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Kallocain

By Karin Boye
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3.72 goodreads logo

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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Kallocain by Karin Boye explores a dystopian world where a totalitarian regime maintains control over its citizens through surveillance and a mind-controlling serum called Kallocain. The story follows Leo Kall, a scientist who invents the drug, which forces people to reveal their innermost thoughts. As the drug is tested, it raises profound questions about loyalty, power, and freedom.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you're intrigued by dystopian worlds reminiscent of an oppressive state surveillance culture, then this book might capture your interest. It explores themes of identity and control, offering a thought-provoking narrative that delves into the psyche of an individual faced with the moral dilemmas of a totalitarian regime.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Leo Kall is a zealous middle-ranking scientist in the totalitarian World State who has just made a thrilling discovery: a new drug, Kallocain, that will force anyone who takes it to tell the truth. At last, criminality will be dragged out into the open and private thought can finally be outlawed. But can the World State be trusted with Kallocain? For that matter, can Kall himself be trusted?

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The classic dystopian novel from Sweden, written at the midpoint between Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four.

Leo Kall is a zealous, middle-ranking scientist in the totalitarian World State who has just made a thrilling discovery—a new drug, Kallocain, that will force anyone who takes it to tell the truth. At last, criminality will be dragged out into the open, and private thought can finally be outlawed. But can the World State be trusted with Kallocain? For that matter—can Kall himself be trusted?

Written as the terrible events of the Second World War were unfolding, Karin Boye's classic dystopian novel speaks more clearly than ever of the dangers of acquiescence, and the power of resistance, no matter how futile.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Kallocain by Karin Boye is often recognised for its profound reimagining of the dystopian genre. It offers a sharp critique of surveillance and control, showcasing Boye's innovative storytelling that continues to resonate with contemporary readers.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241608302

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 June 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by David McDuff
  • Translated by David McDuff

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 14.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 146g

Pages: 192

Collections

2025 Best Sellers Best Sellers at Book Hero Classic Fiction Classic Science Fiction Dystopian Fiction Education & Reference Fiction General Fiction In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Karin Boye Moving Day Sale Moving Day Sale: Books Moving Day Sale: General Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Politics & Current Affairs Sci-Fi & Fantasy Science Fiction

About the Author

Karin Boye (1900-41), born in Sweden, was a poet and anti-Fascist who translated The Waste Land into Swedish. After undergoing psychoanalysis in Berlin, she left her husband and formed a lifelong relationship with another woman, Margot Hanel. Her most famous book, Kallocain (1940), was partly inspired by eye-opening trips to Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia. Boye committed suicide the year after writing the novel. David McDuff's translations for Penguin Classics include Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov and The Idiot, and Babel's short stories.

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