Future Perfect: Recording the History of Now

The stories we tell today about our era of uncertainty and transformation will not only contribute to the shape of tomorrow but also will create the record that future historians will look to when studying our time. How writers see today’s events and how they choose to relate them are subjects for enduring exploration. What are the national events worth covering, the global picture that needs rendering, the perceived consequences of what is happening at the present moment? Sam Tanenhaus, the former editor of the New York Times Book Review, will moderate conversations featuring contributors from some of America’s greatest and most enduring publications: The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and the New York Times.

The first program, “Democracy and Demagogues,” features longtime contributors to The New York Review of Books:

• Ian Buruma


• Mark Lilla


• in conversation with Sam Tanenhaus

This event is co-presented by The Writers' Institute and The Center for the Humanities at The Graduate Center, CUNY. 

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