Ayn Rand

Ann Rand is an amazing author with a superlative philosophy on life called objectivism. Her books more than demonstrate her philosophy, but I feel as if I need to read more of her works. I have personally purchased four of her novels and one of her nonfiction works, including Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, Anthem, We the Living, and For the New Intellectual. I have only read the first three in that list, but I will soon read the others. I also hope to purchase her remaining nonfiction works soon. Rand's philosophy has honestly given me a brand new way of viewing the world.

Atlas Shrugged, Rand's magnum opus, is an amazing book about the struggles of men in a doomed world. I don't want to ruin much of the story, but I do want to say that any advocate of capitalism will find this book more than captivating. This book is all about the fall of humanity, and though it was written at least fifty years ago, I think that it could easily be coming true today.

The Fountainhead is an earlier work of fiction by Ayn Rand. This piece of fiction, though good, cannot live up to Atlas Shrugged. Rand's philosophy, in its final stages of development at this point, is drawn out fully for the first time in a novel. Much like Atlas Shrugged, the book is very long and detailed. However, the plot line in The Fountainhead is much more centered on a single man and his profession, unlike Atlas Shrugged, which divides the plot among multiple characters. The Fountainhead is also not about the "end" of the world, which is sort of what Atlas Shrugged is about. Still, the book was enjoyable. The extra focus allows readers to become more familiar with the main character and his ambitions. By the end of the book, readers can fully understand Howard Roark and his complicated views, which are in essence the views of Rand herself.

Anthem, an interesting novella, is nothing like Rand's other fiction that I have read. This book is about a society in which collectivism is the norm, to such an extent that there is no such thing as an individual. Even the word "I" has been forgotten by this collective society, and no one has a name in the normal sense. The main character struggles with this society, for his views are not like those of his peers. He does not seem to fit in, and neither does the woman he runs away with. In the end, the man learns of the individual, and in doing so becomes one himself. I must admit, this was a very strange work, but I did enjoy it. It was a very quick read, as well, but the hundred pages or so contained a lot of meaning. I definitely recommend this work to anyone interested in reading Ayn Rand.

Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her best-selling novels and for developing a philosophical system called Objectivism. Born and educated in Russia, Rand emigrated to the United States in 1926. She worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood and had a play produced on Broadway in 1935-1936. She first achieved fame with The Fountainhead (1943), and her best-known work – the philosophical novel Atlas Shrugged – was published in 1957.

Rand's political views, reflected in both her fiction and her theoretical work, emphasize individual rights (including property rights) and laissez-faire capitalism, enforced by constitutionally limited government. She was a fierce opponent of all forms of collectivism and statism, including fascism, communism, and the welfare state. She was also an atheist and promoted ethical egoism (which she termed "rational self-interest") while condemning altruism.