Something is not going well, not only with the way we live today but also with the way we think about our lives. In this short masterpiece book, the eminent historian Tony Judt crystallizes the troubles that accumulate in the modern world and our great collective discomfort, showing that it is still possible to think of a way out.

"An exceptionally compelling book, especially considering the exceptional conditions under which it was written. Its author is the distinguished historian of post-war Europe, a scholar of impressive scope and erudition, and one of the most prominent and outspoken public intellectuals in the West. [In 2008] Judt learned that he was suffering from an aggressive form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In August [2009], he gave what was likely his last public lecture to a packed audience at the University of New York. He spoke from memory for ninety minutes without interruption, captivating the audience. This lecture, with further revisions and additions, became his most recent book. It is essentially the intellectual testament of a historian who devoted his entire life to the intensive study and deep reflection on the failures and successes of the West since the end of World War II."

("Los Angeles Times")