Age of Anger

One of our most important public intellectuals reveals the hidden history of our current global crisis.

Longlisted for the Orwell Prize
A New York Times Notable Book of 2017
Named a Best Book of the Year by Slate and NPR

How can we explain the origins of the great wave of paranoid hatreds that seem inescapable in our close-knit world¿from American shooters and ISIS to Donald Trump, from a rise in vengeful nationalism across the world to racism and misogyny on social media? In Age of Anger, Pankaj Mishra answers our bewilderment by casting his gaze back to the eighteenth century before leading us to the present.

He shows that as the world became modern, those who were unable to enjoy its promises¿of freedom, stability, and prosperity¿were increasingly susceptible to demagogues. The many who came late to this new world¿or were left, or pushed, behind¿reacted in horrifyingly similar ways: with intense hatred of inven