The Free Word: Ayn Rand's Anthem read by Greg Giordano

Librivox is an internationally recognized group of readers, narrators, voice-over artists, sound editors, graphic artists, proof listeners and computer whizzes who have the goal of making as many works of the printed word (in audio format) available for free over the Internet or downloadable to a mobile device.  As a proud member of Librivox I have recorded many stories, essays, book chapters, poems, dramatic readings and even full length books. Librivox, by the way, means variously Free Word, Free Voice, or Book Voice. 

A Librivox recording is timeless.  Whether it be Shakespeare, the Holy Bible, or A.A. Milne (the creator of Winnie the Pooh), the written word comes to life via the spoken word.  In collaboration with Ann Boulais, who handled the proof listening and digital cataloging duties, my latest contribution to this ever growing collection is a recording of Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Ayn Rand is best known for her classics Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Fans of such modern bestsellers as The City of Ember and Divergent will see the roots of these stories in Rand’s book. One of her earlier works, Anthem is a dystopian vision of a world in which “self” has been abolished and people have become nothing more than parts of a greater “collective.” Rooted in her own experiences fleeing from the communist Russia of the 1920’s, as well as the rise of fascism in Italy and National Socialism in Germany, Rand wrote Anthem as a warning to all concerned with losing personal identity in an ever changing and rapidly developing world.

No doubt with Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini in mind, the writer of “The Role of Free Will in Anthem” comments “…the dictators may succeed in cowing large elements of the populace, convincing them to meekly grovel — but they will never succeed in changing human nature Their mandates are powerless to alter the earth's orbit around the sun or a plant's necessity to conduct photosynthesis or a bird's need to fly. Similarly, their commands cannot change the fact that a human is a thinking being. Therefore, the possibility of thinkers arising to question those who wish to subjugate others cannot be extirpated.” (Cliffs Notes – Houghton, Mifflin & Harcourt).

Whether or not you are a fan of Ayn Rand’s later works, this early piece will capture your attention. Clocking in at just over 2 hours, Anthem is an easy listen that will surely get you thinking about the rise of collective thought and whether or not that is a path mankind needs to once again travel down.  For the cost conscious listener the best news is that there is NO COST at all to enjoy Anthem and thousands of other wonderful works of literature available at Librivox.

Here is a link to open up the door to this work that will, without a doubt, have you thinking about the human race’s past, present and future:

https://librivox.org/anthem-version-4-by-ayn-rand/

You can play or download the entire book, or any individual chapter(s) of your choosing. Happy listening!