Mark Lilla is Professor of Humanities at Columbia University and the author of The Reckless Mind: Intellectuals in Politics (available from New York Review Books) and, most recently, of The Stillborn God: Politics, Religion, and the Modern West.
The most impressive and the most enjoyably stylish book I read this year ... Lilla is a superb commentator on politics and society. A wise and cautionary volume. --John Banville, The Irish Times, Our Favorite Books of the Year The Shipwrecked Mind showcases Lilla's gift for sketching out such long histories -- and historical mythologies -- with a few artful brushstrokes, covering centuries of thought and politics in a few pages. (His chapter titled 'From Luther to Walmart, ' channeling academics such as Alasdair MacIntyre and Brad Gregory to describe the post-Reformation descent into today's rapacious capitalism, is a minor classic all on its own.) --Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post Mark Lilla's graceful, elegant, and concise appraisals of a variety of reactionary figures could not be more timely. --Andrew Sullivan Mark Lilla is one of America's foremost intellectuals and he has written an essential book. He argues that we live in an age when revolutionary ideas have lost their allure but reactionary ideas--that protest and reject core elements of the modern world--are gaining strength. As you read these essays, you will be reminded that ideas matter. John Maynard Keynes once explained that 'madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.' To make sense of the madmen, you need first to understand the scribblers. --Fareed Zakaria Mark Lilla leads us on a fascinating tour of the modern reactionary mind, shining a fresh light on the ideas and beliefs of a wide range of thinkers, both famous and forgotten. Engagingly written and impressively erudite, this is intellectual biography at its finest. --Robert Kagan Lilla has assembled this brief but far from lightweight volume from essays....Taken together they have new force, sketching a cast of mind that has shadowed European thought for a century, and one that may seem disturbingly familiar to students of American politics today....as compact and elegant as they are erudite. --The New York Times Book Review Lilla, a professor of the humanities at Columbia, skillfully untangles the apocalyptic 'mytho-histories, ' 'just-so narratives, ' and 'political bedtime stories' favored by the modern right, in Europe and America...The best pages in The Shipwrecked Mind are elegant, concise portraits of refugees from Weimar Europe who fled to America after the Nazi takeover and brought with them 'some very large and very dark ideas about the crisis of the age.' --Sam Tanenhaus, The New Yorker Critical theorists need not accept Lilla's liberal solution...to find his analysis and many of his proposals compelling; his plea to adopt new analytical tools beyond the old-fashioned Left/Right dichotomy is even more relevant now, such a short time after the election, and he is right to show that the crisis of democracy cannot be solved by a division to identity groups and selective sets of interests. --Nitzan Levbovic, Critical Inquiry Timely--and illuminating...Lilla's book offers a fascinating framework for making sense of our contemporary political landscape. --Sean Illing, Vox At a time when the United States is dealing with radical populism and Europe is beset with a new far right, Mark Lilla's The Shipwrecked Mind is the book to read for a more profound understanding of what ails us. --E.J. Dionne Mark Lilla is the model of an engaged intellectual. These essays brilliantly explore the unhappy present in the light of history and philosophy. --George Packer Philosophically timely and politically urgent. --Avishai Margalit Lilla's fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history....In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work--not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. --Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored....Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. --Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature--a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. --Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News The most impressive and the most enjoyably stylish book I read this year Lilla is a superb commentator on politics and society. A wise and cautionary volume. John Banville, The Irish Times, Our Favorite Books of the Year The Shipwrecked Mind showcases Lilla s gift for sketching out such long histories and historical mythologies with a few artful brushstrokes, covering centuries of thought and politics in a few pages. (His chapter titled From Luther to Walmart, channeling academics such as Alasdair MacIntyre and Brad Gregory to describe the post-Reformation descent into today s rapacious capitalism, is a minor classic all on its own.) Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post Mark Lilla s graceful, elegant, and concise appraisals of a variety of reactionary figures could not be more timely. Andrew Sullivan Mark Lilla is one of America's foremost intellectuals and he has written an essential book. He argues that we live in an age when revolutionary ideas have lost their allure but reactionary ideas that protest and reject core elements of the modern world are gaining strength. As you read these essays, you will be reminded that ideas matter. John Maynard Keynes once explained that 'madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.' To make sense of the madmen, you need first to understand the scribblers. Fareed Zakaria Mark Lilla leads us on a fascinating tour of the modern reactionary mind, shining a fresh light on the ideas and beliefs of a wide range of thinkers, both famous and forgotten. Engagingly written and impressively erudite, this is intellectual biography at its finest. Robert Kagan Lilla has assembled this brief but far from lightweight volume from essays .Taken together they have new force, sketching a cast of mind that has shadowed European thought for a century, and one that may seem disturbingly familiar to students of American politics today .as compact and elegant as they are erudite. The New York Times Book Review Lilla, a professor of the humanities at Columbia, skillfully untangles the apocalyptic 'mytho-histories, ' 'just-so narratives, ' and 'political bedtime stories' favored by the modern right, in Europe and America The best pages in The Shipwrecked Mind are elegant, concise portraits of refugees from Weimar Europe who fled to America after the Nazi takeover andbrought with them 'some very large and very dark ideas about the crisis of the age.' Sam Tanenhaus, The New Yorker Timely and illuminating...Lilla s book offers a fascinating framework for making sense of our contemporary political landscape. Sean Illing, Vox At a time when the United States is dealing with radical populism and Europe is beset with a new far right, Mark Lilla s The Shipwrecked Mind is the book to read for a more profound understanding of what ails us. E.J. Dionne Mark Lilla is the model of an engaged intellectual. These essays brilliantly explore the unhappy present in the light of history and philosophy. George Packer Philosophically timely and politically urgent. Avishai Margalit Lilla s fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history .In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored .Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News The Shipwrecked Mind showcases Lilla s gift for sketching out such long histories and historical mythologies with a few artful brushstrokes, covering centuries of thought and politics in a few pages. (His chapter titled From Luther to Walmart, channeling academics such as Alasdair MacIntyre and Brad Gregory to describe the post-Reformation descent into today s rapacious capitalism, is a minor classic all on its own.) Carlos Lozada, The Washington Post Mark Lilla s graceful, elegant, and concise appraisals of a variety of reactionary figures could not be more timely. Andrew Sullivan Mark Lilla is one of America's foremost intellectuals and he has written an essential book. He argues that we live in an age when revolutionary ideas have lost their allure but reactionary ideas that protest and reject core elements of the modern world are gaining strength. As you read these essays, you will be reminded that ideas matter. John Maynard Keynes once explained that 'madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.' To make sense of the madmen, you need first to understand the scribblers. Fareed Zakaria Mark Lilla leads us on a fascinating tour of the modern reactionary mind, shining a fresh light on the ideas and beliefs of a wide range of thinkers, both famous and forgotten. Engagingly written and impressively erudite, this is intellectual biography at its finest. Robert Kagan Lilla has assembled this brief but far from lightweight volume from essays .Taken together they have new force, sketching a cast of mind that has shadowed European thought for a century, and one that may seem disturbingly familiar to students of American politics today .as compact and elegant as they are erudite. The New York Times Book Review Lilla, a professor of the humanities at Columbia, skillfully untangles the apocalyptic 'mytho-histories, ' 'just-so narratives, ' and 'political bedtime stories' favored by the modern right, in Europe and America The best pages in The Shipwrecked Mind are elegant, concise portraits of refugees from Weimar Europe who fled to America after the Nazi takeover andbrought with them 'some very large and very dark ideas about the crisis of the age.' Sam Tanenhaus, The New Yorker Timely and illuminating...Lilla s book offers a fascinating framework for making sense of our contemporary political landscape. Sean Illing, Vox At a time when the United States is dealing with radical populism and Europe is beset with a new far right, Mark Lilla s The Shipwrecked Mind is the book to read for a more profound understanding of what ails us. E.J. Dionne Mark Lilla is the model of an engaged intellectual. These essays brilliantly explore the unhappy present in the light of history and philosophy. George Packer Philosophically timely and politically urgent. Avishai Margalit Lilla s fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history .In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored .Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News Mark Lilla s graceful, elegant, and concise appraisals of a variety of reactionary figures could not be more timely. Andrew Sullivan Mark Lilla is one of America's foremost intellectuals and he has written an essential book. He argues that we live in an age when revolutionary ideas have lost their allure but reactionary ideas that protest and reject core elements of the modern world are gaining strength. As you read these essays, you will be reminded that ideas matter. John Maynard Keynes once explained that 'madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.' To make sense of the madmen, you need first to understand the scribblers. Fareed Zakaria Mark Lilla leads us on a fascinating tour of the modern reactionary mind, shining a fresh light on the ideas and beliefs of a wide range of thinkers, both famous and forgotten. Engagingly written and impressively erudite, this is intellectual biography at its finest. Robert Kagan Lilla has assembled this brief but far from lightweight volume from essays .Taken together they have new force, sketching a cast of mind that has shadowed European thought for a century, and one that may seem disturbingly familiar to students of American politics today .as compact and elegant as they are erudite. The New York Times Book Review At a time when the United States is dealing with radical populism and Europe is beset with a new far right, Mark Lilla s The Shipwrecked Mind is the book to read for a more profound understanding of what ails us. E.J. Dionne Mark Lilla is the model of an engaged intellectual. These essays brilliantly explore the unhappy present in the light of history and philosophy. George Packer Philosophically timely and politically urgent. Avishai Margalit Lilla s fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history .In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored .Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News Mark Lilla is one of America's foremost intellectuals and he has written an essential book. He argues that we live in an age when revolutionary ideas have lost their allure but reactionary ideas that protest and reject core elements of the modern world are gaining strength. As you read these essays, you will be reminded that ideas matter. John Maynard Keynes once explained that 'madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.' To make sense of the madmen, you need first to understand the scribblers. Fareed Zakaria We live in reactionary times and yet suffer from a dearth of empathetic, but critical, studies of reaction. Mark Lilla's graceful, elegant, and concise appraisals of a variety of reactionary figures could not be more timely. Lilla wears his erudition lightly, offering accessible, pellucid, and profound assessments of writers usually overlooked or dismissed by hostile critics. He offers a piercing look at the reaction sweeping today's West. If you want to understand our historical moment, this is as good a place as any to begin. Andrew Sullivan Mark Lilla leads us on a fascinating tour of the modern reactionary mind, shining a fresh light on the ideas and beliefs of a wide range of thinkers, both famous and forgotten. Engagingly written and impressively erudite, this is intellectual biography at its finest. Robert Kagan At a time when the United States is dealing with radical populism and Europe is beset with a new far right, Mark Lilla s The Shipwrecked Mind is the book to read for a more profound understanding of what ails us. E.J. Dionne Mark Lilla is the model of an engaged intellectual. These essays brilliantly explore the unhappy present in the light of history and philosophy. George Packer Philosophically timely and politically urgent. Avishai Margalit Lilla s fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history .In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored .Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News Lilla s fascinating exploration of political conservatism shows how various so-called reactionaries have helped shape history .In revealing the mechanics of political reaction, Lilla approaches the subject through a unique religious lens. He is a fantastically gifted essayist, and this short volume collects the best of his recent work not simply on political reaction or revolution, but on subjects including Judaism, Gnosticism, Islam, and Don Quixote. Publishers Weekly Though the revolutionary impulse has been analyzed to the point of overkill, Lilla suggests that its opposite pole has been all but ignored .Lilla provides a welcome corrective in restoring analytical balance. Kirkus In trenchant prose, [Lilla's] work combines a shrewd assessment of French current events with an impressive command of French history and literature a rare example of commentary that is at once journalistic and scholarly, and deeply informed. Overseas Press Club citation for Best Commentary on International News Praise for The Reckless Mind (NYRB): This is important. Lilla's short, elegant and readable book is about what happens when philosophers get tangled up in the real world. It is also a matter of recognizing that the world is in the shape that it is because of the influence of the most rarefied of minds. --Nicolas Lezard, The Guardian, Paperback of the Week Lilla's accessible, summary look at eight 20th-century thinkers is a compilation of cautionary tales...shrewd advice...a very canny book showing us how not to think and chew politics at the same time. -- Carlin Romano, The Philadelphia Inquirer Mark Lilla is right now America's most brilliant commentator on the European intellectuals--lucid and deep at the same time, which is no small feat. --Paul Berman Praise for The Stillborn God If Lilla castigates liberal theology for its naivete, he also praises America and Western Europe for simultaneously separating religion from politics, creating space for religion, and staving off sectarian violence and theocracy. Lilla's work, which will influence discussions of politics and theology for the next generation, makes clear how remarkable an accomplishment that is. --Publishers Weekly, starred review Riveting, engrossing reading, even though it is history-of-philosophy. -- Booklist, starred review