Anthem: 50th Anniversary Edition

By Ayn Rand and Ayn Rans

Book Overview

Written with all the power and conviction that made The Fountainhead a classic of Americanletters, Ayn Rand's Anthem is a hymn to man's independent spirit and to the highest word in thehuman language - "Ego."First written in 1937, Anthem was published in England, but was refused in publication inAmerica, for reason which the reader might discover by reading it for himself. In 1946, it appearedas a pamphlet, issued by Pamphleteers, Inc., of Los Angeles. This is its first American publication inregular book form.Anthem tells the story of a man who rediscovers the individualism and his own "I" - in a world ofabsolute collectivization, a world where sightless, joyless, selfless men exist for the sake of servingthe State; where their work, their food and their mating are prescribed to them by order of theCollective's rulers in the name of society's welfare - a world which has lost all the achievements ofscience and civilization, when it lost their root, the independent mind, and has reverted to primitivesavagery - a world where language contains no singular pronouns, where the "We" has replacedthe "I," and where men are put to death for the crime of discovering and speaking the"unspeakable word."The story tells of one man who rebelled, of his struggle and his victory. Assigned to the life work ofstreet sweeper by the rulers who resented his brilliant, questioning, unsubmissive mind - hebecomes a scientist, secretly, risking his life for the sake of his quest for knowledge. In the midst ofcollective stagnation, where men toil at manual labor by the light of candles - he discoverselectricity. In the midst of eugenic planning and State-controlled Palaces of Mating - he discovers apersonal love and a woman of his own choice. In the midst of brutal morality which proclaims thatman is only a sacrificial animal to the needs of others - he discovers that man's greatest moral dutyis the pursuit of his own happiness. He endures danger, denunciation, imprisonment, torture - buthe breaks the chains of the Collective, he escapes with the woman he loves, to start a new life inan uncharted wilderness, and he reaches the day when he is able to predict that "my home willbecome the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake."Anthem presents not merely a frightening projection of existing trends, but, more importantly, apositive answer to those trends and a weapon against them, a key to the world's moral crisis andto a new morality of individualism - a morality which, if accepted today, will save us from a futuresuch as the one presented in this story.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525940154
• ISBN13: 9780525940159
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: Dutton Adult
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

We hold these truths to be self-evident...

Equality 7-2521, who speaks of himself in the first-person plural, makes a few discoveries that lead him to rethink the nature and purpose of man. I will not go through this short story blow by blow, as the fun in this book is discovering what Equality 7-2521 discovers. Would you draw the same conclusion or follow the same course? You will find yourself kibitzing and cringing. "You are what your deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so is your will. As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny." (Brihadaranyaka IV.4.5) For anyone new to Ayn Rand, this is as good a place to start as any, and it will be an eye-opener. If you have the time to read "Atlas Shrugged," the concepts, thoughts, and speeches are more complete. Pro or con, you cannot afford to pass this book. You may be surprised to find that you are surrounded by Objectivists.

Must Read!

Never have I read a series of essays so well put together that defends the individual’s rights in all areas of life.

We Are Lemmings Being Led By the Least of Us

I read this book for a graduate class in political philosophy. Ayn Rand (1905-1982), in this book written in 1937, expertly refutes collectivists schemes; such as, Communism and Fascism and shows the utter peril that collectivism poses to individual freedom. One of my favorite historians, Lord Acton, warned us in the 19th century "that socialism is slavery." This is a short novel about a man who escapes a society from which all individuality has been squeezed. Written a full decade before Orwell's "1984" Rand expertly shows how collectivism is destroying individuality and is being practiced throughout the world including the "New Deal" programs in the United States. During this time in world, history people are becoming serfs to the state as F. A. Hayek, the noted libertarian economist would put it. Rand's philosophy is really quite simple; planning is a synonym for "collectivism" and "collectivism" is a metaphor for Communism. Rand's literary style is easy to read and understand, I love how she uses the third person plural in the book until the hero finds his "ego" at which time she switches over to first person singular. This is a book that should be read by all who wonder what role the government should have in our lives. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in political philosophy.

Classic Individual versus the collective

At first glance, one might think of Huxley's 'Brave New World' but this book goes beyond just showing one course that the future of man might take. 'Anthem' shows the course our future will take if mankind loses the most important aspect of being man - the ability to recognize individuality, the sense of our uniqueness, and the 'I' in us all. Ms. Rand's philosophy of Objectivism is underlined in this one small story - a story that shows us an awful glimpse of the future and then gives us hope that we can avoid such a fate. I first read this book as a teenager, and have since read it (and all her books) dozens of times. It never loses its value.

Rand for "The Twilight Zone" fan!

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.

An anthem to individualism

Although this book can be read in a matter of hours the impressions left will last a lifetime. Unfortunately the message is less important today than it may have been when socialism and communism were still thought as viable models of government. Ayn Rand loves the individual spirit and her writings show the passion and fears associated with a movement that would take this away. She had left Russia at an early age to come to America. Only a person that has lived in an oppressive society could write such moving books about the strength of individualism, competitive industry, the terror of collectivism. This short book is written as no other. The words and ideas are expressed so beautifully. If one needs a boost to their individual spirit, this work will definitely help