decadent_and_depraved reviewed Anthem by Ayn Rand
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
Unimaginative...
English language
Published June 15, 2008
Anthem
by Ayn Rand
3 stars
(60 reviews)
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom. The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. A young man known as Equality 7-2521 rebels by doing secret scientific research. When his activity is discovered, he flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism. Rand originally conceived of the story as a play, then decided to write for magazine publication. At her agent's suggestion, she submitted it to book publishers. The novella was first published by Cassell in England. It was published in the United States only after Rand's next novel, The Fountainhead, became a best seller. Rand revised the text …
Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom. The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. A young man known as Equality 7-2521 rebels by doing secret scientific research. When his activity is discovered, he flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism. Rand originally conceived of the story as a play, then decided to write for magazine publication. At her agent's suggestion, she submitted it to book publishers. The novella was first published by Cassell in England. It was published in the United States only after Rand's next novel, The Fountainhead, became a best seller. Rand revised the text for the US edition published in 1946.
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Extremely short book compared to Rand's other works. A pamphlet for freedom and individualism over community and equality. In Sapiens the writer describes this as.the central conflict of our times - and he.is probably not wrong.
Even when her vision might not appeal to everyone, she has put it down in words clearly and poetically.
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
1 star
As much Ayn Rand as I could take. "I will it" is the world view of a sociopath.
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Gets a bit illogical and inconsistent around parts. But that's all fine as the story was itself well written.
Joao Trindade reviewed Anthem by Ayn Rand
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
"We" sincerely appreciated this book.
In this short story Ayn Rand shows us what a complete collectivized society looks like.
It's a compact, very interesting introduction to Ayn Rand's objectivism ideals.
The scene in the "Cience meeting" is memorable and, unfortunately, is a truthful abstraction of what currently happens in today's world.
Sean Gursky reviewed Anthem by Ayn Rand
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist.
Damn.
Not sure how or when Anthem ended up on my To Read list but I'm glad I gave it a chance because I really enjoyed it. The story may lack polish or depth of more recent novels but the concept of this society was haunting. The struggle to find individualism and break free of a group are common today as they were in the 1930's.
There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.
Review of 'Anthem' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
This book is my least favorite of Rands, although still worth reading. I don't recall any paramount passages (such as d'Anconia's speech about money in [book: Atlas Shrugged]), and the plot is pretty straightforward: Guy lives in socialist society, guy starts liking girl, guy convinces girl to run off with him and live in a cabin in the woods, they become individuals.
If you're reading Rand's books to get a better sense of her ideas, there's no reason to read this one. If you want something that doesn't require too much thought and can be polished off on a rainy Saturday afternoon, there are worse choices.
