Phil Melanson on Florenzer: A book talk

Event information

• Type: Talks & conversations: Talk
• Date: Wednesday, 16 September 2026
• Tickets: From £20
• Location: The National Gallery
• Address: Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5DN, UK
• Official page: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/events/phil-melanson-on-florenzer-a-book-talk-16-09-2026

Details

About

Join author Phil Melanson to explore the vivid world of Renaissance Florence, tracing the intertwined lives of Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Salviati and Lorenzo de’ Medici, figures driven by ambition, identity and survival.

The title Florenzer reclaims a historical slur once used to describe homosexual men, reflecting the novel's wider mission to uncover, reclaim and humanise the lives of those too often erased from history.

The talk will delve into art, history, politics and the perils of ambition at a time when ‘florenzers’ often faced persecution.

There will be an opportunity for Q&A.

Your host

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.