Buzz
In January 1946, George Orwell reviewed a relatively unknown Russian novel, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, in the Tribune. Initially published in New York in 1921 after being banned in Russia, We had just been translated into French, a language Orwell was proficient in. Having recently authored Animal Farm and being a writer who intertwined fiction with politics, Orwell was an ideal candidate to analyze this dystopian masterpiece.
We follows the life of D-503, a resident of a futuristic dystopian city where individuals are identified by alphanumeric codes instead of traditional names. The city is under constant surveillance by the Bureau of Guardians, led by the omnipotent Well-Doer (or "the Benefactor" in some versions). Early in the story, D-503 encounters a woman who repeatedly appears in his life. Initially distrustful, he grows to love her, and she motivates him to defy the oppressive regime.
Orwell, in his review, commended the novel for its “intuitive understanding of the irrational aspects of totalitarianism.” Three years later, he released 1984, a dystopian tale about Winston, a man living in a future city under the watchful eye of the Thought Police and their leader, Big Brother. Early in the story, Winston notices a woman who seems to appear everywhere he goes. Suspicious at first, he eventually falls in love with her, and she encourages him to rebel against the state. The parallels are unmistakable.
Orwell never admitted to drawing inspiration from We for his iconic work, but the timing of his exposure to the novel and the striking parallels between the two stories make it difficult to believe otherwise. Both D-503 and Winston (DOUBLE SPOILER ALERT) undergo processes that strip them of their capacity to oppose the state’s ideology, leading them to lose affection for their former lovers. In both narratives, freedom is portrayed as a destructive force and an obstacle to an ideal existence. In We, this concept is expressed through references to “when humans existed in a state of freedom, an unorganized and primitive condition.” In 1984, it is encapsulated in the Party’s famous mantra:
WAR IS PEACE FREEDOM IS SLAVERY IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH
The novels also share several minor yet significant similarities. Both protagonists maintain secret diaries, written at great personal risk, with the hope that future generations will read them. Public executions are used in both stories to incite fervent loyalty to their leaders among the populace. Additionally, both worlds have abandoned the 12-hour clock system. In We, D-503 declares:
There is but one truth, and there is but one path to it; and that truth is: four, and that path is: two times two.
In 1984, Winston records in his diary:
Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two makes four. If that is granted, all else follows.
Orwell wasn’t the sole author to draw heavily from We. Despite its limited recognition among the general public, We has served as a foundational work for many 20th-century dystopian writers. Ayn Rand reportedly found inspiration in it, as did Vladimir Nabokov, who allegedly read it before penning Invitation to a Beheading. In his review of Brave New World, Orwell hinted that Aldous Huxley might have borrowed elements from Zamyatin. Kurt Vonnegut acknowledged this in a Playboy interview, stating, "I cheerfully ripped off the plot of Brave New World, whose plot had been cheerfully ripped off from Yevgeny Zamyatin's We." Huxley, however, claimed he wrote his dystopian novel before encountering We.
Of course, there are notable differences between We and 1984. The United State (or One State in some translations) in We is a futuristic city seemingly constructed anew, whereas the London of 1984, now part of “Airstrip One,” retains decaying 19th-century buildings and a familiar layout. In We, society consists of a single class, excluding government officials. In 1984, the hierarchy includes the elite Inner Party, the middle-tier Outer Party, and the lower-class proles. We features a glass city enabling constant surveillance, while 1984 relies on telescreens in homes and public spaces. Winston works at the Ministry of Truth, altering historical records, while D-503 is the chief engineer of the Integral, a spaceship designed for planetary conquest.
The most significant difference lies in their impact: 1984 became one of the most influential novels in political and societal discourse, while We faded into obscurity. The reasons are complex. 1984 is more skillfully written, with Orwell’s ability to immerse readers in Winston’s oppressive reality creating an immediacy that We sometimes lacks. Orwell maintains narrative focus, whereas Zamyatin occasionally strays into tangential descriptions of his imagined world, leaving readers disoriented.
Moreover, Orwell’s decision to set his dystopia in a recognizable location and near future resonated deeply with readers. In contrast, We is set in the 26th century in an abstract city, creating a disconnect from the reader’s reality. Zamyatin, a dissident writer persecuted by the Soviet regime, likely aimed for a universal setting rather than one tied to a specific regime. However, this choice creates a gap between the reader’s world and the novel’s, a gap that 1984 masterfully bridges.
Orwell imbued Winston with a simmering disdain for the oppressive political system he is ensnared in from the start, generating a tension that propels the narrative. In contrast, Zamyatin’s D-503 initially believes in the system and only turns against it after being swayed by the woman he falls deeply—and disastrously—in love with. Her actions drive the story, while D-503, despite being the protagonist, never fully earns the reader’s sympathy.
The reception of We in Russia underscores its significance: Soviet censors banned its publication, and it wasn’t officially released in Russia until 1988. However, a Russian publisher in Prague printed the novel in its original language in 1927, and copies were smuggled into Russia, circulating among readers. The book’s impact is evident in its ability to resonate deeply, as it wouldn’t have been so widely shared otherwise. Zamyatin’s dystopian vision took the prevailing ideology of his era to a chilling extreme, a fact underscored by the Soviet regime’s efforts to suppress it.
If Zamyatin laid the groundwork for the 20th-century dystopian novel, Orwell refined it to perfection. Art often builds on its predecessors, but such a direct yet unacknowledged influence is rare. 1984 demonstrated the profound power of literature to shape collective consciousness, yet the failure to recognize its roots in We mirrors the historical erasure Winston perpetuates in his work at the Ministry of Truth.
