![]() ![]() Originally reviewed on A Reader of Fictions.Īctually, I have already read Anthem, ages ago, when I was in my sophomore year of high school, so long, apparently, that the yellow of my highlighting is scarcely discernible. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper. ![]() What is clearly a response to the oppressiveness of the Soviet Union, “Anthem” continues to resonate with those fearful of collectivist political philosophy gone too far. It is in the creation of this extreme world that Rand creates a parable to warn us against what she believed were the perils of socialism. Like most dystopian works, “Anthem” describes a strange and unfathomable world which could never exist. The central characters of the story are Equality 7-2521, a free thinking inventor, and his love interest, Liberty 5-3000. In this dystopian novella we find a world where technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. However, for those who revere Rand’s work and subscribe to her particular philosophy of objectivism this novel could be set in the present day instead of some unidentified future in which mankind has entered a dark age characterized by irrationality, collectivism, and socialistic thinking. Upon original submission of “Anthem” to Macmillan publishing the book was rejected on grounds that “the author does not understand socialism.” For the harshest of Ayn Rand’s critics this might as well be an analysis of all her work. ![]()
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