We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, Mirra Ginsburg Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $4.11 You Save: $3.88 (49%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.90 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of We
Book Review: More than a simple satire of the Soviet Union
Summary: 5 Stars
Evgeni Zamyatin's novel "We" is often compared to Orwell's "1984" and Huxley's "Brave New World", and rightly so, since it is a strong influence on both (though Huxley of course denied it). "We" is a terrifying vision of a future, in which all aspects of life have been rationally mechanized, according to the best tradition of Taylorism. The residents of OneState have no freedom; instead they have infinite, mathematically proved happiness. "Those two in Paradise were given a choice: freedom without happiness, or happiness without freedom. The fools chose freedom. But we brought them back the chains," says R-13, one of the OneState's chief poets. This nightmarish vision sheds light on the present, as well. Not necessarily, as is often stated, on the terror of one Stalin. The book was written well before the establishment of the Soviet state, and on an impulse that had long before prompted Zamyatin to write in a similar vein. An earlier novella of his, "Islanders", as well as many of his short stories and plays, all have the same philosophical purpose behind them: to show that the contemporary (at the time) trends in European society, culture and art are leading to a destruction of the individual will and a horrible mechanization of life. A recurrent theme in Zamyatin is the escape from overly-civilized cities, to the freedom of the countryside and of the nature itself. Zamyatin felt, and I would gladly argue that he was absolutely correct, that the modern European civilization gradually limits the scope of the individual's understanding of the world and draws him into a sort of slavery of the spirit.
I recommend "We" to everyone. For the depth of its philosophical stance, for its brilliant structure and wonderful language, this book is clearly superior to either "1984" or "Brave New World", though it is, unfortunately, not nearly as widely recognized.
Book Review: NOT REALLY THE OPENING LINE
Summary: 5 Stars
A great novel, "WE", as the others below observe, is a clear influence on Huxley and Orwell. I can't add to their editorial in a meaningful way, but suggest you add the following to your collection of utopian/anti-utopian (same thing) literature: "Huckleberry Finn", by Mark Twain, and, "Utopia", by ST Thomas More. There are many, many others, but these five comprise a good starting point. LOVE! StarlaBook Review: One Of Science Fiction's Earliest And Most Disturbing Looks At A Possible Future
Summary: 4 Stars
A lot of very early science fiction remains great reading, but it's remarkable that a science fiction novel written in the 1920s and set approximately a thousand years in the future reamins so plausible and eerily realistic. The horrifying vision of the future presented in "We" could still take place. In many ways, it has taken place, time and again (most obviously in Stalinist Russia). In many ways, the disturbing scenarios described here continue rearing their ugly heads even today.
"We" is one of the earliest (to my knowledge) 'dystopian future' stories, a field that also encompasses such tales as "1984" and "V For Vendetta". It is presented in the form of a journal, written first person by a character known as D-503 (individual names no longer exist in this future; all are numbers) and intended to be read by the inhabitants of alien planets, describing the world (Earth) and how it came to exist in its current (future) state. D-503 makes new entries daily, so we read from the beginning, where D is an adamant supporter of the world order, through later entries as disillusionment begins to creep in on the narrator before he's even aware of it. The alien planets in question are those to be visited by the Integral, mankind's first interplanetary spaceship, nearing completion as the novel begins, and intended to bring the 'benefits of the One State' to all the stars.
The world of "We" is one of a single city state of millions, where all 'wild' (trees, grass, birds, etc.) has been permanently banished behind the walls of the city. All citizens of the One State exist to serve the One State, and individuality has been pretty much abolished. The One State makes all major decisions and most smaller ones, each life is regulated, hour by hour, to an extraordinary degree; the very buildings people live in are transparent and 'Guardians' are everywhere, watching to make sure no one steps out of the precise lines the One State has so carefully formulated. Its similarities to real-life authoritarian regimes are unmistakable, but taken to an even more all-encompassing degree.
Two events that coincidentally both happen in the months leading up to the completion of the Integral are of great signifigance. State scientists discover the physical location within the human brain of the 'illness' known as imagination, and the means to finally excise it completely; and D-503 himself discovers emotions he's never experienced before, triggered by a chance meeting, and subsequent acquantaince with, a woman known as I-330.
"We" is a grim and profoundly troubling book, but there are moments of brightness and optimism from a fairly early stage. Such things as friendship and hope have survived into the future, often within those who aren't even conscious of their prescence. And as change continues within this future socity toward an even bleaker future (the possible eradication of imagination; the forcible spreading of this severe existance to space beyond), change also remains capable of moving in the opposite direction...
Thought-provoking and overall a great story with an intriguing plot, memorable characters, and great turns and surprises. Highly recommended.
Book Review: One of the most important books - ever.
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is a classic and must read for any fan of "1984" and "Brave New World". The quintessential "negative utopia" book, and the prototype as well. I first read it 15 years ago, and have been finding and giving away used copies ever since. Glad to see it out there again. It goes in and out of print far too often...Book Review: Original Political Dystopia
Summary: 5 Stars
A great political dystopia written in 1924, We lays the foundation for Brave New World and 1984 and remains shocking and relevant. The story follows a mathematician named D-503 who lives in a bleak totalitarian society. When a comely resistance leader named I-330 seduces D-503, he accidentally discovers his soul, his unique individual identity, and is nearly driven insane by the revelation. The story contains several wonderful philosophical debates about the nature of freedom, art, and government. Written in a highly poetic, sometimes challenging prose style. Not surprisingly, this novel never got published in the USSR and Zamyatin was eventually exiled because of it. That which gives us comfort induces stasis; only things that make us uncomfortable challenge us to change and grow.