Robert Greene (born in Los Angeles in May 14, 1959) is an American author known for his books on strategy, power and seduction. He attended the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he received a degree in classical studies. He has worked in New York City as an editor and writer for several magazines, including Esquire, and in Hollywood as a story developer and writer. He lived for years in London, England; Paris, France; and Barcelona, Spain; he speaks several languages and has worked as a translator. In 1995 Greene was involved in the planning and creation of the art school Fabrica outside Venice, Italy, where he began a collaboration with the New York book packager and designer Joost Elffers. This partnership resulted in several books. The 48 Laws of Power is the first work by Robert Greene and published by Joost Elffers, compared to Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, with the main difference being that the audience is not royalty, but the masses. Among the 48 are laws such as "Law 3: Conceal your intentions" and "Law 15: Crush your enemy totally". His next book The Art of Seduction is similar to 48 Laws in organization and tone but goes more in-depth regarding soft persuasion. It draws on historical characters such as Casanova and Lord Byron and analyzes the methods of seduction. The 33 Strategies of War is a kind of modern version of Sun Tzu's classic treatise on war, with some of Greene's original additions, relevant in the world of warfare today |