Edward Bellamy Bücher

"Als Julian West in einen künstlich herbeigeführten hundertjährigen Schlaf fällt, findet er nach dem Aufwachen die Welt um sich herum nach all der Zeit verständlicherweise deutlich verändert vor. Boston und überhaupt die USA sind in dieser, leider sehr fiktionalen Erzählung, ein ideales, perfektes Gemeinwesen. So sehr Bellamy hier auch von der Wirklichkeit entfernt ist - einige Aspekte unseres heutigen Lebens hat er tatsächlich zutreffend prognostiziert - so etwa die Kreditkarte, die erst viele Jahre nach seinem Roman erfunden wurde." Redaktion Gröls-Verlag (Edition Werke der Weltliteratur)

LOOKING BACKWARD is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a lawyer and writer from Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts; it was first published in 1887. According to Erich Fromm, Looking Backward is “one of the most remarkable books ever published in America.” It influenced a large number of intellectuals, and appears by title in many of the major Marxist writings of the day. “It is one of the few books ever published that created almost immediately on its appearance a political mass movement”. In the United States alone, over 162 “Bellamy Clubs” sprang up to discuss and propagate the book's ideas. The novel also inspired several utopian communities.

Set in a transformed America, the novel follows Julian West as he awakens from a century-long coma to discover a society where economic equality prevails. Abolishing wealth disparities, the new world promotes collective work for the common good, reflecting socialist ideals. Through Julian’s journey, the book explores themes of vegetarianism, feminism, and the rejection of private capital, elaborating on the vision established in its predecessor. This sequel serves as a detailed exploration of Bellamy's revolutionary ideas, resonating with contemporary leftist thought.