#we zamyatin

[simcardiac-arrested]

i escaped from a lab and now they’re just letting me draw anything

[quibbs126]

You know, I’d love to take more classes that teach me about the historical context of certain books

I was watching some videos about Animal Farm today (mostly about the animated movie), and it reminded me of a book we went over in my World Literature class, Yevgeny Zamyatin’s “We”, since it was another book that criticized communist Russia during the days of Stalin (okay I think they had different points; Animal Farm seems to have been more a warning of what communism will do, while We was meant to actually criticize the Soviet Union, considering Zamyatin lived there). I remember going over the context in class, and it was legitimately so interesting to learn about. Admittedly, I don’t remember much about the actual book, in part because I never really read much of it (though I plan to since I still have it), but the history of the author and book itself was so interesting, and I would have never known about it had I not taken the class and my professor not talk about it, and it along with the other books we learned the context for really just makes me want to learn more historical contexts for books

By the way, if you want the history I’m talking about, I’ll give a summary based on what I was told in class, though I don’t remember all the details (I’ll pull out my notes from it). Basically Zamyatin was an avid supporter of the Bolsheviks and their revolution against the Tsar (Zamyatin was Russian if I didn’t make that clear), and being active in the movement, such as being an editor for a newspaper and writing editorials supporting the revolution. However, once the party started cracking down on human rights and dissenting voices, he became disillusioned with the party, and he starts writing critiques on it, as well as writing We. He finished it in 1920, and ended up sending to Europe to be published, so that the rest of the world could know what was going on in Russia (We doesn’t directly take place in the Soviet Union, it’s a sci fi dystopian novel set in the far future, but the society (the One State) takes obvious inspiration from it). Meanwhile he read manuscripts of his work in St Petersburg, and it became the first manuscript banned in the Soviet Union, with Zamyatin being marginalized for his work and losing his job. Zamyatin eventually becomes so disillusioned with the Soviets that he writes a letter to Stalin requesting he and his family be allowed to leave. The only reason Stalin allows this is because Zamyatin was good friends with another writer named Gorky (unfortunately I don’t remember what the significance of Gorky to Stalin was, I didn’t write that down in my notes). Zamyatin had hoped that the Soviet Union would collapse in a few years so that they could return, but unfortunately he didn’t get to live to see it, dying in 1937

Sorry, I went off on a bit of a history lesson there, but I think this stuff is pretty fascinating, and I would love to hear more of the history behind books (if I haven’t made that clear already)

[soracities]

a pain...a slow sweet pain—a sting—and you wish it would go deeper, hurt more...Then, slowly—sunshine emerges.

Yevgeny Zamyatin, We (trans. Natasha Randall)

[basicallyanotherwitchesthing]

Yevgeny Zamyatin - We - Avon/Bard - 1972 (cover design by Hal Siegel)

[khodorkovskaya]

okay i read the first chapter of the wizard of the kremlin and it reads like a fanfic. also the fact that the author mentions following social media accounts. yeah sureeee "social media" righttt

[drjohannn]

I-330 and O-90 from Zamyatin's "We".

[afulltimenerd]

Why am I constantly hearing his flat steps all these days, splashing as through puddles?

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

[artquiem]

Humility is a virtue, and pride a vice; “we” is from god, and “I” from the devil.

[osoavefanciulla]

adore this section on mortality in We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

[unhavoc]

"But isn't blooming a sickness? Doesn't it hurt when the bud bursts open?"

- Yevgeny Zamyatin, We

[litandlifequotes]

There is no final one; revolutions are infinite.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

[adobongsiopao]

Currently reading "We" by Yevgany Zamyatin.

I heard this is one of the few novels pioneered the dystopian genre few decades before the "1984" novel made it more popular. It was also one of the inspirations behind the latter too. I admit I was somewhat disapointed when it comes to price because this is more expensive than "1984" and has less pages than the latter. Fortunately, I happened to have some discount points I collected from the shopping app so I used it so I don't need to pay much. Then again given its rarity it was somehow understandable. I'm around chapter six and so far it has a slow start. A lot of characters have interesting names as if they're like license plate numbers for cars and seemed to have some reference about mathematics. If you're looking for stories similar to "1984" or want to read dystopia novel more then "We" is another one recommended to read.

[quibbs126]

Why are the two main things on my mind today the Legend of the Red Dragon story and communism?

[soracities]

I ask you: what have people—from the very cradle—prayed for, dreamed about, and agonized over? They have wanted someone, anyone, to tell them once and for all what happiness is—and then to attach them to this happiness with a chain...What are we now doing, if it isn't this? The ancient dream about paradise...Remember: in paradise, they don't know desire, they don't know pity, they don't know love...

Yevgeny Zamyatin, We (trans. Natasha Randall)

[mr-mcduckface]

Whee! By Zamyatin,

[ahdndnaneb]

“A person is like a novel: Up to the very last page you don’t know how it’s going to end. Otherwise, there’d be no point in reading…”

— Yevgeny Zamyatin, We