Yevgeny Zamyatin

Russian author whose dystopian novel inspired 1984 and Brave New World

Yevgeny Zamyatin (1884-1937) wrote We in 1921, creating the blueprint for modern dystopian fiction. His novel depicted a totalitarian society using glass architecture and mathematical precision to suppress individuality - concepts later adopted by Orwell and Huxley.

A naval engineer by training, Zamyatin blended technical precision with literary innovation. The Soviet regime banned We as 'counterrevolutionary', forcing its initial publication abroad. His critical essays on socialist realism led to exile in 1931, making him the first writer expelled under Stalin.

Zamyatin's narrative techniques influenced literary movements from Surrealism to Cyberpunk. His concept of 'perpetual revolution' challenged both Tsarist and Bolshevik ideologies. Despite dying in Parisian obscurity, his work gained posthumous recognition during Khrushchev's Thaw.