An exploration of dystopian literature, from the hypothetical futures in Western classics such as "Brave New World" to the historical reality of writers from Eastern and Central Europe. It shows that those who write under dictatorships find the worst of all possible worlds in their own reality.

She introduces the works of Victor Serge, Vassily Grossmam, Alexander Zinoviev, Tibor Dery, Arthur Koestler, Vaclav Havel, and Istvan Klima, as well as a host of others, all well-known in their own countries, presenting them within a framework established through an original and comprehensive exploration of the patterns underlying the more familiar Western works of dystopian fiction.