Anthem (novella)
A dystopian novella about rediscovering individuality.
Last updated
Ayn Rand's novella "Anthem" presents a dystopian future where individuality is illegal and the word "I" is forbidden.[1][2] The story follows a young man named EQUALITY 7-2521 who rebels against this collectivist society.[2] The work has sold over 3.5 million copies since its 1946 revised edition.[3]
Making and release
Rand first conceived "Anthem" as a play during her teenage years in Soviet Russia.[4] Rand's working title was "Ego," which she changed to "Anthem" because she felt the original was too blunt.[5] The Libertarian Futurist Society awarded "Anthem" its Hall of Fame Award in 1987.[6] After arriving in the U.S., Rand decided to create the work upon encountering a futuristic tale in The Saturday Evening Post.[4]
During a pause from gathering material for "The Fountainhead", the novella was composed over the summer months of 1937.[5] The first edition was brought out by Cassell in England during 1938.[7]
What the cited sources add
The novella inspired a spoof rock musical that premiered Off-Broadway at the Lynn Redgrave Theatre in May 2014.[8][2] A New York Times review called the musical "exuberant" but criticized the acting of the leads.[9] The novella also inspired a 2013 stage adaptation by Jeff Britting, which opened Off-Broadway in September 2013.[10][8] Peart stated he was not consciously thinking of Rand's story when writing the song but gave credit to "the genius of Ayn Rand" in the liner notes.[11]
A reviewer characterized the 2011 audiobook, read by Jason McCoy, as "stirring and evocative".[1][12] Randy Jones from The Village People and Jason Gotay were among the performers in that musical.[2][9] Neil Peart stated that "Anthem" shaped Rush's song "2112," pointing to clear similarities in storyline and subject matter.[11]
References
- "Audiobook Review - Anthem by Ayn Rand (narrated by Jason McCoy)", Booklover Book Reviews. facts only, no text reused. bookloverbookreviews.com
- Anders, "At Long Last, We're Getting An Ayn Rand Musical", io9, April 4, 2014. facts only, no text reused. io9.com
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing Anthem". In (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peikoff, Leonard, "Introduction" in (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peikoff, Leonard. "Introduction". In (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Prometheus Awards", Libertarian Futurist Society; "1939 Retro-Hugo Awards", The Hugo Awards, 18 April 2014 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jarorowski, "The Me Generation Would Struggle Here", The New York Times, October 8, 2013, p. C6 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Anders, "At Long Last, We're Getting An Ayn Rand Musical", io9, April 4, 2014; Webster, "Songs, Jokes and Twirls? Just Don't Tell Ayn Rand", The New York Times, May 29, 2014, p. C3 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Anthem (Stage Play version)", michaelpaxton.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Peart, "Rockline 1991-12-02 Neil Peart", Rush: The Complete Rockline Broadcasts 1984–2008, December 2, 1991 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Anthem (novella)" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Britting, Jeff. "Adapting Anthem: Projects that Were and Might Have Been". In; "Audiobook Review - Anthem by Ayn Rand (narrated by Jason McCoy)", Booklover Book Reviews (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Anthem (novella) (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Novels set in the future
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Anthem (novella) (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced