اگر به رمان های دیستوپیایی علاقه دارید بخونیدش حجمش کمه میشه تو چند ساعت خوند. امتیاز من ۳/۵

Witless, styleless, and self-righteous. "1984" and "A Brave New World" are far more effective books. Although I can't say I agree that individualism is more important than collectivism, especially when people come together as a whole to do things positive in this world.

First off, let me say this: SHAME ON YOU AMAZON! You have prohibited a great cover of this novel from showing here on goodreads. The cover I speak of looks like this: five ghostly apparitions stand forlornly, one is reaching toward a light that looks as if it is an exploding star; they all have chains on their wrists; the far right figure, the only woman, is tenderly reaching for the hand of the man trying to grasp the light; a pitch black background acts as a backdrop. It is the perfect cover for this novel. It tells so much without revealing anything (that is unless you have read the novel). So I say again: SHAME ON YOU AMAZON.

Okay, now on to the book.

ANTHEM by Ayn Rand is a novel set in a far-off post apocalyptic future, in a world where technology has been relegated into the land of myth and fancy. People of this world are no longer given birth names; they are given a name according to the cohort they were born into. It is a world where the individual is less than the collective.

This is the story of Equality 7-2521. In the beginning, they (he) are destined to be great thinkers. No other cohort in history has thought the way they (he) do(es). But this is not to be. Equality 7-2521 is given the job of Street Sweeper by the Council of Vocations. It is this council that determines what is essential for the collective at the moment. Equality 7-2521 does a grand job of keeping the streets clean. It is not until they (he) comes across Liberty 5-3000, renamed the Golden One, that Equality 7-2521 begins to think outside of the proverbial collective box. Later, when Equality 7-2521 discovers a secret cave (which in reality is an abandoned subway tunnel) does the meaning of individuality actually begin to take root in their (his) head. While stealing away to this “secret place” Equality 7-2521 begins to experiment with copper wires, eventually making an apparatus that conducts electricity. Equality 7-2521 is overwhelmed by this discovery, and wants to share it with the World Council of Scholars. But before they (he) can do that, it is discovered that they (he) is not in at curfew. Equality 7-2521 is taken away to the Palace of Corrective Detention where they (he) are beaten and tortured and interrogated. Equality 7-2521 never talks, not so much as a whisper. When they (he) decide to escape, the morning of the meeting for the World Council of Scholars, they (he) bring the electrical apparatus. When shown the device, the members of the World Council of Scholars shirk back from it in fear. When Equality 7-2521 offers to give the council this gift, they scoff at him and berate them (him) for thinking not of the brotherhood but of only them(self). Equality 7-2521 refuses to be detained again and runs off into the Uncharted Forest with the device, there they (he) wander aimlessly, and await the moment a beast tears them to shreds. But it is not a beast that confronts them (him); it is the Golden One that finds them (him). Together, Equality 7-2521 and the Golden One go on a journey further into the Uncharted Forrest. When they happen to come across an old cabin, they investigate the relics left behind from the Unimaginable Times, mainly books. It is at this moment that Equality 7-2521 goes from them to him. It is at this time that he begins to understand that “I” can be more powerful than “we”. With this new knowledge, Equality 7-2521 renames himself, Prometheus. It is also at this time that he gives the Golden One a new name, Gaea. It is at this time that first-person narration takes over. (The rest of the novel you will have to read for yourself.)

For this reader, the premise of this novel is intriguing. The setup and the style in which it is written allows for a fast paced story, packed with delicious nuggets of thought. And, to boot, Rand wrote this as a writing exercise while she was outlining ATLAS SHRUGGED. Now don’t get me wrong, I think Rand was a big sloppy bowl of crazy. But what she has written in ANTHEM is a testament of what people should do to keep their governments in check. Basically, Rand tells the reader to remember this: governments work for the people, not the other way around.

Alongside Yevgeny Zamyatin’s WE, ANTHEM is considered a classic within post apocalyptic literature. I’ve never read WE, but I will be certain to read it sooner than later. Is ANTHEM a good book? Sure. Is it a book worth reading eighty plus years after it was published? Yep. Does it have all the answers? Not even close. This is a book of ideas. Plot and characterization and setting are shadily written. Perhaps that is the genius of this brief 120 page novel. Perhaps Rand wanted the reader to fill in the gaps with their own struggles against their own government. Regardless, this is a quick read that any reader of science fiction, or any person interested in the struggle between individualism and collectivism should read. If anything, it should make you think.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

2020-10-08 I first read this book at the suggestion of a girl friend my freshman year in college. I liked it, but it was more extreme and too simple for what I preferred. I remember reading Barry Goldwater's book "Conscience of a Conservative" right around the same time and liking that better, since it actually got into the major political-economic issues of the day. I also preferred the non-fiction style for these kinds of issues, though I did see some value in this as well as Orwell's 1984 and Animal Farm.

Recently, I decided to read Anthem again (probably for the 3rd time) because it is on the list of books to be discussed in a potential Reading Group that I wanted to join. I had another several motivations too:
- I was given, not too long ago, a copy of a new Graphic Novel version of Anthem, and just read that a few days ago.
- I have seen parts of one or two screen adaptations of Anthem in the last few years.
- I have read a review of a somewhat recent (2019?) stage adaptation of Anthem.
- I have liked the works of Ayn Rand generally very much and rereading such a short book after many years seems pretty reasonable - and it sure worked out well with rereading 1984 a week or two ago.

Needless to say, the book did not disappoint. In fact, my previous rating here in Goodreads for the book was only 3 stars, which I just upgraded to 5!

More soon - I took some notes that I would like to share.

Some passages I liked:

p. 18 "You shall do what the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you. For the Council of Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your brother men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little minds. And if you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies." Sounds pretty Soviet Unionish, eh? Or maybe North Korean? Or Khmer Rouge Cambodian? Or Covid years American?

p. 19 "And we learned much from our Teachers. We learned that the earth is flat, and that the sun revolves around it which causes the day and night.... We learned how to bleed men to cure them of all ailments." Laughable, eh? Well, just 35 or so years ago, climate scientists were teaching that the earth was cooling so fast we were in danger of another ice age. Just 10 years or so ago we were hitting "peak oil" so the price was well over $100/barrel(bbl) and people thought we were running out. The price now is around $40/bbl (2020-10) $70 (2023-07-02, with much inflation since) and there is plenty of known reserves.

p. 29 "Everything which is not permitted is forbidden" - This is from the dystopian world in Anthem... but the parallels to today's world are too close for comfort - think Covid medical treatments!

p. 65 "We must not keep our secret (electric light) to ourselves, nor buried under the ground. We must bring it into the sight of all men." The naivete of the main character in thinking that the powers that be would welcome his revolutionary invention is a bit sad and reminded me of the main character in Ibsen's play "An Enemy of the People."

2023-07-02 edited with come Covid era updates.

Writing in the first person plural toward a central theme, Ayn Rand tests the reader's patience. I recommend Doris Lessing instead. Her wonky, awkward descriptive power is more attuned than Rand's. Rand has a tendency to produce a monotone. I was picturing THX 1138 the whole time. Naming characters with numbers was also a poor choice. If you were not a fan of her characters in Fountainhead or Atlas Shrugged, you won't care for them here either. A general icy tone of indifference to human empathy pervades her work. The worship of the ego is taken to laughable pinnacles.

The only good Ayn Rand book, mostly because it's over so quickly.

بیشتر 3.5 تا 4.
سرود رمانکی پادآرمانشهری از جنس رمان های 1984 و... بود. شاید بتونم تنها مشکل اصلی این روایت کوتاه رو همین شباهت بدونم که حداقل برای من، تکراری و یکم خسته کننده شده.

اما سرود چی داشت؟ لحن و نثر کوبنده. انگار یه طوفان تو سر آین رند بوده و جوری داستان رو نوشته که انگار خود نویسنده هم، عین شخصیت اصلی رمان، تحت تعقیب بوده موقع نوشتن این کتاب! اما در عین حال، نثر آین رند یه لطافت خاصی تو خودش داشت. با این حجم کم، آین رند دنیایی ساخته که توش «مَنیّت» از بین رفته و «ما»، اونو به لجن کشیده و قرن ها به عقب برده (یه چی تو مایه های سریال revolution) . این عقب رفتن تا حدی بوده که مردم پس از فاجعه‌ای، به دوران شمع و کشاورزی روی آوردن. چقدره که با خوندن همین رمان و فلسفه سرایی های نویسنده راجع به آزادی و «ما» و «من» و... یاد وضعیت اسفناکمون تو ایران خواهیم افتاد.

با خوندن «سرود» یاد رمان «میرا» خواهیم افتاد.

Wow. Since I have read all those negative reviews on Rand books, what I expected is a 1 or 2 stars novel. This proved me wrong. This was amazing - I am not the big fan of the ending (which is why I didn't give it 5 stars), but this really was amazing. Rating: 4.3 stars. One of the best dystopian books I have ever read.

Futuristic society that doesn't recognize individuals -- everyone's name is "Equality" followed by a number. Cute, huh? One day, Equality-some-number-or-another stumbles across a cave with books in it and discovers the word "I" and immediately realizes what it means even though his cultural and linguistic backgrounds have in no way equipped him to understand but whatever, it's a novella and Rand doesn't have time. Anyway, now Equality-### has an "I" and so he lives in the cave forever and is free. The end.

This book is really, really stupid. Everything subtle and interesting about Rand's ideas is stripped away to get at the crux, which is a really boring crux. Soviet Communism sucked, in extremely general ways! Individuals! Are awesome! Rah!

Third time around for me to read this. Originally I rated it 4 stars but I decided to upgrade it to 5. More than a novella, it is, I believe, a beautiful and lyrical poem of deep meaning that goes way beyond communism against capitalism. It's just common sense. Besides, I'm not here to talk about Ayn Rand's philosophy; I’m here to review--albeit very briefly--this work of hers which speaks to me like no other. So here we go: I simply think Anthem is a masterpiece, period.

a long day at work with a lot of that work left unfinished
+ happy hour drinks with colleagues, no they're more than that, with friends
+ I have to get around to reviewing a book by mutterfookin' AYN RAND of all things
=

DRUNK ЯEVIEW #?

so I've been on a hiring spree lately, just hiring people left and right because yay my work is actually getting multiple contracts and that means we can actually hire people instead of everyone doing two jobs per usual nonprofit social services type staffing patterns, so anyway I hired this one young lady who is clearly super smart and super organized and super perfect for the job I hired her for, good job mark, yet again, but she is 21 and so I wonder sometimes if her big brain is the tail wagging the 21 year old, who is very, very much 21 years of age, or at least what I remember of myself when I was 21. namely, emotional. and critical. and all about RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. still, I'm pleased with the hire, she's great, I love her. and what does everything I just wrote even mean? in the context of this book? i dunno but it sorta made sense to me as I wrote it.

anyway, she somehow found out that I am a quote unquote Reader, and so she loaned me one of her favorite books. namely, this book. Anthem. my reaction was decidedly undecided when she mentioned this was one of her favorites. I hate everything I know about Ayn Rand. I am the sort of ass who, way back when i was 21 and in college, actually broke up with a lady I was dating because it was clear that all of the Ayn Rand she was reading was influencing her, she was quoting Ayn Rand for crissakes, anyway it was too much because Ayn Rand's ME ME ME style of libertarian philosofuckery just drives me up the wall and I can't have that in someone I'm dating. so she turned around and started dating my roommate, so someone got that last laugh there and it wasn't mark monday.

so my new staffer loaned me this book and i was all UH UH BUT AYN RAND SUCKS ARE YOU SERIOUS?? and she was all OH MY GOD JUST FUCKING TRY IT. so i did!

if you are one of the unwashed masses who doesn't know what Ayn Rand is all about, and God bless you if you are, here are some things about her (that I despise):

- totally against all forms of socialism because to Rand, socialism = the death of the individual

- the most important thing about this curious concept called "Self" is "Ego". Rand worships at the altar of EGO. per Rand, if you aren't your own #1, you may as well be dead. there are aspects of that mentality that I totally get and support, but Rand carries this to the point where concepts like "altruism" are inherently corrupt to her. an altruistic person per Rand is pretty much the definition of a total loser

- you are the captain of your own ship; if your ship carries important supplies that could help other people, who gives a fuck, fuck them; your ship needs to sail alone unless people are happy to sail under your personal captaincy. e.g. if you are a brilliant architect who designs a brilliant housing complex and then finds out that that your design is being used for public housing, God forbid, then you are fully entitled to blow up said brilliant housing complex because it is being used for the public good rather than for what you intended. YOUR PERSONAL DREAMS ÜBER ALLES!

which reminds me: one of my favorite films is King Vidor's insane adaptation of Rand's novel The Fountainhead, where what I just mentioned is the central struggle of the film (and I assume the novel). this over the top thing of beauty features a berserk plotline, berserk characters, a brilliant housing complex being blown up because God fucking forbid it may be used for public housing, and an incredible scene where architect Gary Cooper is drilling something and neurotic Patricia Neal is watching him drill and gets so worked up she uncontrollably starts beating the literal horse she rode in on, and then rides off, in a Randian heat over the studly I Am My Own Man-ishness of the Gary Cooper character. she gets so hot & bothered she actually delivers a smart slash of her riding crop before riding off. hot stuff!

n  n

n  n

n  n

but back to this book, finally

actual review:

I was surprised at how much I liked it, at first. it is one of those dystopic post-apocalyptic books where we are experiencing the day-to-day life of some poor zombie sap who is slowly realizing that he is living in a world of sad automatons and he is one of the few who gets how pathetic his life is. because everyone is supposed to be like everyone else, and he is an actual someone. as always, this is an automatically enjoyable narrative to live in because who doesn't think that way, at certain points in their lives (or at certain points in their day, cough)

the style and the prose itself impressed me. Rand is one of those surprising writers whose prose is stripped-down, clean, and neat while also being oddly poetic: phrases and sentences that are child-like, eager, but also full of longing and melancholy. she's a fully-formed writer as of Anthem, surprisingly only her second novel. even more impressive was her replacement of the word "I" with the word "We" which functioned as an implicit criticism of the communist mindset while giving the storytelling itself an excitingly declamatory feel. on a stylistic level, Anthem is a genuine pleasure to read.

oh I just got a text from a friend that was a link saying "typhoon pork bun woman" and I think I'm just not going to check that out right now. whatever could that mean??

anyway, this was turning out to be a from-leftfield 4 star book for me but then the last two chapters happened. there were hints before that, here and there, but I chose to ignore them. but Ayn Rand is gonna do Ayn Rand, and that's only bad news where women are concerned. per Rand, a person with a dick is a person who needs to make himself into his own man; a person without a dick should probably just follow and promise obedience to said dick.

THAT IS FUCKING DISAPPOINTING. but I suppose not surprising. and yet I am surprised! I'm always surprised when a woman is all about freedom and rugged individuality and notgivingaflyingfuckeroo about what society says... but for men only! not for the womenfolk! apparently women should just support their man, they are incapable of forging their own hard-won individuality because EMOTIONS. I wish this was a unique perspective but God knows I have come across it many times, in literature and ugh in real life too. my own experience of my own uh experiences but also of my male friends is that I, and they, are all super fucking emotional. this is not just a female trait! argh. but more to the point: the sole female in Anthem shows her worth by declaring her obedience to her ruggedly individualistic, freedom-living man. that's just fucking gross and I don't get it. self-hate much?

so anyway, looks like Survivor is on so time for me to end this review. also feels like I am going to have an interesting time reporting my findings to the person who loaned me this book. wish me luck!

Elegantno preskočiti.

Toliko loše da me čak nije ni nerviralo.