Anthem

By: Rand, Ayn

Anthem is a novella by American writer Ayn Rand, first published in Great Britain in 1938 and revised for its first American edition in 1946. The novel is set in some unspecified time and place in the future, many years after human civilization has undergone a cataclysm in which all knowledge was lost and a primitive, rigidly collectivist society was established. In this society, there is no concept of individuality. Even the word "I" has disappeared from the language. The novel describes the efforts of the main character, Equality 7-2521, to reestablish a sense of personal identity and restore the knowledge of the past by objective scientific inquiry. In doing so, he must face many dangers and privations.Although Anthem did not attract much attention on first publication, the success of Rand's later novels gave it a boost, and it has maintained its popularity for nearly half a century. By the early twenty-first century, 3,500,000 copies had been sold, and 100,000 copies are sold every year. Anthem is especially popular among young people, including high school and college students, who see in Equality's struggle to attain a meaningful sense of self a model for their own emergence into maturity. The novella remains important as an expression of the dangers of totalitarian societies and the importance of individual creativity and political freedom.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08HTP4TC3
• ISBN13: 9798686025011
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Independently published
• Length: 90 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 0.2" x 5.5"

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.