We
Books | Fiction / Literary
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Yevgeny Zamyatin
“[Zamyatin’s] intuitive grasp of the irrational side of totalitarianism— human sacrifice, cruelty as an end in itself—makes [We] superior to Huxley’s [Brave New World].”—George OrwellTranslated by Natasha Randall • Foreword by Bruce Sterling Written in 1921, We is set in the One State, where all live for the collective good and individual freedom does not exist. The novel takes the form of the diary of mathematician D-503, who, to his shock, experiences the most disruptive emotion imaginable: love. At once satirical and sobering—and now available in a powerful new translation—We is both a rediscovered classic and a work of tremendous relevance to our own times.
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More Details:
Author
Yevgeny Zamyatin
Pages
240
Publisher
Random House Publishing Group
Published Date
2007-12-18
ISBN
0307432866 9780307432865
Ratings
Google: 4
Community ReviewsSee all
"One of my favorite reads from my studies of Russian Literature. This book is an excellent pairing with the work of Huxley or Wells."
Juliet Shalu Castillo
"Okay, yes, I can plainly see how George Orwell shook this book around, added a piece here and there, and dressed it up to make it his opus 1984 that we all know so well. Written in 1920, it was VERY ahead of its time and foundational in the dystopia genre. However, I’m still not going to say I’m its biggest fan. There were some great parts, there were DEFINITELY great ideas, but for a book with a lot of dialogue I abhorred the style of the dialogue. So many unexplained trail offs, so many strong reactions, it felt sort of like the over the top physical acting that silent actors typically used, but in book form. Those gripes aside, it was a good one for 1920!!"
C
CaitVD
"Before ‘Brave New World’, before ‘1984’, there was ‘We’. One of the first dystopian novels, published in the 20s. It set the standards (or tropes, if you like) for the entire Genre.
Before Orwell imagined the fascist surveillance state, Zamyatin saw a world of glass houses where everyone watched everyone else. Before Huxley imagined state prescribed Soma, ‘We’ imagined humans transformed into enslaved automata.
Go back to the beginning of an entire genre, and see where they thought we were headed. "
Andrew Winter
"If you think Orwell was the father of totalitarian dystopia, think again. Orwell borrowed a tonne from this novel. I'd even go so far as to say 1984 might not exist if not for "We"."
Jason Bergin
"1"
Isabel Wall
