In an era where the foundations of global order seem to be crumbling, a haunting phrase has captured the imagination of leaders, thinkers, and influencers alike: ‘The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.’ But here’s the shocking truth: Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Communist leader to whom this quote is attributed, never actually said or wrote these words. At least, not in the catchy, viral form we’ve come to know. So, where did this powerful phrase come from, and why has it resonated so deeply in our turbulent times?
From a right-wing Belgian prime minister to a left-wing British political leader, from an Irish central banker to the latest BBC Reith Lecture, this quote has been wielded as a lens to make sense of our chaotic world. Influencers on Instagram warn their followers, ‘We can’t let the monsters win,’ while LinkedIn consultants map the so-called ‘Gramsci gap’ onto corporate strategy. But this phrase, as it turns out, is more of a modern invention than a historical artifact.
And this is the part most people miss: The original Italian text from Gramsci’s Prison Notebooks—written during his imprisonment by the Italian fascist government in 1926—speaks of ‘morbid symptoms’ or ‘phenomena’ arising during an interregnum, not monsters. The British academics Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell Smith translated this in 1971 as: ‘In this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.’ Hardly the stuff of viral quotes. Even Joseph Buttigieg, father of former U.S. politician Pete Buttigieg, translated it as ‘phenomena’ in his 1996 edition. No monsters in sight.
So, how did ‘time of monsters’ become linked to Gramsci? The first recorded English use of this phrase in connection with him appears in a 2010 New Left Review article by Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek. When asked about it, Žižek claimed, ‘I don’t remember anything about it, but I am sure that I took the word from somewhere else.’* Boldly, this raises a question: Is the ‘time of monsters’ a misattributed metaphor, or a deliberate reinterpretation to suit our modern anxieties?
Interestingly, a French version of the phrase predates Žižek’s usage. In 2003, economist Gustave Massiah wrote, ‘In this twilight, monsters arise,’ and a similar formulation appeared in Le Monde as early as 1996. But the exact origin of Gramsci’s supposed ‘monsters’ remains elusive.
Yet, the enduring power of Gramsci’s ideas lies elsewhere. His Prison Notebooks, published in 1947, explore why Italy never saw a socialist or communist revolution before fascism took hold. His theory of hegemony—the idea that the ruling class maintains power not just through force but through cultural and intellectual dominance—has been a lightning rod for activists and thinkers. From the student revolutionaries of 1968 in Europe to Marxist sociologists like Stuart Hall analyzing Thatcherism in the 1980s, Gramsci’s insights have shaped movements across generations.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Gramsci’s ideas have also been co-opted by the far right. Alain de Benoist, a key figure in France’s Nouvelle Droite, and Steve Bannon, former Trump strategist, have both drawn on Gramsci’s cultural theories. Even Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Italian Culture Minister Giorgia Meloni’s allies have invoked Gramsci’s name. Does this mean Gramsci’s legacy is being twisted, or is it a testament to the universality of his thought?
The ‘time of monsters’ quote, while compelling, may strip Gramsci of his activist zeal. As historian Peter Thomas notes, ‘Monsters are something exceptional, an inverted miracle that comes out of nowhere with no real explanation. It’s a metaphor that shuts off the possibility of trying to think through what is occurring.’* Instead of merely being outraged by ‘monstrous’ figures like Trump, Gramsci would likely urge us to understand the systemic forces that produce them.
Before his imprisonment, Gramsci spent two years in revolutionary Russia, where he witnessed the birth of a new world amid struggle. ‘It was almost inconceivable for him that we wouldn’t eventually arrive at a victory,’ Thomas said. But in our age of cynicism, can we still think like that?
So, the next time you hear someone quote Gramsci’s ‘time of monsters,’ ask yourself: Are we using this phrase to explain our world, or are we letting it distract us from the deeper questions? And more importantly, what kind of world are we building as the old one dies? Let’s keep the conversation going—what do you think?
