Phil Melanson's “Florenzer ”Explores “A Boldly Queer Life” for Leonardo da Vinci — See The Cover! (Exclusive)

The book intertwines the fates of three “sons of Florence” who will, in time, “shed blood on Florence’s streets”

Phil Melanson’s new book revisits one of history’s favorite figures — in a surprisingly accurate way.

Leonardo da Vinci was a renowned painter, sculptor, engineer, scientist, theorist and artist during the Italian Renaissance in Florence. And though many books leave this detail out, he loved men.

Florenzer, out June 10, is a historical drama that “explores the dangerous pursuit of artistic and political achievement,” according to a press release from Liveright Publishing Corporation shared with PEOPLE.

The novel weaves together the lives of young Leonardo da Vinci, Francesco Salviati and Lorenzo de’ Medici.

“Each is, in his own way, a son of Florence,” the synopsis reads. “Each will, when their paths cross, shed blood on Florence’s streets.”

Florenzer means something very specific, Melanson explained. In addition to being a destination for art and science, Florence was Europe’s main gathering place for men who were attracted to other men — so “Florenzer” became a slur for homosexual men.

“At the core of my novel is the young Leonardo da Vinci, a true Florenzer: a man who came of age in Florence, and one who openly loved other men,” he said.

As a gay man himself, Melanson resonated with da Vinci’s life — they both abandoned their fairly rural lives and as young, queer kids, ran off to a city. For many authors, including Melanson, historical fiction has offered an opportunity to reclaim elements of history that have long been left out of the official record.

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“As I began writing my way into the early, troubled career of Leonardo, I came to believe in the potential of historical fiction to give a voice to personal narratives that have too often been excluded in traditional tellings of history,” Melanson said.

“Nearly all the extant evidence makes the case that Leonardo da Vinci would have identified, in today’s vernacular, as gay or queer,” the author continued. “Yet so many history books — ones still being published today — too often omit this aspect of his life or discount it altogether. Because of this, it felt all the more important to use the historical genre to imagine a boldly queer life for Leonardo.”

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Though Melanson’s tale features people who lived nearly five centuries ago, the themes are still immediately relevant today. Renaissance Florence played host to “staggering wealth inequalities and a frightening shift from democracy to authoritarianism,” as well as massive advancements in technology in a post-pandemic landscape.

“Amidst this all, at its core, Florenzer is also a novel about the making of art — how representation can be a form of power in its own right, one that can endure across the centuries,” Melanson said.

comes out June 10, 2025 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.