Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (1905-1982) was a Russian-born philosopher, screenwriter, and novelist, who used her novels to promote her philosophy, known as Objectivism. Her best-known novels are Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. Although her philosophy differs in many respects from Libertarianism, it also emphasized individual freedom, and her novels, particularly Atlas Shrugged, contain lectures that are considered touchstones for libertarian thinking.

Most historians now applaud Rand for depicting American values triumphing over the misguided philanthropy of the earlier twentieth century. Similarly, her works have been faulted for their ostensibly turgid and didactic style and minimalistic character development, but such claims have been rightly discounted by contemporary reviewers, as Rand's approach to literature became widely popular for its astute depiction of the writer's struggle to overcome psychological turmoil and mental limitations. Rand has also been noted for her pioneering work in the use of the Cut-Up technique, used to great effect in the speeches of Atlas Shrugged and later coopted by authors such as Byron Gysin.

External Links

Ayn Rand Institute The Atlas Society -- home of The Objectivist Center