Beyond the Green Wall: Echoes of Zamyatin’s One State Across a Century of Ustopia
Beyond the Green Wall: Echoes of Zamyatin’s One State Across a Century of Ustopia

Summary/Abstract: A century after the completion of Zamyatin’s We, this paper aims to revisit the fictional universe that not only inspired some of the best-known dystopian texts of the twentieth century but still continues to influence the literary and cinematic narratives of the present. Using Margaret Atwood’s introduction to the latest English translation of the Russian novel and her hybrid concept of ‘ustopia’ as its main starting points, the analysis will examine the intricate network of relationships between this text and its Western avatars, from literary classics (Huxley’s Brave New World, Rand’s Anthem, Orwell’s 1984, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 and Atwood’s own The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments) to young adult bestsellers (Lowry’s The Giver, Collins’ The Hunger Games, Roth’s Divergent, Oliver’s Delirium),graphic novels (Moore and Lloyd’s V for Vendetta) and cinematic blockbusters(Gattaca, Equilibrium, Equals). Without aspiring to touch upon all the common denominators of these apocalyptic scenarios, ranging from allusive code names to colourless and claustrophobic cityscapes, the paper simply intends to identify some of the most poignant echoes of Zamyatin’s novel, permeating in equal measure subsequent narratives and the somewhat precarious reality of our own present.

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