‘We’ or ‘1984’?

Today, I present a piece of literary drama that I learned in my Russian literature in translation module I took my final year at university. In 1921, Yevgeny Zamyatin wrote a book called We—you may recognize this title from my banned books post from last week. This is indeed the first book that was banned in 1921 by the Soviet Union.

We is a dystopian novel following a man defecting from his society. The society outlined is one of total control, loss of individuality and an immense focus on the group over self. The book covers extremist topics such as surveillance, security and the human mind. You may recognize such extreme themes from the most banned book in all of history, 1984.

As We was banned in 1921, it was not widely read for at least another 15-20 years after its publication. It was published in French translation and picked up by a man named George Orwell in 1946. Three years later, Orwell published his masterpiece, 1984 which captured worldwide attention—even lasting to this very day.

After reading Zamyatin’s We, I have lost my enthusiasm for 1984. Saying Orwell took inspiration for 1984 from We is a tad bit of an understatement in my personal opinion. I suggest reading both novels side-by-side if you wish to see their similarities. I personally prefer Zamyatin’s We, however, I will always recognize1984 as a brilliant dystopian classic. If you haven’t already, I suggest you Zamyatin's We to your 2026 reading list.

If you have read both novels, let me know in the comments below which one your favorite is!

Sincerely,

your 21st century poet