. Prior to writing Florenzer, he was a digital marketer for Hollywood film studios. He now lives in London, and lectures in film and television.

Reviews

The rift between Rome and Florence brings Melanson's three characters together in a bloody, vivid climax. All three characters are superbly drawn and renaissance Florence leaps from the page. . . A stunning debut * The Times *
A captivating portrait of an all-too-human genius - subtle, erudite and exquisitely sexy -- James Cahill, author of The Violet Hour
Florenzer is a heady, intoxicating debut that examines the meaning of art in a time of turmoil. Melanson draws subtle, intimate portraits of his three protagonists, each of them caught between the worldly and the divine. Tortured Leonardo, ambitious Lorenzo and fanatical Salviati: the lives of these men intersect in surprising and sometimes bloody ways in the cutthroat world of Renaissance Italy. Told in rich, vivid prose, passion and desire permeate every page -- Danielle Giles, author of Mere
Introduces us to a teenage Leonardo still struggling to find himself amid the roiling artistic and political atmosphere of late-15th-century Florence . . . For a young man sexually attracted to other young men, this can be particularly dangerous . . . Yet his work may be his salvation * New York Times Book Review *
Impressively ambitious. . . An enjoyably sticky web of intrigue is spun, with much gossiping, bribing and backstabbing, and much shifting of allegiance between the great centres of power on the peninsula * TLS *
A sprawling novel spanning two decades, it combines an intricate plot with a vivid portrait of medieval life, rich in atmosphere and period detail' * Mail on Sunday *
This queer period piece examines the state of art and politics in this creative hub, accompanied by addictive prose, gripping twists and compelling characters * ELLE Canada *
Takes up the task of reimagining Leonardo's life as a young, gay man in rollicking Renaissance Florence. . . sharp and sensuous * Cold Magazine *
The novel, which owes a debt to Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy in the detail and immediacy of its telling, feels freshly contemporary in its papal intrigue and plutocratic power battles' * Washington Post *
Follows an ambitious young Leonardo da Vinci as he figures out who and what he wants to be in late 15th-century Florence -- Chloe Ashby * The Art Newspaper *
History buffs will relish in Florenzer, which is set in Renaissance-era Florence and reimagines the life of Leonardo da Vinci. Tapping into the historical speculation that da Vinci was gay, Florenzer follows the young painter as he intersects with two men - one being the powerful patriarch of the world's wealthiest bank - amid an era of cultural and technological innovation * USA TODAY *
Captures these figures before their glory, when they're dogged by the universal and timeless fear that they were born too late and won't be remembered' * Publishers Weekly *
A superb debut that encompasses both the agony and the ecstasy of Renaissance Florence. . . Unforgettable characters and an ever-twisting plot, all told with style, skill, and wry black humour -- Tim Leach, author of The Sarmatian Trilogy
Well-researched, proudly lusty historical fiction * Kirkus Reviews *
It's got all the gorgeous detail of a meticulously researched historical novel, but with a very contemporary pulse * Electric Literature *
Florenzer tells a tender, passionate story that offers a bold new perspective on an iconic genius and the city that shaped him * Tara Karr Roberts, author of Wild and Distant Seas *