Evgenii Zamiatin's seminal antiutopian satire "We" (written 1920-1) is one of the most celebrated works of twentieth century Russian literature. Set one thousand years in the future, it is a witty yet terrifying picture of a future society in which reason is all-conquering and mankind has been enslaved by a dictator called 'the benefactor'. This new study presents both a synthesis of existing criticism and a new reading of the novel. The first section deals with "We" in the context of the Russian Civil War, showing how Zamiatin's contemporaries interpreted it as a satire on life in Soviet Russia. The major trends in the diverse body of modern criticism are then surveyed. The longer second part of the study consists of a detailed reading of the novel based on close textual analysis of the forty 'entries' of its narrator's diary.

Martin Hammond was Head of Classics and Master in College at Eton College. He was also Headmaster of City of London School, and Tonbridge School, Kent. His acclaimed translation of the Iliad was published by Penguin Classics.

Homer is the author of the Iliad and the Odyssey, and is revered as the greatest of ancient Greek epic poets. These epics representthe beginning of the Western canon, and have had an enormous influence on the history of literature.