We: New Edition Read online

  It can’t be put off, because in the western quarters there is still chaos, roaring, corpses, animals, and, unfortunately, quite a lot of Numbers who have betrayed reason.

  But on Fortieth Avenue, which runs crosstown, they’ve managed to build a temporary wall of high-voltage waves. And I hope we’ll win. More—I’m certain we’ll win. Because reason has to win.

  TRANSLATOR’S NOTES

  p. 13 the Taylor exercises: In the absence of conclusive evidence, this was long thought to be Brook Taylor (1685-1731), a British mathematician noted for his contributions to the calculus. It now seems far more plausible that Zamyatin is referring to the American efficiency expert Frederick Winslow Taylor (1856-1915), the father of scientific management, whose famous time-and-motion studies were much discussed at the time We was being written.

  p. 19 Maclaurin: Colin Maclaurin, Scottish mathematician (1698—1746).

  p. 49 “archangels”: Thus in the available Russian text, though both Zilboorg and Cauvet-Duhamel have the more plausible “Guardian Angels” (anges gardiens).

  p. 163 [I was not far from the rust-red, opaque]: There is an omission at this point in the only full and reliable Russian text (NY, 1952). Noting this, the editors of the Soviet edition (M. 1988, p. 541) supply Russian words they arrive at by translating from the French translation of B. Cauvet-Duhamel (Nous autres, 1929): “J‘apercevais déjà de loin la masse opaque et rouge” (172). I have used the English translation by Gregory Zilboorg (We, New York, 1924), that being the first published version of the phrase in any language.

  a Probably from the old word uniform.

  b This word has come down to us only as a poetic metaphor. It is not known what the chemical composition of this material was.

  c His subject was OneState law, of course, not the religious law that used to be taught in old schools.

  d From the Botanical Museum, of course. I personally see nothing beautiful in flowers, nor in anything else that belongs to the savage world long ago banished behind the Green Wall. The only thing that is beautiful is what is rational and useful: machines, boots, formulas, food, and so on.

  e See note p. 223.—Trans.

  f I must confess that the real reason for this smile I learned only after many days, days packed with the strangest and most astonishing events.

  g This was a long time ago, in the Third Century of the Table.