The liberal comeback

How can the left reclaim its values and offer a project for the future committed to society?

Lilla's analysis and conclusions are essential reading on both sides of the Atlantic to understand what is happening to progressive parties.

Donald Trump's electoral victory in November 2016 caused a devastating earthquake for the American left. One of the first to react was Mark Lilla, the respected author of essays such as The Reckless Mind and The Shipwrecked Mind.

His controversial diagnosis argued that the Byzantine drift of progressive thought towards debates and positions related to identity irrevocably alienated them from the majority of voters: the left could only govern again if it managed to rebuild a message that appealed to society as a whole and proposed a vision of a common future.

In The Once and Future Liberal, Lilla presents a passionate, harsh, and painful argument about the failure of American liberalism since the Reagan years. Although Clinton and Obama served repeated terms, the central political debate remains dominated by Republican ideas: a reduced role for the state, low taxes, and extreme individualism. In contrast, Democrats have been unable to construct an alternative discourse, lost in the jungle of identities.

Praise for the book:
«A short and excellent book on the decline of American liberalism that explains how it went from Roosevelt's successes to the abysses of today's identity politics.»
Fareed Zakaria, CNN

«In his new book, Lilla issues an important, passionate, and very critical warning to liberals who, in his opinion, are stuck in the mud. Lilla's message is timely and necessary.»
Arlie Russell Hochschild, The Washington Post

«Lilla frames a masterful conversation in this brief essay.»
Los Angeles Review of Books

«The Once and Future Liberal is a perfect diagnosis.»
The Guardian

«Lilla's book is an important counterweight to the general opinion.»
The Financial Times

«After the disaster of November 2016, an analysis of the catastrophe is urgently needed. Mark Lilla has written a profound and provocative essay on what happened, and what liberals, moderates, and progressives should do about it.»
Steven Pinker