Мы (1924)

A mathematician’s official record begins to escape the certainties of the One State, turning a perfectly ordered society into an increasingly unstable personal account. Zamyatin’s We, originally Мы, is translated from Russian in Natasha Randall’s Modern Library edition. Read for the mixture of mathematical imagery, desire and fractured narration that makes this more than a historical precursor to later dystopias. Several English translations exist, so the translator’s name is a useful way to identify the recommended edition.