When Indian writer and intellectual Pankaj Mishra published his Age of Anger: A History of the Present, in 2017, his analysis was in large part based on how the disenfranchised were pushing back against globalization and the establishment, flocking to far-right parties across Europe, electing Donald Trump as president of the United States, and pushing back against liberal democracies all over the world. In 2025, those same movements are advancing towards their goals with almost unbelievable speed, proving what Mishra wrote already in 2017: “the old west-dominated world order is giving way to an apparent global disorder”.
What are the root causes of the disruption around us? Is this a new moment in our political history, or are we repeating a dark chapter of our past?
Pankaj Mishra is a leading intellectual, known for his critique of grand narratives. He is the author of both novels and essays, and he has made his mark with critically acclaimed titles such as From the Ruins of Empire: The Intellectuals Who Remade Asia and this year’s publication, The World After Gaza.
In this inaugural Wergeland lecture at the House of Literature, Mishra will reflect on how history informs the present, and how present narratives shape our history. Following his lecture will be a short Q&A with author and journalist Yohan Shanmugaratnam.
The Wergeland lecture is held for the very first time in 2025, and will be an annual event. Each year, The House of Literature will invite an international voice who embodies Henrik Wergeland’s spirit in their work and writings.
The lecture will be in English.