Jerome K. Jerome, best known for the comic brilliance of his 1889 Three Men in a Boat, was also a sharp satirist with a keen eye for the absurdities of social reform.

In 1891, within Diary of a Pilgrimage (and Six Essays), he published “The New Utopia,” a short, dreamlike excursion into a future governed by extreme egalitarian socialism. The piece stands in deliberate contrast to his lighthearted travel writing, revealing a writer capable of turning his wit toward darker, more speculative ends.

What makes “The New Utopia” remarkable — indeed, indispensable — is how clearly it anticipates the dystopian tradition that would not fully bloom until decades later.

Long before WE, Brave New World, Anthem, or 1984, Jerome was already sketching the architecture of totalitarian modernity: enforced sameness, the erasure of individuality, the bureaucratic management of life, and the chilling belief that progress requires the sacrifice of the human spirit.

These motifs, which later became hallmarks of the genre, appear here in embryonic but unmistakable form. If we are to talk seriously about the lineage of dystopian fiction — if we invoke Zamyatin, Huxley, Rand, or Orwell — then we must begin with Jerome.

“The New Utopia” is not merely a parody of utopian excess; it is an early warning, a satirical blueprint, and a foundational text in the evolution of the modern dystopia. To overlook it is to misunderstand the genealogy of the genre itself.

To read it now is to watch the genre’s future taking shape in real time. Jerome approaches dystopia not with the solemnity that later writers would adopt, but with a humorist’s scalpel — precise, unsparing, and all the more devastating for its lightness of touch. His satire exposes the same authoritarian impulses that would later be rendered in darker hues, proving that the DNA of modern dystopian fiction was already present in the 1890s.

“The New Utopia” reminds us that the conversation about dystopia did not begin in the 20th century; Jerome deserves to be recognized as one of the foundational architects of the literary dystopian tradition, and it’s long past time we said so plainly. That’s why we’ve created this Short: we believe the piece stands on its own as a fully independent work — compact, incisive, and more than worthy of its place in the canon, even if it is just shy of a couple dozen pages.

As for the text, given its brief page count there was little editing Heathening required of us, but we’ve modernized a few hyphenated words so they read a bit easier (to-day is now today, and so on). We’ve also appended twenty footnotes throughout the story to provide clarity, context, and commentary where necessary.

Additionally, we have included Jerome’s preface from Diary of a Pilgrimage, lightly edited to remove references to the book’s other essays. Our aim is to orient you to Jerome’s intention and, if you’re not familiar, introduce you to his signature wink‑and‑grin humor without the distraction of material irrelevant to this Short.

Now, who wants to smoke some strong cigars?

“’The New Utopia‘ gives the ridiculous side of present patent ideas for human progress.” —The Brooklyn Eagle

“An exceedingly interesting short story.” —The Coleshill Chronicle

“A mordant little satire on egalitarianism anticipating Vonnegut’s ‘Harrison Bergeron’ and many similar works.” —Interzone

“’The New Utopia‘ is a humorous parody making fun of the utopian dreams celebrated by Edward Bellamy in Looking Backwards and William Morris in News from Nowhere.” —Dictionary of Literary Utopias

“A sharp departure from his own tradition, it is difficult to see the inducement unless one accepts the hypothesis that Mr. Jerome is like the comedian burning to play tragedy.” —Boston Post

“Written in a sketchy, breezy way which is very interesting.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“’The New Utopia‘ is Jerome K. Jerome’s answer to Edward Bellamy.” —The Review of Reviews

“A quaint mixture of humor and cynicism directed chiefly against certain errors which the present condition of society tends rather to foster than to check.” —The Morning Post

“If we don’t watch our step we’ll be in Jerome’s ‘Utopia.’” —The Emporia Weekly Gazette

“’The New Utopia‘ prefigured many of the common motifs of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century utopian and dystopian fiction.” —Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism

The New Utopia

• Title Page
• Heathenry Flame
• Honorary Heathen Headshot: Jerome K. Jerome
• End Title

• Fiction / Dystopian
• Fiction / Satire
• Fiction / Science Fiction / Humorous