In this first book-length study of Ayn Rand's anti-utopia Anthem, essays explore the historical, literary, and philosophical themes presiding in this novella written in opposition to the totalitarianism of the Soviet Union (and Nazi Germany). Written in 1937, published in 1938 in Britain, and subsequently in a revised form in the United States in 1946, Anthem investigates the importance of the ego and freedom, and the individual against the state. Editor Robert Mayhew has collected a variety of essays dealing with such topics including: the history behind the novella's creation, publication, and reception; its connection to other anti-utopian novels; and, the significance of ego and freedom, which it portrays and defends. This book is important to philosophers as well as readers looking to gain a better understanding of Ayn Rand and Anthem.

Anthem has long been hailed as one of Ayn Rand's classic novels, and a clear predecessor to her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In Anthem, Rand examines a frightening future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future where all decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. Despite such a restrictive environment, the spark of individual thought and freedom still burns in him--a passion which he has been taught to call sinful. In a purely egalitarian world, Equality 7-2521 dares to stand apart from the herd--to think and choose for himself, to discover electricity, and to love the woman of his choice. Now he has been marked for death for committing the ultimate sin. In a world where the great "we" reign supreme, he has rediscovered the lost and holy word--"I."

AYN RAND’S CLASSIC WORK! Hailed as one of Russian-American writer Ayn Rand's greatest works, Anthem, a dystopian fiction novella, was a clear predecessor to her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In it she examines a frightening future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. All decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. A young man rebels by doing secret scientific research because the spark of individual thought and freedom still burns in him, even though he has been taught it is sinful. When his activity is discovered, he is marked for death for committing the ultimate sin. He flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism and they live together in the forest. Trying to express their love for one another, they at first lack the words to speak of love as individuals. When one of them discovers the word "I" they realize they have rediscovered individuality and plan a future in which they will regain it. “My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.” ― Ayn Rand, Anthem Rand originally conceived of the story as a play, then decided to write for magazine publication. At her agent's suggestion, she submitted it to book publishers and it was first published in the United Kingdom in 1938 only after her next novel, The Fountainhead, became a bestseller.

In this first book-length study of Ayn Rand's anti-utopia Anthem, essays explore the historical, literary, and philosophical themes presiding in this novella written in opposition to the totalitarianism of the Soviet Union (and Nazi Germany). Written in 1937, published in 1938 in Britain, and subsequently in a revised form in the United States in 1946, Anthem investigates the importance of the ego and freedom, and the individual against the state. Editor Robert Mayhew has collected a variety of essays dealing with such topics including: the history behind the novella's creation, publication, and reception; its connection to other anti-utopian novels; and, the significance of ego and freedom, which it portrays and defends. This book is important to philosophers as well as readers looking to gain a better understanding of Ayn Rand and Anthem.

A Study Guide for Ayn Rand's "Anthem," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Novels for Students.This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Novels for Students for all of your research needs.

Between 1961, when she gave her first talk at the Ford Hall Forum in Boston, and 1981, when she gave the last talk of her life in New Orleans, Ayn Rand spoke and wrote about topics as varied as education, medicine, Vietnam, and the death of Marilyn Monroe. In The Voice of Reason, these pieces, written in the last decades of Rand's life, are gathered in book form for the first time. With them are five essays by Leonard Peikoff, Rand's longtime associate and literary executor. The work concludes with Peikoff's epilogue, "My Thirty Years With Ayn Rand: An Intellectual Memoir," which answers the question "What was Ayn Rand really like?" Important reading for all thinking individuals, Rand's later writings reflect a life lived on principle, a probing mind, and a passionate intensity. This collection communicates not only Rand's singular worldview, but also the penetrating cultural and political analysis to which it gives rise.

My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose. Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and a clear predecessor to her later masterpieces. The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. In Anthem, Rand examines a frightening future in which individuals have no name, no independence, and no values. Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future where all decisions are made by committee, all people live in collectives, and all traces of individualism have been wiped out. Despite such a restrictive environment, the spark of individual thought and freedom still burns in him--a passion which he has been taught to call sinful. In a purely egalitarian world, Equality 7-2521 dares to stand apart from the herd--to think and choose for himself, to discover electricity, and to love the woman of his choice. Now he has been marked for death for committing the ultimate sin. In a world where the great "we" reign supreme, he has rediscovered the lost and holy word--"I."