Anthem is a novella by Russian-American writer Ayn Rand. This dystopian fiction was written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the UK. The story takes place at an undesignated future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. Equality 7-2521, a 21-year-old man, rebels by doing secret scientific research. He commits several transgressions. But his activity is discovered. He flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves and both plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism.
The plot of the novella revolves around this young man who exclusively uses plural pronouns such as ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘they’ to refer to himself and others. The girl he meets is Liberty 5-3000, a 17-year-old Peasant girl who works in the fields. When he speaks to her, he discovers that she also thinks of him. Anthem was published in the US only after author’s next novel, The Fountainhead, became a best seller.
