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Ed wrote: "Not too long ago I read a new translation of Beowulf. The translator used the word "Bro" a lot. Sure, if that word existed back then, those guys would have used it. But it pulled me out of the story. Apart from that, she made some nice choices. ..."

Which translator?

Maria Dahvana Headley.

He rode hard! He stayed thirsty! He was the man!
He was the man

I found the second half of the novel to be much more fluid. More along the lines of what I’m used to reading. I wasn’t turned off by the choppy nature of the writing but I did read it in short intervals of 10 to 20 pages at a time, which probably helped.
I’m glad I read it.

I think the writing changed as the main character developed his own personality.

I completely agree Rosemarie.

We is a classic of the genre. Even if one does not like the book, it is important to read the classics in the genre to get a full understanding of the breadth and different authors and their stories. Yevgeny Zamyatin was very brave because he could have just disappeared due to Stalin's mehtods.

Papaphilly wrote: "Yevgeny Zamyatin was very brave because he could have just disappeared due to Stalin's mehtods."

When he wrote it, in 1924 there was NEP (New economic policy) and much more freedom of press than a decade later, so it wasn't a lot of bravery needed.

I just read an article about Soviet SF here



It mentions a story that may have inspired this one.

Yefim Zozulya: he may have been the greatest fabulist of his generation, and one of the most interesting writers of dark, speculative, and macabre short fiction in 1920s Russia. He was both prolific and successful, his works published in popular literary magazines. His short story “The Tale of Ak and Humanity� directly inspired Zamyatin’s We and may be the foundational work of the anti-utopian genre. And yet, if you’ve never heard of him before, you would be in good company with most Russian-speaking fans today, save for a loyal but relatively minor cult following.

I had trouble finding this story anywhere, but finally found it in 1917: Stories and Poems from the Russian Revolution. The story is also known as "The Dictator".

Here is a nice short review of that collection: