Ayn Rand

Encounter one of the most provocative and influential novelist-philosophers of the twentieth century with Ayn Rand (1905–1982), the Russian-American author and founder of the philosophy of Objectivism. Rand's novels are sweeping, passionate celebrations of the individual human mind — of reason, creative ambition, and the refusal to compromise one's values in the face of social pressure or collectivist demands. Her landmark novel The Fountainhead (1943) follows the uncompromising architect Howard Roark in his battle against mediocrity and conformity. Her magnum opus Atlas Shrugged (1957) is one of the most widely read novels in American history — a vast philosophical epic asking what would happen if the world's creative minds went on strike. Her other works include the dystopian novella Anthem and her early novel We the Living. Essential, electrifying, and endlessly debated.