Anthem (Paperback)

by Ayn Rand (Author), Leonard Peikoff (Contributor) "IT IS A SIN TO WRITE THIS..." (more)
Key Phrases: sleeping halls, white togas, great transgression, Golden One, Home of the Scholars, Uncharted Forest (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Rand's dark portrait of the future was first released in England in 1938 and reedited for publication in the United States in 1946. This 50th-anniversary edition includes a scholarly introduction and a facsimile of the original British version, which bears Rand's handwritten alterations for its American debut.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
In her usage of the English language she combines clarity of expression with prose of poetic grace. Here, indeed, is an anthem-an anthem, not in the idiom of music, but in the more difficult medium of words alone. This is the most beautiful, the most inspiring novel this reviewer has ever read. It is an ethical and philosophical rather than a religious dedication to freedom and the individual. -- Joan DeArmond, Fact Forum News, Dallas

Reading this inspired little story is a rewarding and satisfying experience which no American should deny himself. -- All-American Books, New Rochelle, NY --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Plume (December 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452281253
• ISBN-13: 978-0452281257
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (446 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,330 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 68 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What if individuality were banned by law?, April 24, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

This review is from: Anthem (Mass Market Paperback)

Just in case you thought the Borg were entirely original to Star Trek Next Generation, you should read Anthem. Ayn Rand's vision of a futuristic society has eliminated individuals by thought and deed.

This is a starkly told tale of a member of a future society, one Equality 7-2521. He is raised in a communal nursery. He knows no parents, no individuality. The word WE applies to one and all.

He is assigned to street sweeper by the mysterious council that runs this totalitarian nightmare. (Why shouldn't he be? All work, all individuals are equal, even though Equality 7-2521 would like to be assigned to the Scholars.) His unquenchable thirst for freedom and thought leads him to a monumental and dangerous discovery; the word "I". From this word, all things become possible.

The prose in this book is stark and simple, compared to the other long novels Rand wrote. This creates the atmosphere for a society so bereft of freedom and dignity that even the most basic ideas of society and individual meaning are lost. This is 100 pages worth reading.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is not a book., April 9, 2000

By	Kat McFall (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Anthem (Mass Market Paperback)

Anthem is not a book. It is not a philosophical or governmental treatise. As Ayn Rand herself admitted, it has neither a real plot nor a real climax. Anthem is a poem.
Its final two chapters are (according to Rand) the "anthem"--the celebration of the human ego. This is not done in logical terms, but in pure emotional exultation. In my opinion, Rand's writing throughout the book is skilled, passionate and evocative, but in the last two chapters she really shines.
For presentations of Rand's philosophy, Objectivism, in logical form, read Atlas Shrugged. For a ruthless, beautiful evocation of the emotional aspect of Rand's philosophy of egoism, read Anthem. If you have socialist leanings, or simply have always assumed the many is more important that the one, the book may disturb you greatly (it did me, when I read it the first time). It will change the way you feel, and Rand's later work will change the way you think.
Highly recommended. This book is often misunderstood, but if you read it with the understanding that it is a poem, and not a book, your understanding of it will be enhanced.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rand for "The Twilight Zone" fan!, October 11, 2005

By	Kendal B. Hunter (Provo, UT United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Anthem (Mass Market Paperback)

So why wasn't this book made into an episode of the Twilight Zone? It is right up Sterling's alley-the individual against the state, and his right to revolt.

Of course this book has elements of other dystopian literature: big government and small humans, retrograde technology, and state control of life, liberty, and sex. This seems like a rehash of the usual works ("The Iron Heel," "THX-1138," "Logan's Run, " "Harrison Bergeron"), but keep in mind it was written in 1937, five years AFTER "Brave New World," and eleven years BEFORE "1984."

In fact, this book in many ways surpasses Orwell's classic. Being a novella, it is crisper, punchier, and more to the point. It has less deadwood (the sex scene are allusions), and focuses on the moral aspects of an omnipresent state that has eliminated the word "We."

That is the key. Eleven years before Appleforth refused to eliminate the word "God," the World Council had eliminated the word "I." For day to day activity, that is like removing the letter "e." Throughout the narrative, which is written in first person, Equality 7-2521 keeps referring to himself as "we."

This makes for awkward reading, since we do not know if he is along or with Liberty 5-3000, or anyone else. But that is point: the objective of the World Council is to eliminate the concept of individuality in order to cement control over society.

You do not need a whole Newspeak dictionary if you can eliminate this one word for the vocabulary. This one small change makes all the difference.

*

The only drawback is that Peikoff included the galley prints of Rand's revision of the First Edition. This uselessly doubles the size of the book, but it is an important insight for fans of Rand and those who are aspiring writers. If you liked "Romantic Manifesto" and "The Art of Fiction," buy this book. You see Rand's mind in action.