Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was more than just an author, she was the creator of a cult culture and the creator of a philosophy. While her books enjoyed great commercial success and continue to do so, she is probably best known for her theories of rational objectivism-the beliefs that some people were better than others and should not be held to the same laws or standards.

Born in 1905 in St. Petersburg, she lived in an apartment above her father's chemist shop. At age 9, she decided she was going to be a writer. However, in 1917, she witnessed the beginning of the Russian revolution-a revolution that would throw her family into poverty when her father's shop was nationalized.

In 1926, Rand left Russia, arriving in New York with $50 in her pocket. From there she went to Chicago where she adopted the pen name of Ayn Rand (she was born Alissa Rosenbaum). From there she went to Hollywood and worked as an actress. She also began writing, producing screenplays, short stories, and novels.

Her novel The Fountainhead eventually became a movie starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal. Her next greatest success, Atlas Shrugged, defined her philosophy of "reason, individualism, and capitalism."

Rand died in New York in 1982.

Bibliography

--B. Redman