Anthem Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook, CD
Author: Visit ‘s Ayn Rand Page ID: 0786182296
From Library Journal
The difference between this long-forgotten exercise in paranoia and other futuristic visions of a world controlled by the state, such as Aldous Huxley’s or George Orwell’s, is the extremist tone of Rand’s story. The author lived in a black-and-white world in which things social or communal are evil and things individual and selfish are exalted. This “anthem” culminates in a hymn to the concepts of “I” and “ego,” where the rebels are those who resist group action; the oppressors are government officials and others who attempt to provide a safety net for the less fortunate. The production is not improved by the theatricality of narrator Paul Meier, which is reminiscent of a ham Victorian actor intoning an overwrought melodrama. Not recommended.
Mark Pumphrey, Polk Cty. P.L., Columbus, NC
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
–This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly. —The New York Times –This text refers to the Paperback edition.
See all Editorial Reviews
Audio CDPublisher: Blackstone Audiobooks; Unabridged edition (November 1, 2004)Language: EnglishISBN-10: 0786182296ISBN-13: 978-0786182299 Product Dimensions: 1 x 5.8 x 5 inches Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #285 in Books > Books on CD > Literature & Fiction > Classics #975 in Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Classics #2185 in Books > Books on CD > General
This is in my opinion, Ayn Rand’s best book. There are a number of reasons for this, but I think most important is that unlike "The Fountainhead" or "Atlas Shrugged", she wrote a succinct piece, and didn’t allow herself to ramble. Anyone wanting an introduction to Rand should start here, it won’t take you long to get through, the writing is pretty good, and it lacks the convoluted plots and characters of her longer pieces. In a strange way it is at times quite moving, and also lacks some of the more objectionable statements that can be found in Rand’s other pieces, bordering on racism & fascism at times… this is a classic struggle for Individualism against a smothering regime, but not a struggle putting down other people’s individualism.
I suggest that any person coming to "Anthem" should read "WE" by Yevgeny Zamyatin first. It was written in 1920, only a few years after the Russian Revolution. Russian was Ayn Rand’s native language and she would have been able to read this book in the original, in fact she left Russia six years after "We" was published. "Anthem" was written seventeen years after "We". Various features of "Anthem" seem to have been taken from "We" (Brave New World and 1984 were also influenced by it, but not to the same extent). The most obvious similarity is that the characters have numbers, not names, and don’t think of themselves as "I" but "We" and there’s also the diary format in common. A major difference is that in "Anthem", the society has regressed technologically. Although this particular Hive/Ultra-Communist set up has been much copied since in fiction, it was not so common when Zamyatin was writing.
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.
Hostgator Coupon Best Hosting for WordPress and Joomla Home Hostgator Coupon Hostgator Coupon WebTemplatesBox is your 1 source of website templates be it WordPress Joomla or other CMS ISSUU The Skinny Scotland February 2015 by The The Skinny Scotland February 2015 The Skinny Follow publisher Be the first to know about new publications Follow publisher The Skinny Info Share Spread the wordthe of and to a in Microsoft Research thanks common movie includes average final having 800 database committee put areas major able central audio shows response meet cd london navigation
Download Anthem Audio CD – Abridged, Audiobook, CD Free PDF
PanjiCemara617
