All About Ayn Rand and 9 of Her Best Books to Read

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“The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.”- Ayn Rand

After reading the quote above, you may feel puzzled, disagree, or nod your head. This quote is, in fact, one of the best thought-provoking examples to peek into Ayn Rand’s thoughts, opinions, and philosophies. well, somebody actually said that you can either be an ardent supporter or an outright critic of his philosophy, there is absolutely no middle ground. Rand in her time was in a class of her own, presenting views on society and politics that were unique and unheard of. But who was Ayn Rand and what work of hers made her way to fame? On the occasion of the anniversary of his birth, let’s delve into his dense and stratified life that he led for more than seven decades.

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born alisa zinovyevna rosenbaum on february 2, 1905 into a russian jewish family established in st. petersburg, russia, ayn rand was the eldest of her parents’ three daughters. her father was a pharmacist and her mother a socially ambitious and religious lady. Rand was initially tutored at home and later enrolled in a progressive school, although she found schools unchallenging. From her childhood, she was academically excellent but often socially isolated. During 1917, at the time of the Russian revolution, it was the darkest time for her family, as her father’s shop was confiscated by the communist authorities, which brought her family to the brink of bankruptcy. starvation. This incident in Rand’s life is attributed to being the main reason why she detested the entire communist ideology of the Soviet Union and eschewed the idea of the “common good”. we’ll talk about that a bit later. ever since she experienced the effects of the civil war and the russian revolution, she strongly opposed the communists and tsarists. Rand had majored in history, but she was also exposed to a wide variety of other thoughts and ideas from a different school of philosophies, especially Aristotle and Plato. this flourished even more during this period of the Russian silver age. In the case of literary explorations, she ardently admired Victor Hugo and cited him as the inspiration for her “romantic realism” works.

one of rand’s fields of interest was in the movies. After graduating from Petrograd State University in 1924, he enrolled in the State Institute of Cinematography due to his passion for screenwriting. But her luck was in her favor, and the arrival of a letter from her cousins who remained in America, inviting her to come, turned out to be an opportunity to leave the Soviet Union and never return. In 1925 she obtained permission to visit her relatives in the United States. she left under the pretext of gaining knowledge and experience to apply in the Soviet film industry upon her return, but everyone, including her, knew that she never intended to return. After six months in Chicago, she entered the world of Hollywood. Luck was on her cards again, and on her second day there she ran into filmmaker Cecil B. demille and got a job as a script reader and was later promoted to screenwriter. Soon after, she had another chance to meet actor Frank O’Connor, whom she married in 1929 and was married to until he died in 1979. When she arrived in the United States, she adopted the name Ayn Rand, which was thought to be It was to be done to protect his family in Russia. but she had said in an interview that “rand” was an abbreviation of her Russian surname. she eventually became a US citizen in 1931.

but for ayn rand, writing was her main passion, an important channel to defend her thoughts. As a screenwriter, he wrote quite a few Broadway plays and movie scripts, but his big break came later. His two most successful novels-“The Fountainhead” (1943) and “Atlas Shrugged” (1957), carved their way to fame after two initially unsuccessful novels. Later in her writing career, she turned to nonfiction to advance her theories and ideologies and create a forum to improve her thinking and respond to queries and criticism. Rand developed a conception of metaphysical realism, rationality, ethical egoism, individual rights, laissez-faire capitalism, and art. She wrote controversial philosophical essays, often in response to questions from fans of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Rand’s philosophy, in a nutshell, is “the concept of man as a heroic being, with his happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest pursuit, and reason as his only absolute.” p>

the philosophy espoused by ayn rand is commonly called “objectivism”. Rand firmly believed that the pursuit of happiness was man’s highest moral purpose in life. he opposed collectivism and authoritarianism, as well as anarchism. he supported “rational and ethical egoism” which changed the perspective on the term “egoism” and rejected altruism. In short, according to her, individual growth is more important and beneficial than the “collective good” which, according to her, is very misleading. she took the subject of philosophy very seriously and rightly so; Her novels express her belief that philosophy is a very determining and strong guiding factor of our lives that essentially shapes our thinking. she suggests that social change must begin with a moral transformation within each person and that critical dialogue and artistic inspiration must extend through correct and rational ideals. she believed that reason was the only means of acquiring knowledge and vehemently rejected faith and religion. she condemned the start of the force as immoral and instead supported capitalism.

turning to the feminist aspect of rand’s writing style and representations. if feminism means equality between men and women in all spheres, then by logical interpretation objectivism is inherently feminist because ultimately it is for all human beings, regardless of gender, race, or any other human distinction . Rand’s heroines were confident figures in their work who made all their decisions intelligently and without any sense of doubt. keep in mind that writing such characters in the 20th century was certainly a fresh breeze in the air. None of Rand’s heroines sacrifices her interests, intellect, or principles for the man or men in her life. in all three novels, it is the heroine who has the power to choose which of the men who love, admire and desire her (and her alone) will have her. Rand was also an ardent advocate for a woman’s right to control her own reproductive choices because the right to abortion falls under the cusp of individual rights.

“I am often asked if I am primarily a novelist or a philosopher. the answer is both in a sense, every novelist is a philosopher, because you can’t present a picture of human existence without a philosophical framework. . . . In order to define, explain and present my concept of man, I had to become a philosopher in the specific sense of the term.”—ayn rand

but the main question that arises in our minds is how exactly it is able to create an unforgettable impact in the minds of its readers. the common thread running through all of his novels is the unapologetic protagonists who lead successful lives due to their uncompromising egocentric virtues, which are of course not shared by many, and therefore come under scrutiny by those who are unwilling. to work hard in the right direction. Unfortunately, many find his writing style rigid and devoid of sensitivity, and thus his views are often misunderstood and misguided.

Now, if you’re intrigued by the personality of Ayn Rand and interested in exploring her works, then let’s move on to the recommendations, shall we?

1. anthem (1938)

This is a dystopian fiction novel that takes place at an unspecified date in the future where humanity has entered a dark age. in this dark age, everything is manipulated through technology, and the sense of individuality is nowhere to be seen. a young man rebels doing a secret scientific research. he runs away to the desert with the girl he loves and they plan to establish a new society based on a renewed individuality.

2. philosophy: who needs it (1982)

This non-fiction book is a collection of essays by Ayn Rand that was published posthumously in 1982. As mentioned earlier, here in this book Rand also argues that philosophy plays a central role in all human activities. she argues that humans need to examine their assumptions in order to live full and meaningful lives.

3. the virtue of selfishness (1964)

probably one of the best books to make you rethink and perhaps force you to restructure your views on selfishness. The main question Rand seeks to answer here – “Is selfishness a vice or a virtue?” This book is also a collection of essays by philosopher Ayn Rand and writer Nathaniel Branden. Contains 19 essays, 14 of them by Rand and 5 of them by Branden. The book covers ethical issues from the perspective of Rand’s objectivist philosophy.

4. the romantic manifesto (1969)

another collection of essays written by rand where the nature of art takes center stage. Rand argues that without infusing one’s own value judgments and personal ideology into a given work, one cannot create art. she says that the work is tinged with a naturalistic message, although the artist seeks to hide moral connotations. Packed with some more controversial opinions, this book is also meant to be read only by those who are not so easily triggered. Maybe she just filters out those phrases that align with her way of thinking, just to avoid getting hurt?

5. atlas shrugged (1957)

Dubbed the “Magna Opus” in literature, this is Ayn Rand’s fourth and final work of fiction. It contains Rand’s longest statement of objectivism in any of her works of fiction. The book explores various philosophical themes from which Rand would later develop Objectivism. represents the American dystopian. in which private companies suffer under increasingly onerous laws and regulations. After its release, Atlas Shrugged received overwhelmingly negative reviews, but eventually and steadily achieved continued success and increased sales for decades to come. In short, it represents the defense of reason, individualism and capitalism.

6. we the living (1936)

Now we can’t exclude his first novel, can we? The story is set in post-revolution Russia and is Ayn Rand’s first statement against communism. he even mentioned that this book is the closest he will ever get to writing an autobiography. First published in 1936, We the Living portrays the impact of the Russian Revolution on three human beings. It tells of the passionate love of a young woman, held up like a fortress against the corrupting evil of a totalitarian state. Ayn Rand reveals what socialist ideology really means against the vivid backdrop of political change and personal rebellion.

7. the spring (1943)

This novel is widely considered to be Rand’s first great literary success. The novel’s protagonist, Howard Roark, is an individualistic young architect who refuses to compromise with an inability to embrace creativity in an architectural establishment. Roark’s conflict reflects Rand’s conviction that individualism is superior to collectivism. Dominique Francon, Roark’s lover, is the most controversial character in history. She finds that the breach doesn’t make a significant difference, so she alternates between supporting and criticizing Roark. Feminist critics have condemned and accused Rand of endorsing rape in this novel due to some questionable instances between the protagonists. the controversy does not go out rand, right? then, you can read this book and form your judgment because I refrain from giving more spoilers!

8. capitalism: the unknown ideal (1966)

ayn rand argues that the avalanche of altruism is the cause of the collapse of the modern world. In this series of essays, he presents his position on the persecution of big business and the causes of the war. This book is also testimony to the fact that Rand is in fact one of the most provocative intellectuals on the American scene.

9. introduction to objectivist epistemology (1979)

In this book, Rand examines the problem that brought down modern philosophy, the problem of universals, and offers a surprisingly fresh and original solution. The fantastically written, beautifully argued book is important to all who are striving to learn that humans can and need to live with rational guidance. This book also contains an essay by Leonard Peikoff which is also essential reading on this topic.

although rand is no more, its popularity and relevance do not diminish with the passing of days. his philosophy rejects altruism, turns individualism into a religion, and gives pure egoism the wrong political license. Ultimately, what I always feel for those philosophers and writers who are polarized in their opinions is that as readers we must sift and apply what applies to the situations of the moment and not fall into a rigid stagnation. As humans, we have been able to survive because we are cooperative and able to organize and harness our collective potential. but then the collective potential is not applicable in all fields and our free thinking and individuality of character are needed there. too much of anything becomes a poison in that environment. now tell me in the comments about what do you think of ayn rand’s philosophy? do you think she is the lenin on the right side of the political spectrum?

– amisha acharya

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All About Ayn Rand and 9 of Her Best Books to Read | Bookish Santa