Michael Ignatieff

Michael Ignatieff is a Canadian-British author, academic, former politician and public intellectual whose work spans history, philosophy, human rights and political theory. His book On Consolation examines how thinkers, writers, artists and ordinary people across history have found solace in times of suffering and loss. Ignatieff draws on figures from the Psalms and the Book of Job through Cicero, El Greco, Hume, Lincoln, Mahler and Camus to explore the enduring human need for consolation and the various ways cultures have addressed it. He has served as leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, as a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and as President of Central European University in Budapest and Vienna. Ignatieff has written extensively on human rights, nationalism, liberalism and political ethics, producing books that combine intellectual rigour with accessible prose. His earlier works include The Needs of Strangers, Blood and Belonging and Isaiah Berlin: A Life. The audiobook edition brings his erudite, humane exploration of consolation to listeners seeking wisdom about how to endure suffering and find meaning in difficult times.