Anthem

Ayn Rand

ISBN 10: 1420952242 / ISBN 13: 9781420952247

Published by Digireads.com, 2015

About this Item

Ayn Rand's classic tale of a dystopian future of the great We--a world that deprives individuals of a name or independence--that anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. They existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one--the great WE. In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word--I. I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.--Ayn Rand.

Seller Inventory # 00109563903

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Anthem
• Publisher: Digireads.com
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1420952242
• ISBN 13: 9781420952247
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Good

About this title

Synopsis

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. 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. In this dystopian novella we find a world where technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. The central characters of the story are Equality 7-2521, a free thinking inventor, and his love interest, Liberty 5-3000. Like most dystopian works, “Anthem” describes a strange and unfathomable world which could never exist. 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. 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. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

From the Back Cover

He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crime for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: he had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone.

Ayn Rand's classic tale of a future dark age of the great "We" -- in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values -- anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.