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a cheap rip-off of Yevgeny Zamyatin?
A Powerful Short Novel
Take it for what it is...
The dangers of collectivism
Could This Be Our Future?

Anthem: 50th Anniversary Edition
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Dutton Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Similar Items:

We the Living
The Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged
The Virtue of Selfishness
Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal

ASIN: 0525940154

Book Description

Written with all the power and conviction that made THE FOUNTAINHEAD a classic of American letters, Ayn Rand's ANTHEM is a hymn to man's independent spirit and to the highest word in the human language - "Ego."

First written in 1937, ANTHEM was published in England, but was refused in publication in America, for reason which the reader might discover by reading it for himself. In 1946, it appeared as a pamphlet, issued by Pamphleteers, Inc., of Los Angeles. This is its first American publication in regular book form.

ANTHEM is one of the most beautiful prose poems ever written. Ruth Alexander, the great Libertarian lecturer and columnist, has said in her column that ANTHEM is "tender and terrific - the greatest novel I have ever read, and I have covered the literary water front in seven languages. You will think - you will weep - you will be inspired to new determination not to let the creeping evil of collectivism happen here." It is written with such power and sincerity and beauty that every thinking American should read it.

ANTHEM tells the story of a man who rediscovers the individualism and his own "I" - in a world of absolute collectivization, a world where sightless, joyless, selfless men exist for the sake of serving the State; where their work, their food and their mating are prescribed to them by order of the Collective's rulers in the name of society's welfare - a world which has lost all the achievements of science and civilization, when it lost their root, the independent mind, and has reverted to primitive savagery - a world where language contains no singular pronouns, where the "We" has replaced the "I," and where men are put to death for the crime of discovering and speaking the "unspeakable word."

The story tells of one man who rebelled, of his struggle and his victory. Assigned to the life work of street sweeper by the rulers who resented his brilliant, questioning, unsubmissive mind - he becomes a scientist, secretly, risking his life for the sake of his quest for knowledge. In the midst of collective stagnation, where men toil at manual labor by the light of candles - he discovers electricity. In the midst of eugenic planning and State-controlled Palaces of Mating - he discovers a personal love and a woman of his own choice. In the midst of brutal morality which proclaims that man is only a sacrificial animal to the needs of others - he discovers that man's greatest moral duty is the pursuit of his own happiness. He endures danger, denunciation, imprisonment, torture - but he breaks the chains of the Collective, he escapes with the woman he loves, to start a new life in an uncharted wilderness, and he reaches the day when he is able to predict that "my home will! become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake."

ANTHEM presents not merely a frightening projection of existing trends, but, more importantly, a positive answer to those trends and a weapon against them, a key to the world's moral crisis and to a new morality of individualism - a morality which, if accepted today, will save us from a future such as the one presented in this story.

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A stunning and brilliantly realized future world in which individuality has been crushed is the theme of Ayn Rand's bestselling masterpiece, "Anthem". Rand presents her tale of a man who dares to make individual choices, to seek knowledge in a dark age, to love the woman of his choice. In a society in which people have no name, no independence, and no values, he is hunted for the unpardonable crime: having the courage to stand above the crowd. Introduction by Leonard Peikoff.

Customer Reviews:

a cheap rip-off of Yevgeny Zamyatin?.......2007-05-31

Let me start by saying something good about this book: it is short.

Now, why is this book so bad? Whether you like Rand's politics or not, this book has very little literary value to. It is basically a cheap and quick rip off of Yevgeny Zamyatin's 1921 novel, We, which I highly recommend. If you strip Zamyatin's book of everything literary and poignant, and add some half-baked Narcissus imagery, you'll get Anthem.

Yawn.

If you want to read a dystopian novel that has something to say about modern regimes, the Soviet Union, technophilia, surveillance--in short, everything people who love Rand think she invented--consult Zamyatin and leave Rand alone. Or, read Rand and then read Zamyatin, and I think you'll understand exactly why Rand is a sadly inferior writer.

We (Modern Library Classics)

A Powerful Short Novel.......2007-05-18

Ayn Rand delivers this brief didactic story in a powerful way. It is short, but sharp. It clearly and quickly brings across its point. It reveals the philosophy of objectivism.

I don't totally agree with the philosophy evident in this novel. However, I do find many good things about it, so I do feel there is a great of value in this novel. It has value in that it attacks collectivism.

Take it for what it is..........2007-04-19

I read The Fountainhead and enjoyed it very much. So I picked up Anthem and read it in less than a day.

To compare this to The Fountainhead (or any of her other novels) is irresponsible. This is really just an expanded short story and stories should not be compared to epic novels.

Ayn Rand was an extremist. You may or may not agree with all of her ideas, but all of us should read her work (this coming from someone who considers himself more liberal than conservative). Anthem and The Fountainhead are examples of intelligent literature. I can't wait to start We the Living and, someday soon, Atlas Shrugged.

The dangers of collectivism.......2007-04-18

I read an old author's book this time. Glad I did. This is a story about one man who could not conform to the collective world in which he was raised. His curiosity brought him to discover electricty in an underground tunnel which used to be a subway. When he tried to bring the idea to the collective leaders he was punished. This collective world lives without modern technology and no one is allowed to think outside the box. He decides to run from this society into a forbidden zone and takes an Eve with him. Thought-provocative for young adults.

Could This Be Our Future?.......2007-04-15

What always amazes me about Anthem, Ayn Rand's shortest novel, is how creative and original she is in just over 100 pages. Even though this book is being narrated by a person from the future named Equality 7-2521, it is written in third person. The reader can't help but wonder why. And why does this person have such a strange name? On the very first page, the reader finds out that this book represents Equality's diary, yet he also mentions that it is a sin to write down his thoughts. Again, why? Rand weaves a creative and thought-provoking story that answers these questions in a way that only Rand could conceive. If you're a fan of Atlas Shrugged or The Fountainhead, this novella is worth the read. It may not have the same scope of her other novels, but it is certainly written in the same spirit.

Anthem: Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition. (book reviews): An article from: Utopian Studies

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Anthem: Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition. (book reviews): An article from: Utopian Studies
Robert Shelton
Manufacturer: Society for Utopian Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Utopian Studies, published by Society for Utopian Studies on January 1, 1997. The length of the article is 1634 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Anthem: Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition. (book reviews)
Author: Robert Shelton
Publication: Utopian Studies (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 1997
Publisher: Society for Utopian Studies
Volume: v8 Issue: n1 Page: p225(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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Average customer rating:

Anthem- Rand's Best
Powerful Novelette
An unrealistic propaganda machine
A unique and intersting book.
Similar to Atlas Shrugged. Pro Simplicity. Con Simplistic.

Anthem: 50th Anniversary Edition
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451185323

Customer Reviews:

Anthem- Rand's Best.......2003-04-26

I wouldn't exactly say that anthem is a book,it is more of a poem of man's search to rediscover what has been lost in his collectivist society. It was frightening to hear how individual's were described as "We," without a clear recognition of their own individual traits and characteristics. I personally, was overwhelmed with the realization, that maybe this could happen to us in the distant future. An extremely well written novel.

Powerful Novelette.......2000-01-11

Follow the struggle of a man as he finds the one word that his society has lost. And think about what your mental state would be if you did not have that word...

An unrealistic propaganda machine.......1999-05-26

In Anthem, Ayn Rand creates a society of collectivization that has no discernable basis for its power in the world. The book is a method of propagating atheism, self-worship, and anarchism.

A unique and intersting book........1999-05-12

I loved this book! i've never read a book like it befor

Similar to Atlas Shrugged. Pro Simplicity. Con Simplistic........1998-04-17

Ayn Rand in her crusade against collectivism continues her mono-chromatic portrait of a future (?) collectivist society. In order to describe the extremes of collectivism the settings are twisted to the underlying philosophy of Rand. For example, if it is that easy for the hero to escape the clutches of the collectivist society, why has'nt the men before him (those who were born in a free society). This book is extremely simplistic. Anthem is to Atlas Shrugged as Animal Farm is to 1984.

Anthem - Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition

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Anthem - Expanded 50th Anniversary Edition
Ayn Rand
Manufacturer: Dutton
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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