In this age of strife and turmoil, how do we think deeply and differently about the changes in our politics and our societies? The Yale professor of history and award-winning author delivers the annual Robert B. Silvers Lecture.

In-person registration for this event has sold out, but livestream tickets are still available. A limited number of standby tickets may be available on the night of the event.

Do we live in an age of enlightenment or an age of divination? Timothy Snyder argues that our present moment—one in which obsession with the new distracts from patterns that are very old—is best understood as a political religion, rooted not in Christianity but in something far older and pagan. The pervasive nature of social media and rampant wealth inequalities seem to have created conditions for behavior that might typically be associated with myth, but instead perhaps reflect historically familiar patterns of behavior that now seem to be reasserting themselves.

The Robert B. Silvers Lecture is an annual series created by Max Palevsky in recognition of the work of Robert B. Silvers, who was a co-founding editor of The New York Review of Books.

To join the event in person | Doors will open 45 minutes before the program begins. Purchase a drink from the NYPL bar and a snack from Amy's Bread while you mingle before the event! For LIVE from NYPL events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Please arrive early to avoid disappointment; we will do our best to accommodate everyone. Booked seats that have not been claimed will be released shortly before start time, and seats may become available then. A standby line will form 45 minutes before the program.

To join the livestream | A livestream of this event will be available on the NYPL event page. To receive an email reminder shortly in advance of the event, please be sure to register! If you encounter any issues, please join us on NYPL's YouTube channel.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Timothy Snyder holds the inaugural Chair in Modern European History at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. He is also a permanent fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna and the head of the academic advisory council of Ukrainian History Global Initiative. He is currently on leave from his position as the Richard C. Levin Professor of History at Yale University and will begin teaching at the Munk School in the 2025-2026 academic year.

A scholar of the history of Central Europe, Ukraine, the Soviet Union, and the Holocaust, Snyder speaks five and reads ten European languages. He is the author or editor of twenty books published in forty languages. Snyder writes for the press on Ukraine, the U.S, authoritarianism, digital politics, health, and education. He has also appeared in documentaries, on television, and as an expert witness before several parliaments. He has received state orders and decorations as well as honorary doctorates.

His work has inspired demonstrations, sculpture, posters, punk rock, rap, film, theater, and an opera.

READ TIMOTHY SNYDER:

• Borrow: NYPL Catalog


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ACCESSIBILITY

In-Person | Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs. 

Livestream | Captions and a transcript will be provided. Media used over the course of the conversation will be accompanied by alt text and/or audio description. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template.

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Timothy Snyder © Jamie Napier