Product Description

Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a future dark age of the great "We"—a world that deprives individuals of name, independence, and values—anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #87138 in Books
• Published on: 2004-12-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780452286351
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Review
A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly. -- The New York Times

Review
A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly. (The New York Times)

About the Author
Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Ms. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtue of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.

Customer Reviews

Not Rand's best, but a good introduction to her philosophy
"Anthem" is Ayn Rand's second novel, and the first in which she uses her characters to convey her philosophy--and at around 90 pages, "Anthem" provides a much quicker introduction to this philosophy than "The Fountainhead" or "Atlas Shrugged" do. At this point in her career, Rand was still developing her writing voice, and that strong and sparkling voice that shines in "The Fountainhead" is noticeably absent here. However, I heartily recommend "Anthem" both to fans of Rand and to those who wish to become quickly acquainted with her philosophy.

"Anthem" tells the story of Equality 7-2521, a Howard Roark-esque man who lives in a collective society, completely stripped of any individuality. Individuals have no control over their own lives: jobs are assigned by the Council of Vocations (based on how an individual might best serve others), and preference for one thing over another--including all forms of love and friendship--is a punishable crime. There is no word for the individual: "I" and "me" have been replaced by "we" and "our." Equality 7-2521 defies these rules, and in doing so, proclaims his individuality and places serving his own will over serving the collective will.

(Incidentally, while reading this book, I could not help but notice striking similarities between "Anthem" and "The Giver" by Lois Lowry (written much later). Obviously, all books about negative utopias necessarily share some characteristics, but the specifics of how the societies of "Anthem" and "The Giver" operate are very similar. Am I alone in this observation?)

As a book about a negative utopia, "Anthem" is not particularly noteworthy. "1984" by George Orwell, "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin, and even "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley (a book that I have a very deep dislike of) are better examples of this subgenre. What makes "Anthem" a book worth reading is the nature of the negative force in "Anthem." This force--the dictatorship of the collective--is uniquely sinister because it has the ability to exist in any society, even a democracy (and perhaps especially a democracy). "1984," "We," and "Brave New World" seem to warn against brute force subjugating humanity; "Anthem" warns of a much subtler force that does not attack from the outside, but insidiously works its way into a man's mind.

"Anthem" does fall far short both of Rand's later novels and of other examples in the same genre. However, the book does have its charm, and it is interesting to see the birth of a great author. For fans of Rand, "Anthem" is a must-read. For those wishing for an introduction to Rand's writing and philosophy, "Anthem" is well-suited if length is an issue; if not, I would recommend "The Fountainhead" or "Atlas Shrugged" instead.

Good quick read.
I'm typically not a fan of fiction, but Ayn Rand's philosophies are (almost) in lock-step with my own, so I decided to spend an hour of my Sunday evening reading "Anthem," with which I was not disappointed.

The first twenty or so pages serve as an introduction to the future faux-utopia, where everyone is assigned a name/number and profession. The main character, Equality 7-2521 keeps a journal of his independent thoughts (forbidden by the collectivist society in which he lives) and feelings, including those for a young woman (relationships are forbidden, reproduction is achieved through a "mating ceremony") and an amazing invention he's created secretly (it is forbidden to create or to do anything outside of your assigned duties), yet plans to show to the Council of Elders, thinking they will find favor with him. The unraveling of the built tension comes from there.

The plot at sometimes seems stretched to the point where, even in a science fiction novella, it is unbelievable, or too obviously structured around her philosophy so it gets in the way of suspending disbelief, but as the story goes on, it becomes less and less of a concern. There is a short lecture near the end on Objectivism, masked as the character's thoughts (don't get me wrong -- it was never Rand's intention to mask the fact that this novella was about her philosophy. All of her fiction works were), which is quite interesting.

"Anthen" is a worthy introduction to Objectivist thought and Ayn Rand that can be read in the course of an hour and some minutes...

We Are Lemmings Being Led By the Least of Us
Ayn Rand (1905-1982), in this book written in 1937, expertly refutes collectivist's schemes and shows the utter peril that collectivism poses to individual freedom. We were warned in the 19th century by one of my favorite historians, Lord Acton, "that socialism is slavery". This is a short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed. Written a full decade before Orwell's "1984" Rand, expertly shows how collectivism is destroying individuality and is being practiced throughout the world including the "New Deal" programs in the United States. During this time in world history people are becoming serfs to the state as F. A. Hayek, the noted libertarian economist would put it. Rand's philosophy is really quite simple, planning is a synonym for "collectivism" and "collectivism" is a metaphor for communism. Rand's literary style is easy to read and understand, I love how she uses the third person plural in the book until the hero finds his "ego" at which time she switches over to first person singular. This is a book that should be read by all who wonder what role the government should have in our lives.

As a retired Army officer and student of political philosophy, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy.