First Dystopian Novel Ever Written

[Michael Colton]

This is one of those discussion topics where you have to have a fairly agreed upon working definition of 'dystopian' as it relates to fiction before you can pinpoint the first occurrence of it.

 

[Vertigo]

I was going to opt for Wells' When the Sleeper Wakes as being definitely dystopian and science fiction. But I see it's already there in that Wiki list.

 

[wam]

I've heard Yevgeny Zamyatin's We is the ifrst dystopian novel ever written, published in 1924. If anyone knows of one written before We, let me know.

Or, just let me know what you think of We.

Years ago, I read a heavily annotated copy of Utopia. It seems More thought that it would have been an awful place to be. Maybe the real "dystopia" is the great place that everyone would like to live in.