Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    We
    We
    We
    Ebook225 pages4 hours

    We

    By Yevgeny Zamyatin

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    This classic Russian dystopian novel inspired George Orwell, Aldous Huxley, and many other science fiction writers, and now this reprint of the original 1924 translation of We is available from Dover. Set in a future under a unified totalitarian state, in a society ruled by conformity and where humans are identified by their assigned number, spaceship engineer D-503 must face his beliefs about the One Party head-on after a chance encounter with the beautiful and dissident I-330. It’s a page-turning adventure that has a home on any science fiction fan’s bookshelf.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateApr 28, 2021
    ISBN9780486849331
    Author

    Yevgeny Zamyatin

    Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) was a Russian author of science fiction and political satire. The son of a Russian Orthodox priest and a musician, Zamyatin studied engineering in Saint Petersburg from 1902 until 1908 in order to serve in the Russian Imperial Navy. During this time, however, he became disillusioned with Tsarist policy and Christianity, turning to Atheism and Bolshevism instead. He was arrested in 1905 during a meeting at a local revolutionary headquarters and was released after a year of torture and solitary confinement. Unable to bear life as an internal exile, Zamyatin fled to Finland before returning to St. Petersburg under an alias, at which time he began writing works of fiction. Arrested once more in 1911, Zamyatin was released and pardoned in 1913, publishing his satire of small-town Russia, A Provincial Tale, to resounding acclaim. Completing his engineering studies, he was sent by the Imperial Russian Navy to England to oversee the development of icebreakers in shipyards along the coast of the North Sea. There, he gathered source material for The Islanders (1918) a satire of English life, before returning to St. Petersburg in 1917 to embark on his literary career in earnest. As the Russian Civil War plunged the country into chaos, Zamyatin became increasingly critical of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, leading to his eventual exile. Between 1920 and 1921, he wrote We (1924), a dystopian novel set in a futuristic totalitarian state. Thought to be influential for the works of George Orwell and Aldous Huxley, We is a groundbreaking work of science fiction that earned Zamyatin a reputation as a leading political dissident of his time. With the help of Maxim Gorky, Zamyatin obtained a passport and was permitted to leave the Soviet Union in 1931. Settling in Paris, he spent the rest of his life in exile and deep poverty.

    Read more from Yevgeny Zamyatin

    Related to We

    Related ebooks

    Dystopian For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Lord Of The Ring

      Sep 29, 2021

      Lord Of The Ring
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Song Starts In My Body

      Nov 1, 2022

      I wanted to see her body. I’m aware it sounds strange, even lurid. What I wanted was to see her read her poetry, and her body reading it. Something about Rukeyser’s writing made me feel that she was at home in her flesh, and I wanted to see her lovin

      21 min read

    • Article

      What Makes a Poet Difficult?

      May 28, 2019

      What Makes a Poet Difficult?
      6 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka

      Dec 16, 2021

      When times get hard—and the news, I think it’s fair to say, has sucked of late—my reading, like everyone else’s, gets reactive. The post A Year in Reading: Mark Slouka appeared first on The Millions.

      8 min read

    • Article

      Writers Bloc

      Jun 1, 2017

      We asked authors and artists to suggest books that bring solace and understanding in this age of political rancor. You can read their complete responses at motherjones.com/trump-reading.

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Waste Land turns 100

      Oct 19, 2022

      The Waste Land turns 100
      5 min read

    • Article

      Commonplace Book

      Jun 4, 2018

      I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. —Fred Allen I have always wondered, in reading travels, at the childish joy travellers felt at meeting people they knew, and their sense of loneliness when they did not, in

      4 min read

    • Article

      Southern Stand

      Mar 16, 2020

      Southern Stand
      5 min read

    • Article

      Sharon Olds, America’s Brave Poet of the Body

      Mar 8, 2017

      Sharon Olds can still remember how furious editors became when she started submitting her poems, 40 years ago. “They came back often with very angry notes,” the 74-year-old poet says, sitting in her small, light-filled apartment overlooking NYU’s cam

      16 min read

    • Article

      Commonplace Book

      Sep 3, 2019

      And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons. —Ogden Nash, “Everybody Tells Me Everything,” The Face Is Familiar, 1941 Someone goes by wearing a

      3 min read

    • Article

      Flood The World With Beauty

      Nov 1, 2019

      A big literary conference is probably not the best place for a poet dealing with a mental breakdown. But there I was at AWP, skittishly perusing tables at the book fair, under the garish lights of the Minneapolis Convention Center. For two years, par

      8 min read

    • Article

      Books

      Jun 5, 2023

      Books
      6 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for We

    4/5

    1,869 ratings31 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Unlike the bleak environment that Orwell portrays, We is colorful and wonderous, full of enthusiasm for the New World Order - in parallel to the hopes and desires of the new Soviet Union - but at what cost taht belief?
    • 3/5
      A dystopia of a Taylorized, rationalized totalitarian future, told from the perspective of an adherent of the OneState, and the designer of that tyranny's signature achievement, the spaceship Integral. It's in Russian, so what do I know, but the prose as translated is both ironical and poetical: "The gods had become like us, ergo we've become like gods." Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Dystopia in a "Utopian" society where everyone is happy because there is no longer anything to worry about. Portends the mindset of Stalinist Russia. Everything is perfectly harmonized and calculated- almost. This story is set in that thought-provoking grey margin.
    • 4/5
      very similar to 1984.
    • 4/5
      Unlike Brave New World and 1984, there are flashes here of why you'd want to live -- and how you could survive -- in a dystopia.
    • 4/5
      What a fine book - I don't know why I've never read this before - especailly as I found it in the library by 1984 which I've read many times - it seems to me to be far better though
    • 4/5
      As others have said already, if you like 1984, Brave New World, Anthem, or Utopia, you'll like this one too.
    • 5/5
      This book is the great-grandaddy of all dystopian lit. 1984 is ALMOST a complete rip-off (though it is definitely good on it's own) of this book. If you liked 1984, you will without a doubt like We.
    • 5/5
      I love dystopian literature, i love russian literature. I love this book (surprised?) This book was a precursor to 1984, written in the nascient stages of the USSR. A wonderful book.
    • 4/5
      If you love dysytopian science fiction, this book you really should read.
    • 5/5
      Fucking awesome.
    • 4/5
      Read for philosophy class, but I had fun with it. It's really amazing reading science fiction that's so old and seeing the similarities, both with our world today, and later science fiction.
    • 5/5
      Excelent piece of early science fiction, without the sexism that permeates much of the genre.Please read this.
    • 5/5
      I never knew this book existed until recently. It goes to show, one thing, or book, leads to another - always :)
    • 5/5
      I was incredibly moved by this book. Yes, the questions raised are profound (see 1984 and Brave New World), but it is the imagery, lyricism and cleverness of the writing that won me over. Having a mathematics and engineering background, I particularly appreciated the discernment to these details by the translator, Mirra Ginsburg.
    • 4/5
      I really wish I'd had the opportunity to read this book back at the age of 12 or 13 or so, when I discovered 1984 and Brave New World. I enjoyed reading this book now - but I would have been passionate about it then.

      Either way, this ranks up there with the best of the classic dystopian novels. It's an incisive indictment of totalitarian states, filled with black humor and disturbing tragedy.
    • 5/5
      This is one of those amazing books that took a lot of hunting but well worth it. I've leant it out to a few people now and they've all felt the same - disturbing.
    • 4/5
      An amazing book; its political dimensions outweigh its sci-fi aspects, and the story certainly seems to prefigure Orwell's "1984" in interesting ways.
    • 4/5
      Just blew me away. Amazing that it was written in the 1920's.I had to read the end twice just to make sure I had read I thought I had read.It would make a great movie.
    • 4/5
      The blurb on the back says this inspired Orwell's '1984', and the family resemblance is striking. Both as a novel and as a scathing critique of Stalinism, this is a brilliant book. I was gripped from start to finish, although I thought the opening chapters were the best. It's a really quick read, only a couple of hundred pages. Highly recommended.
    • 1/5
      Well, Ursula K. Le Guin apparently liked it... guess there's no accounting for taste. Poorly written, so metaphorical as to be nearly illegible.
    • 5/5
      An excellent book - one of the first recommendations I've taken from other readers. It surpasses Brave New World for me in depth.
    • 4/5
      Written in 1921, We foresaw Stalinism & the communist tendency to see people in statistical terms. Obviously a huge influence on Orwell & Huxley. It shows a great psychological understanding of living under totalitarianism. Stylistically it is interesting & part of the Russian avant garde of the time, but towards the end of the novel it becomes rather hyperbolic, which reduces the impact of the conclusion a little (a conclusion Orwell clearly remembered & learnt from).
    • 4/5
      Some of this book was boring to me, but considering when it was written it makes it very impressive. I definitely prefer more modern dystopias, but I am glad that I read the book that basically begin one of my favorite genres of books.
    • 3/5
      I know that this book is often-cited as Orwell's inspiration for '1984' leading to 'Brave New World' by Huxley ... and I see the parallels, but this book lacked the boldness and maybe some of the clarity found in other dystopian classics.

      Probably worth the read from a purely literary perspective, especially if you love classic dystopian and sci-fi literature.
    • 5/5
      Good book and foundational for much of modern dystopia. While it was very original at the time, others have done it better - notably Brave New World and 1984 among others. It served as an unheeded warning against the totalitarian and equalitarian tendencies and tides of his time.
    • 3/5
      It was really interesting but I'm kinda confused which is why I can't give it a higher rating. I really loved the writing style and D-503 was such an interesting character.
    • 4/5
      A seminal science fiction work of a totalitarian society. Very enjoyable and easy to see the massive impact it has had on subsequent works.
    • 2/5
      The book that was the progenitor for A Brave New World, 1984 and their ilk. A police state doesn't need to spy on citizens who are observable in their glass apartments. They are mere minions socialized to produce efficiently. A bleak look at the future.
    • 4/5
      Interesting book, especially as Orwell based much of his '1984' on it. Quite an easy read in terms of the writing style but rather hard to follow at times - perhaps due to the translation from the original Russian or because it's a prose poem. Worth reading if you enjoyed Orwell's classic.

    Book preview

    We - Yevgeny Zamyatin

    Iabook_preview_excerpt.html\[rFJj>&"[WARX= i, @BH%13MW2ܛiQP* y_6wO~vO񫗡|yկ|ӻ._O^\:?>:;m?7 5~h2W/ g>yW6.ԓ[K]~<{nmU9pi3'}3_0GX$nҮ*Oύnͩm̶ c׮w9nʵsǺ;>|\(]sצs[3Oʼ7w=b:|'磡 .7/?Z r{Ox{k?tS?GWPf;V8q6we5Lmw-y|{r)K.d2s{$um6˼_ޕmWCH+al.wWSW:e7坧xy6qkeoXzsl^6pn?~䵫ʺE*If]6eD6&|xݝ`m5u[t0I ]%{`/߹Foήg綬`_1e mZ4(uN]}}=  C?exRZfM~M^u Ui^iQ^$?kD8<2XuK2B :4O*jHmQ7ҝks+";Do 0˲BumgIQ9#3'BU~6G Kyaw7gWp> %#7t;%O~>>gFc_//g/,jy[L9&@5a/}EȅzD3J힛GͿ5skaj7OwGf5B$UUfb\wCDnd> ,^uZ>. $ȝ,LI*dƂ'|ӹv[] :ACe8PjdZV+bD|}o>rۚ_yw7NlƼG0 W_Eq{$5 콇{H$ܸso|kX/wG L:{w(Wv?6fr rc<5ggLkϷ s(~u4G<fphE:X3P"GG o@WS(^Jwu2%y 5ʬæ8$o.rC]+ٚ s$Ä~ȑ0I^<\$E*/>VpWp|#+WC;cQ}nu(k ghxG.`#s[ ąe}ۂ| J.4U hiCnshlʵ= (y&R7k_HN S/Qҩ 3۰A$H~tfde DYH&yѳGO,;11UZV4a)Xd7<2U$}lJpENAG5[Jv^Qc׮R xlTH\ohk:KJ\iSrF ԂD +A ;1=} OPa!nJ9utG:V@-sI3T^-w5 /u-y]y2܆d q0dK ~.A50!;e.#|"aUGB2 gi?l,r'"6n qO ZTi9,N!Ns8p,{:DѬr;d) UV'd+} 5X2  | ;' Hr@煽@(OX&]"3s*p&WUUky"82rWPZjdM$:{\V%-]L48*N슿- v~t"Cp$xjO l:/>`Jq,JZ/SN [Y^ X-3 UŤ&.]pgQ_E5P|  4ːpuF#)cZ Onr$,)HBI)D6[|>0g ܽR/@l*)=Nr2|8]sH4v)u}~gYS'<[_V$u4|9P\Վлyߟpvڦw+9RH?~bgð /Ŧ4SP*'G<}ccSXFbNs߷AHU 7ss-d8J?!g8c-/ܧ!Hn ebaaSH'yYʪЈWsN`Y=oǺv 'A`P TdN<.}EL9 ɉE",,??|"^s yU/Z0AX.d/&X \xr8NMsߖ+\ԺP@۸*D ֤ `=TPG#c1")ŒЦ^b!" 0(e5\7uD`2 W a]1D(HfB45ZuٓXDCALŻpzbkY@\kz I#I_Hڳ2@K!L_ /ÆAvN arQe_LfjF5`@6!jwK:j [؞CtDZXj@̄U er ;h*$r0)pW5)Y݈U^SaЫ!N +3#V!S+/;+CQ j*<;Adֻ7u3_,/ g| ~֕ 8 [fIc= mA +1 .n/o8C7x#>n-QfI:l/+X˩*ծK-AӴRNxρ=ldct)n(qk˲!*Qmٜý kߕRM6\+xsԃͫr44+e*#]se6w=DI'k Ghp7^9?X /DcH &&E D&Kck 瞚`fsɷl0Ibeʝ4 gvĴc_HENF?/羭Vv΅_ࢄOܥ[D(>۬q%G8s P )} |*.N۴E{!'xO~'ZOxmq5Ee )Z*QcA;8gϒguLٳL S  ?΅:6nm14 N'Gew^|QfL 2R≡#YBXRk@!Krk0@2R2PXBv ր)*2&͚y@)RKFI8 jEVMKZ][US dl٦FpԖĶ{)Eqz" vqx^UR6|p2C=}ƵqmϾLɿ>%}|ys~vjO_ivL 9"PH!1$!j(z2y!A? qBi=SaA:%U S;y7،R̍@.ZPC&q./4gfBZ^XJ^o%v=nt e&kn8g+I1v"r5f( 2^ fM 6i̼fg?LwԒِ g(HT'>Vm% -0_WB#mO8J@JӦksm[{V]6H߁JÜ\3aBoEe\cJKr唻iV3Ֆ0ũb+ Ih4dkʉ!1HL[ϧY}ɴyFBxBQ2Iԍ4Kw]r$mZ7MK-fdaa 1NsB]B,S7O$9G1e:*qNj @,P[U: {NI)pNR +ۓbm٩f{iim;l/a3!E"|Q:-٪l4uhTہ)H/8.NDvYaq "t&&`>^Vq0Rf۱Wa`5"Cޞ؍ dcѪ݆V U5e[i b:5B_D2&5þshwǖ0b]UM {.}9҇鬚F ^^ Y9 UTAr憐*Ʈd"2e=& NăM_6nZ: h,8cل}햝$T܏ _4K'!Z`{0.KMu&>1;٬TXN9:x*¥RBkbrƱE*3^(d&RMj6#l*.$%@>JCe2=| +;pϿEK n+i[鵔cI/s wqZ–¡l< _j)bd*v2ӮZ^ĭɨ0Neus}C*!hq5 j9h uC#Ԯk9{dKc؇ fሀ3?_^5Qa7x404} 1yR o@_YD˕G1Z WTt"id4I:MzOyzȎH)?n _ʛiȕ/T4hqFP.İ"bb Tq:掬RŌrJWs7t svؐsʜIdRhdjCA{e(kT u4-֑u2mFcH^j@ϲΡ/Sɍϧߓn Y"ׯR~UVJhr9xu|1\Zyb <ҭ*J$Z_58.%c$֊H"PXHߗҒvQ8}p)я)i@?i^̾СX![>m9|!8['ڦ mYkuRʆ/VRMB)<. JՉF)~$}9/YF|\C2u<]U R,Ez5.X'&ȅe2fZN̺05AX&.WL/(2E4J A2X4*yv9ӛA|tVA VJ-tWjP1qVl]Wj Db׮B+ h5pL@%ډ -zȼ HKF/g=Β -"J)6fD+슥])Wr_jti1uCJ Lw w7Jg^Tk%R[IIyըZ`8ҵT N dv3,)}(㐄z*T읤2)2TVkh.e?pW\Y"ǚ'^hBJH3d z<8_\ yׁe8_s̒J!=ylE#l4 =HHi u2HL&^KH`ɒ< S'eH$Vi2# +'j2ɺ1 {초⧭jRdt@\ S&̈Q&$m&moLrʒ>UD,hm0"+].`tIf:MN_ 3J=  J&th6m[t{qĘhf=˄\2R/RN5Z~q* ŬQX\dz++lO.Z@TQZ~PZ(J1WyJchu%Уu\Dڱ69( yv- ,⠞<WyBB`̴{l[>{]Z)Hy/d6% ey *AfVRdRAҿ|PCtJ-M f`. C|ɘ6:lqZfjTT8p9%it؇ b=Z~mB!Z-]!CX*LGص7#p1L+ ;WG##r:*sMd_?~Su+*؊f1j7k¯z}iZ~¸0*.bd*h!vc"(OLP.whKF`WӔ.F=G H6_tbg6vFC5,t'=޿ IFS8kM n9ҺxrzO~ {/ 7ZD t)שȕb׏PfavcRe7r*N<έeM^e[Fkֲm@ P
    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1