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{{Infobox writer
| name = Ayn Rand
| image = Ayn Rand.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = 
| birth_name = {{nowrap|Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|mf=yes|1905|2|2}}
| birth_place = [[Saint Petersburg|St. Petersburg]], [[Russian Empire|Russia]]
| death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1982|3|6|1905|2|2}}
| death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York]], U.S.
| resting_place = [[Kensico Cemetery]]<br />[[Valhalla, New York|Valhalla]], New York, U.S.
| pseudonym = Ayn Rand
| occupation = Writer
| language = English
| ethnicity = [[Russian Jew]]ish
| citizenship = 1905–22&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Russian Empire|Russia]]n<br/> 1922–31&nbsp;&nbsp;[[Soviet Union|Soviet]]<br/> 1931–82&nbsp;&nbsp;[[United States|American]]
| alma_mater = [[Saint Petersburg State University#History|Petrograd State University]]
| period = 1934–1982
| subject = [[Philosophy]]
| notableworks = ''[[The Fountainhead]]''<br/> ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''
| awards = [[Prometheus Award]] Hall of Fame inductee in 1987 (for ''[[Anthem (novella)|Anthem]]'') and co-inaugural inductee in 1983 (for ''Atlas Shrugged'')
| spouse = {{marriage|Frank O'Connor|1929|1979|end=w.}}
| signature = Ayn Rand signature 1949.svg
| signature_alt = Ayn Rand
}}

'''Ayn Rand''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|aɪ|n|_|ˈ|r|æ|n|d}};<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=71}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=9}}</ref> born '''Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum''', {{lang-ru|Али́са Зино́вьевна Розенба́ум}}; {{OldStyleDate|February 2|1905|January 20}}&nbsp;– March 6, 1982) was a Russian-born American [[novelist]], philosopher,<!-- DO NOT REMOVE WITHOUT CONSENSUS --><ref>{{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1986|p=x}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=1–2}}; {{harvnb|Kukathas|1998|p=55}}; {{harvnb|Badhwar|Long|2010}}.</ref> playwright, and screenwriter. She is known for her two best-selling novels, ''[[The Fountainhead]]'' and ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]'', and for developing a philosophical system she called [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivism]]. Born and educated in [[Russian American|Russia]], Rand moved to the United States in 1926. She had a play produced on Broadway in 1935–1936. After two early novels that were initially unsuccessful in America, she achieved fame with her 1943 novel, ''The Fountainhead''.

In 1957, she published her best-known work, the novel ''Atlas Shrugged''. Afterward, she turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy, publishing her own magazines and releasing several collections of essays until her death in 1982. Rand advocated [[reason]] as the only means of acquiring [[knowledge]] and rejected faith and religion. She supported [[rational egoism|rational]] and [[ethical egoism]], and rejected [[Altruism (ethics)|altruism]]. In politics, she condemned the [[initiation of force]] as immoral<ref>{{harvnb|Barry|1987|p=122}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=309–314}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=298}}; {{harvnb|Gotthelf|2000|p=91}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=46}}</ref> and opposed [[collectivism]] and [[statism]] as well as [[anarchism]], instead supporting ''[[laissez-faire]]'' [[capitalism]], which she defined as the system based on recognizing [[individual rights]].<ref name="rights">{{harvnb|Gotthelf|2000|pp=91–92}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=379–380}}</ref> In art, Rand promoted [[romantic realism]]. She was sharply critical of most philosophers and philosophical traditions known to her, except for [[Aristotle]] and some [[Aristotelianism|Aristotelians]] and [[classical liberals]].<ref>{{harvnb|O'Neill|1977|pp=18–20}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=12, 118}}</ref>

Literary critics received Rand's fiction with mixed reviews,<ref name="Gladstein 117-119">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|pp=117–119}}</ref> and academia generally ignored or rejected her philosophy, though academic interest has increased in recent decades.<ref name="growing">{{cite news |last=Cohen |first=David |url=http://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/dec/07/internationaleducationnews.highereducation |title=A growing concern |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=December 7, 2001 |location=London |accessdate=April 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Marcus |first=Jon |url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/407357.article |title=Ayn Rand revival gathers pace in US universities, despite detractors |work=Times Higher Education |date=July 16, 2009 |accessdate=April 4, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Badhwar 2010">{{harvnb|Badhwar|Long|2010}}</ref> The [[Objectivist movement]] attempts to spread her ideas, both to the public and in academic settings.<ref name="reception">{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=1–2}}</ref> She has been a significant influence among [[libertarians]] and [[Conservatism in the United States|American conservatives]].<ref name="politicalinfluence">{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=4}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|pp=107–108, 124}}</ref>

==Life==

===Early life===
Rand was born Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum ({{lang-ru|Али́са Зиновьевна Розенбаум}}) on February 2, 1905, to a [[Russian Jew]]ish [[bourgeois]]<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=xiii}}</ref> family living in [[Saint Petersburg]]. She was the eldest of the three daughters of Zinovy Zakharovich Rosenbaum and his wife, Anna Borisovna (née Kaplan), largely non-observant [[Jews]]. Zinovy Rosenbaum was a successful pharmacist and businessman, eventually owning a pharmacy and the building in which it was located.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=3–5}}; {{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=2–3}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=9}}</ref> With a passion for the liberal arts, Rand later said she found school unchallenging and she began writing screenplays at the age of eight and novels at the age of ten.<ref>{{cite episode|series=The Tomorrow Show|author=Tom Snyder|network=NBC|airdate=July 2, 1979}}</ref> At the prestigious Stoiunina Gymnasium, her closest friend was [[Vladimir Nabokov]]'s younger sister, Olga. The two girls shared an intense interest in politics and would engage in debates at the [[Nabokov house|Nabokov mansion]]: while Nabokova defended constitutional monarchy, Rand supported republican ideals.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=69, 367–8}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=2}}</ref> She was twelve at the time of the [[February Revolution]] of 1917, during which she favored [[Alexander Kerensky]] over [[Tsar]] [[Nicholas II]].

The subsequent [[October Revolution]] and the rule of the [[Bolshevik]]s under [[Vladimir Lenin]] disrupted the life the family had previously enjoyed. Her father’s business was confiscated and the family displaced. They fled to the [[Crimean Peninsula]], which was initially under control of the [[White Army]] during the [[Russian Civil War]]. She later recalled that, while in high school, she determined that she was an [[atheist]] and that she valued [[reason]] above any other human virtue. After graduating from high school in the Crimea at 16, Rand returned with her family to Petrograd (as Saint Petersburg was renamed at that time), where they faced desperate conditions, on occasion nearly starving.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=35–39}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=14–20}}</ref>

[[File:Spb 06-2012 University Embankment 06.jpg|thumb|left|alt=The Twelve Collegia of what was then Petrograd State University|Rand completed a three-year program at [[Petrograd State University]].]]
After the Russian Revolution, universities were opened to women, allowing Rand to be in the first group of women to enroll at [[Petrograd State University]],<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=15}}</ref> where, at the age of 16, she began her studies in the department of [[social pedagogy]], majoring in history.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=77}}</ref> At the university she was introduced to the writings of [[Aristotle]] and [[Plato]],<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1999|pp=5–8}}</ref> who would be her greatest influence and counter-influence, respectively.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=41}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=451–460}}</ref> A third figure whose philosophical works she studied heavily was [[Friedrich Nietzsche]].<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=17–18, 22–24}}</ref> Able to read French, German and Russian, Rand also discovered the writers [[Fyodor Dostoevsky]], [[Victor Hugo]], [[Edmond Rostand]], and [[Friedrich Schiller]], who became her perennial favorites.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=17, 22}}</ref>

Along with many other "bourgeois" students, Rand was purged from the university shortly before graduating. However, after complaints from a group of visiting foreign scientists, many of the purged students were allowed to complete their work and graduate,<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=47}}; {{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=24}}</ref> which Rand did in October 1924.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1999|p=1}}</ref> She subsequently studied for a year at the State [[Technicum]] for Screen Arts in Leningrad. For one of her assignments, she wrote an essay about the Polish-American actress [[Pola Negri]], which became her first published work.<ref name="Heller49-50">{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=49–50}}</ref>

By this time she had decided her professional surname for writing would be ''Rand'',<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=33}}</ref> possibly as a [[Cyrillic]] contraction of her birth surname,<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=7}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=55}}</ref> and she adopted the first name ''Ayn'', either from a [[Finnish language|Finnish]] name ''[[Aino (given name)|Aino]]'' or from the [[Hebrew]] word {{lang|he| עין}} (''ayin'', meaning "eye").<ref>Rand said the origin of ''Ayn'' was Finnish {{harv|Rand|1995|p=40}}, but some biographical sources question this, suggesting it may come from a Hebrew nickname. {{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=55–57}} provides a detailed discussion.</ref>

===Arrival in the United States===
[[File:Pola Negri by Ayn Rand cover.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A brown book cover with black-and-white drawings and text in Russian. The drawing on the left is a portrait of a woman with dark hair; the drawing on the right is of skyscrapers.|Cover of Rand's first published work, a 2,500-word monograph on ''femme fatale'' [[Pola Negri]] published in 1925.<ref name="Heller49-50"/>]]
In the autumn of 1925, Rand was granted a [[Visa (document)|visa]] to visit American relatives.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=32}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=18–19}}</ref> She departed on January 17, 1926.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=50–51}}</ref> When she arrived in New York City on February 19, 1926, she was so impressed with the skyline of [[Manhattan]] that she cried what she later called "tears of splendor".<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=53}}</ref> Intent on staying in the United States to become a screenwriter, she lived for a few months with relatives in [[Chicago]], one of whom owned a movie theater and allowed her to watch dozens of films for free. She then set out for [[Hollywood, California]].<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=57–60}}</ref>

Initially, Rand struggled in Hollywood and took odd jobs to pay her basic living expenses. A chance meeting with famed director [[Cecil B. DeMille]] led to a job as an [[extra (drama)|extra]] in his film ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|The King of Kings]]'' as well as subsequent work as a junior screenwriter.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=34–36}}</ref> While working on ''The King of Kings'', she met an aspiring young actor, Frank O'Connor; the two were married on April 15, 1929, around the time her last visa extension was set to expire. She became a [[Permanent residence (United States)|permanent US resident]] in July 1929, and [[United States nationality law#Naturalization|became an American citizen]] on March 3, 1931.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=39}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=71}}</ref> Taking various jobs during the 1930s to support her writing, she worked for a time as the head of the costume department at [[RKO]] Studios.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=35–40}}; {{harvnb|Paxton|1998|pp=74, 81, 84}}</ref> She made several attempts to bring her parents and sisters to the United States, but they were unable to acquire permission to emigrate.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=96–98}}; {{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=43–44, 52}}</ref>

===Early fiction===
{{See also|Night of January 16th|We the Living|Anthem (novella)}}
Rand's first literary success came with the sale of her screenplay ''[[Red Pawn]]'' to [[Universal Studios]] in 1932, although it was never produced.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=40, 42}}</ref> This was followed by the courtroom drama ''[[Night of January 16th]]'', first produced by [[E.E. Clive]] in Hollywood in 1934 and then successfully reopened on [[Broadway theater|Broadway]] in 1935. Each night the "jury" was selected from members of the audience, and one of the two different endings, depending on the jury's "verdict", would then be performed.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=76, 92}}</ref> In 1941, [[Paramount Pictures]] produced a [[The Night of January 16th (film)|movie loosely based on the play]]. Rand did not participate in the production and was highly critical of the result.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=78}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=87}}</ref> ''[[Ideal (novel)|Ideal]]'' is a novel and play written in 1934 which were first published in 2015 by her estate. The heroine is an actress who embodies Randian ideals.<ref name=NYT81015>{{cite news|author1=Michiko Kakutani|title=Review: Ayn Rand’s ‘Ideal’ Presents a Protagonist Familiar in Her Superiority|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/11/books/review-ayn-rands-ideal-presents-a-protagonist-familiar-in-her-superiority.html|accessdate=August 11, 2015|work=The New York Times|date=August 10, 2015}}</ref>

Rand's first published novel, the semi-autobiographical ''[[We the Living]]'', was published in 1936. Set in [[Soviet Russia]], it focused on the struggle between the individual and the state. In a 1959 foreword to the novel, Rand stated that ''We the Living'' "is as near to an autobiography as I will ever write. It is not an autobiography in the literal, but only in the intellectual sense. The plot is invented, the background is not..."<ref>{{cite book |last=Rand |first=Ayn |chapter=Foreword |title=We the Living |location=New York |publisher=Dutton |page=xviii |isbn=0-525-94054-5 |oclc=32780458 |edition=60th Anniversary |year=1995 |origyear=1936}}</ref> Initial sales were slow and the American publisher let it go out of print,<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=13}}</ref> although European editions continued to sell.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=141}}</ref> After the success of her later novels, Rand was able to release a revised version in 1959 that has since sold over three million copies.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=143}}</ref> In 1942, without Rand's knowledge or permission, the novel was made into a pair of Italian films, ''Noi vivi'' and ''Addio, Kira''. Rediscovered in the 1960s, these films were re-edited into a new version which was approved by Rand and re-released as ''[[We the Living (film)|We the Living]]'' in 1986.<ref>{{harvnb|Paxton|1998|p=104}}</ref>

Her novella ''[[Anthem (novella)|Anthem]]'' was written during a break from the writing of her next major novel, ''The Fountainhead''. It presents a vision of a [[dystopian]] future world in which [[totalitarian]] collectivism has triumphed to such an extent that even the word 'I' has been forgotten and replaced with 'we'.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=50}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=102}}</ref> It was published in England in 1938, but Rand initially could not find an American publisher. As with ''We the Living'', Rand's later success allowed her to get a revised version published in 1946, which has sold more than 3.5 million copies.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''Anthem''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2005a|pp=24–27}}</ref>

===''The Fountainhead'' and political activism===
{{See also|The Fountainhead|The Fountainhead (film)}}
During the 1940s, Rand became politically active. Both she and her husband worked full-time in volunteer positions for the 1940 presidential campaign of Republican [[Wendell Willkie]]. This work led to Rand's first public speaking experiences, including fielding the sometimes hostile questions from New York City audiences who had just viewed pro-Willkie [[newsreels]], an experience she greatly enjoyed.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=57}}</ref> This activity also brought her into contact with other intellectuals sympathetic to free-market capitalism. She became friends with journalist [[Henry Hazlitt]] and his wife, and Hazlitt introduced her to the [[Austrian School]] economist [[Ludwig von Mises]]. Despite her philosophical differences with them, Rand strongly endorsed the writings of both men throughout her career, and both of them expressed admiration for her. Once Mises referred to Rand as "the most courageous man in America", a compliment that particularly pleased her because he said "man" instead of "woman".<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=114}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=249}}; {{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=188–189}}</ref> Rand also developed a friendship with libertarian writer [[Isabel Paterson]]. Rand questioned the well-informed Paterson about American history and politics long into the night during their numerous meetings and gave Paterson ideas for her only nonfiction book, ''[[The God of the Machine]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=75–78}}</ref>

Rand's first major success as a writer came with ''[[The Fountainhead]]'' in 1943, a romantic and philosophical novel that she wrote over a period of seven years.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=61–78}}</ref> The novel centers on an uncompromising young architect named [[Howard Roark]] and his struggle against what Rand described as "second-handers"—those who attempt to live through others, placing others above themselves. It was rejected by twelve publishers before finally being accepted by the [[Bobbs-Merrill Company]] on the insistence of editor Archibald Ogden, who threatened to quit if his employer did not publish it.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=58–61}}</ref> While completing the novel, Rand was prescribed [[Benzedrine]], a brand of [[amphetamine]], to fight fatigue.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=85}}</ref> The drug helped her to work long hours to meet her deadline for delivering the finished novel, but when the book was done, she was so exhausted that her doctor ordered two weeks' rest.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=89}}</ref> Her use of the drug for approximately three decades may have contributed to what some of her later associates described as volatile mood swings.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=178}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=304–305}}</ref>

''The Fountainhead'' eventually became a worldwide success, bringing Rand fame and financial security.<ref>{{harvnb|Doherty|2007|p=149}}; {{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=180–181}}</ref> In 1943, Rand sold the rights for a [[The Fountainhead (film)|film version]] to [[Warner Bros.]], and she returned to Hollywood to write the screenplay. Finishing her work on that screenplay, she was hired by producer [[Hal Wallis]] as a screenwriter and script-doctor. Her work for Wallis included the screenplays for the [[Academy Award|Oscar]]-nominated ''[[Love Letters (1945 film)|Love Letters]]'' and ''[[You Came Along]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|pp=68–80}}; {{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=183–198}}</ref> This role gave Rand time to work on other projects, including a planned nonfiction treatment of her philosophy to be called ''The Moral Basis of Individualism''. Although the planned book was never completed, a condensed version was published as an essay titled "The Only Path to Tomorrow", in the January 1944 edition of ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' magazine.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=112}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=171}}</ref>

{{Wikisource|Ayn Rand's testimony before the House of Representatives Committee on Un-American Activities}}
Rand extended her involvement with free-market and [[anti-communist]] activism while working in Hollywood. She became involved with the [[Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals]], a Hollywood anti-Communist group, and wrote articles on the group's behalf. She also joined the anti-Communist [[American Writers Association]].<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=100–101, 123}}</ref> A visit by Isabel Paterson to meet with Rand's California associates led to a final falling out between the two when Paterson made comments to valued political allies, which Rand considered rude.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=130–131}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=214–215}}</ref> In 1947, during the [[Second Red Scare]], Rand testified as a "friendly witness" before the United States [[House Un-American Activities Committee]]. Her testimony described the disparity between her personal experiences in the [[Soviet Union]] and the portrayal of it in the 1944 film ''[[Song of Russia]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Mayhew|2005b|pp=91–93}}</ref> Rand argued that the film grossly misrepresented conditions in the Soviet Union, portraying life there as being much better and happier than it actually was.<ref>{{harvnb|Mayhew|2005b|pp=188–189}}</ref> She wanted to also criticize the lauded 1946 film ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' for what she interpreted as its negative presentation of the business world, but she was not allowed to testify about it.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=125}}</ref> When asked after the hearings about her feelings on the effectiveness of the investigations, Rand described the process as "futile".<ref>{{harvnb|Mayhew|2005b|p=83}}</ref>

After several delays, the film version of ''The Fountainhead'' was released in 1949. Although it used Rand's screenplay with minimal alterations, she "disliked the movie from beginning to end", complaining about its editing, acting, and other elements.<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=71}}</ref>

===''Atlas Shrugged'' and Objectivism===
{{See also|Atlas Shrugged|Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivist movement}}
In the years following the publication of ''The Fountainhead'', Rand received numerous letters from readers, some of whom it profoundly influenced. In 1951 Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City, where she gathered a group of these admirers around her. This group (jokingly designated "The Collective") included future [[Federal Reserve Chairman]] [[Alan Greenspan]], a young psychology student named Nathan Blumenthal (later [[Nathaniel Branden]]) and his wife [[Barbara Branden|Barbara]], and Barbara's cousin [[Leonard Peikoff]]. At first the group was an informal gathering of friends who met with Rand on weekends at her apartment to discuss philosophy. Later she began allowing them to read the drafts of her new novel, ''Atlas Shrugged'', as the manuscript pages were written. In 1954 Rand's close relationship with the younger Nathaniel Branden turned into a romantic affair, with the consent of their spouses.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=256–264, 331–343}}</ref>

''Atlas Shrugged'', published in 1957, was considered Rand's ''[[magnum opus]]''.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=113}}; {{harvnb|Mayhew|2005b|p=78}}</ref> Rand described the theme of the novel as "the role of the mind in man's existence—and, as a corollary, the demonstration of a new moral philosophy: the morality of rational self-interest."<ref>Salmieri, Gregory. "''Atlas Shrugged'' on the Role of the Mind in Man's Existence". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2009|p=248}}</ref> It advocates the core tenets of Rand's philosophy of [[Objectivism (Ayn Rand)|Objectivism]] and expresses her concept of human achievement. The plot involves a [[dystopia]]n United States in which the most creative industrialists, scientists, and artists go on [[strike action|strike]] and retreat to a mountainous hideaway where they build an independent free economy. The novel's hero and leader of the strike, [[John Galt]], describes the strike as "stopping the motor of the world" by withdrawing the minds of the individuals most contributing to the nation's wealth and achievement. With this fictional strike, Rand intended to illustrate that without the efforts of the rational and productive, the economy would collapse and society would fall apart. The novel includes elements of [[Romance novel|romance]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Dowd |first=Maureen |authorlink=Maureen Dowd |title=Atlas Without Angelina |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/opinion/17dowd.html |date=April 17, 2011 |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |accessdate=July 30, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|McConnell|2010|p=507}}</ref> [[mystery (fiction)|mystery]], and [[science fiction]],<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=42}}</ref> and it contains Rand's most extensive statement of Objectivism in any of her works of fiction, a lengthy monologue delivered by Galt.

Despite many negative reviews, ''Atlas Shrugged'' became an international bestseller, and in an interview with [[Mike Wallace]], Rand declared herself "the most creative thinker alive".<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=2}}</ref> After completing the novel, Rand fell into a severe depression.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=178}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=303–306}}</ref> ''Atlas Shrugged'' was Rand's last completed work of fiction; a turning point in her life, it marked the end of Rand's career as a novelist and the beginning of her role as a popular philosopher.<ref name="ASturningpoint">{{harvnb|Gladstein|2000|p=28}}; {{harvnb|Younkins|2007|p=1}}; {{harvnb|Baker|1987|p=17}}</ref>

In 1958 Nathaniel Branden established Nathaniel Branden Lectures, later incorporated as the [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]] (NBI), to promote Rand's philosophy. Collective members gave lectures for NBI and wrote articles for [[Objectivist periodicals]] that she edited. Rand later published some of these articles in book form. Critics, including some former NBI students and Branden himself, have described the culture of NBI as one of intellectual conformity and excessive reverence for Rand, with some describing NBI or the [[Objectivist movement]] itself as a [[cult]] or religion.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|pp=105–106}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=232–233}}</ref> Rand expressed opinions on a wide range of topics, from literature and music to sexuality and facial hair, and some of her followers mimicked her preferences, wearing clothes to match characters from her novels and buying furniture like hers.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=236–237}}</ref> Rand was unimpressed with many of the NBI students<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=303}}</ref> and held them to strict standards, sometimes reacting coldly or angrily to those who disagreed with her.<ref>{{harvnb|Doherty|2007|pp=237–238}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=329}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=235}}</ref> However, some former NBI students believe the extent of these behaviors has been exaggerated, with the problem being concentrated among Rand's closest followers in New York.<ref>{{harvnb|Doherty|2007|p=235}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=235}}</ref>

===Later years===
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Rand developed and promoted her Objectivist philosophy through her nonfiction works and by giving talks to students at institutions such as [[Yale]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]], [[Columbia University|Columbia]],<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=315–316}}</ref> [[Harvard]], and [[MIT]].<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=14}}</ref> She received an honorary doctorate from [[Lewis & Clark College]] in 1963.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=318}}</ref> She also began delivering annual lectures at the [[Ford Hall Forum]], responding afterward to questions from the audience.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=16}}</ref> During these speeches and Q&A sessions, she often took controversial stances on political and social issues of the day. These included supporting abortion rights,<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=320–321}}</ref> opposing the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[military draft]] (but condemning many [[draft dodgers]] as "bums"),<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=228–229, 265}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=352}}</ref> supporting [[Israel]] in the [[Yom Kippur War]] of 1973 against a coalition of Arab nations as "civilized men fighting savages",<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|2005|p=96}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=266}}</ref> saying [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonists]] had the right to develop land taken from [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indians]],<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=266}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=391}}</ref> and calling [[homosexuality]] "immoral" and "disgusting", while also advocating the repeal of all laws about it.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=362, 519}}</ref> She also endorsed several [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates for President of the United States, most strongly [[Barry Goldwater]] in [[United States presidential election, 1964|1964]], whose candidacy she promoted in several articles for ''The Objectivist Newsletter''.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=204–206}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=322–323}}</ref>
[[File:Ayn Rand Marker.jpg|thumb|left|Grave marker for Rand and her husband at [[Kensico Cemetery]] in [[Valhalla, New York]]|alt=A twin gravestone bearing the name "Frank O'Connor" on the left, and "Ayn Rand O'Connor" on the right]]
In 1964 Nathaniel Branden began an affair with the young actress Patrecia Scott,<!--note: spelling is correct, please do not remove--> whom he later married. Nathaniel and Barbara Branden kept the affair hidden from Rand. When she learned of it in 1968, though her romantic relationship with Branden had already ended,<ref>{{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=101}}</ref> Rand terminated her relationship with both Brandens, which led to the closure of NBI.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=344–358}}</ref> Rand published an article in ''The Objectivist'' repudiating Nathaniel Branden for dishonesty and other "irrational behavior in his private life".<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=378–379}}</ref> Branden later apologized in an interview to "every student of Objectivism" for "perpetuating the Ayn Rand mystique" and for "contributing to that dreadful atmosphere of intellectual repressiveness that pervades the Objectivist movement."<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=411}}</ref> In subsequent years, Rand and several more of her closest associates parted company.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=386–389}}</ref>

Rand underwent surgery for [[lung cancer]] in 1974 after decades of heavy smoking.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=391–393}}</ref>
In 1976, she retired from writing her newsletter and, despite her initial objections, allowed Evva Pryor, a social worker from her attorney's office, to enroll her in [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] and [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]].<ref>{{harvnb|McConnell|2010|pp=520–521}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Weiss|2012|p=62}}</ref> During the late 1970s her activities within the Objectivist movement declined, especially after the death of her husband on November 9, 1979.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=392–395}}</ref> One of her final projects was work on a never-completed television adaptation of ''Atlas Shrugged''.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=406}}</ref>

Rand died of [[heart failure]] on March 6, 1982, at her home in New York City,<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=410}}</ref> and was interred in the [[Kensico Cemetery]], [[Valhalla, New York]].<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=405, 410}}</ref> Rand's funeral was attended by some of her prominent followers, including [[Alan Greenspan]]. A {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on}} floral arrangement in the shape of a dollar sign was placed near her casket.<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=403}}</ref> In her will, Rand named [[Leonard Peikoff]] the heir to her estate.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=400}}</ref>

==Philosophy==
{{Objectivist movement}}{{Main|Objectivism (Ayn Rand)}}
Rand called her philosophy "Objectivism", describing its essence as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1992|pp=1170–1171}}</ref> She considered Objectivism a [[systematic philosophy]] and laid out positions on [[metaphysics]], [[epistemology]], [[ethics]], [[political philosophy]] and [[aesthetics]].<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=2–3}}; {{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1986|p=224}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|Sciabarra|1999|p=2}}</ref>

In metaphysics, Rand supported [[philosophical realism]], and opposed anything she regarded as mysticism or supernaturalism, including all forms of religion.<ref>Den Uyl, Douglas J. & Rasmussen, Douglas B. "Ayn Rand's Realism". In {{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1986|pp=3–20}}</ref>

In [[epistemology]], she considered all knowledge to be based on sense perception, the validity of which she considered [[axiom]]atic,<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=38–39}}; {{harvnb|Gotthelf|2000|p=54}}</ref> and [[reason]], which she described as "the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1964|p=22}}</ref> She rejected all claims of non-perceptual or ''[[A priori and a posteriori|a priori]]'' knowledge, including "'instinct,' 'intuition,' 'revelation,' or any form of 'just knowing.{{' "}}<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1982|pp=62–63}}</ref> Rand argued that the requirements of cognition determine the objective criteria of conceptualization, which she summarized in the form of a [[Razor (philosophy)|philosophical razor]]. Known as "Rand's razor," it states that "concepts are not to be multiplied beyond necessity—the corollary of which is: nor are they to be integrated in disregard of necessity."<ref>{{cite web|title=Rand's Razor|work=[[The Ayn Rand Lexicon]]|url=http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/rands_razor.html|accessdate=2015-05-30}}</ref>  In her ''[[Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology]]'', Rand presented a theory of concept formation and rejected the [[analytic–synthetic dichotomy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Salmieri|Gotthelf|2005|p=1997}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|pp=85–86}}</ref>

In ethics, Rand argued for [[rational egoism|rational]] and [[ethical egoism]] (rational self-interest), as the guiding moral principle. She said the individual should "exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1989|p=3}}</ref> She referred to egoism as "the virtue of selfishness" in her [[The Virtue of Selfishness|book of that title]],<ref name="Kukathas">{{harvnb|Kukathas|1998|p=55}}</ref> in which she presented her solution to the [[is-ought problem]] by describing a [[meta-ethical]] theory that based morality in the needs of "man's survival ''qua'' man".<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1964|p=25}}; {{harvnb|Badhwar|Long|2010}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=207, 219}}</ref> She condemned ethical altruism as incompatible with the requirements of human life and happiness,<ref name="Badhwar 2010"/> and held that the [[initiation of force]] was evil and irrational, writing in ''Atlas Shrugged'' that "Force and mind are opposites."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1992|p=1023}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=313–320}}</ref>

Rand's political philosophy emphasized [[individual rights]] (including [[Private property|property rights]]),<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=350–352}}</ref> and she considered ''[[laissez-faire]]'' [[capitalism]] the only moral social system because in her view it was the only system based on the protection of those rights.<ref name="rights"/> She opposed [[statism]], which she understood to include [[theocracy]], [[absolute monarchy]], [[Nazism]], [[fascism]], [[communism]], [[democratic socialism]], and [[dictatorship]].<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=369}}</ref> Rand believed that natural rights should be enforced by a constitutionally limited government.<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|p=367}}</ref> Although her political views are often classified as [[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]] or [[libertarian]], she preferred the term "radical for capitalism". She worked with conservatives on political projects, but disagreed with them over issues such as religion and ethics.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=174–177, 209, 230–231}}; {{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1986|pp=225–226}}; {{harvnb|Doherty|2007|pp=189–190}}; {{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=252}}</ref> She denounced libertarianism, which she associated with [[anarchism]].<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=266–267}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=268–269}}</ref> She rejected anarchism as a naïve theory based in [[subjectivism]] that could only lead to collectivism in practice.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=280–281}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|pp=371–372}}; {{harvnb|Merrill|1991|p=139}}</ref>

Rand's aesthetics defined art as a "selective re-creation of reality according to an artist's metaphysical value-judgments." According to Rand, art allows philosophical concepts to be presented in a concrete form that can be easily grasped, thereby fulfilling a need of human consciousness.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=204–205}}</ref> As a writer, the art form Rand focused on most closely was literature, where she considered [[romanticism]] to be the approach that most accurately reflected the existence of human [[free will]].<ref>{{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|p=428}}</ref> She described her own approach to literature as "[[romantic realism]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=207}}; {{harvnb|Peikoff|1991|p=437}}</ref>

Rand acknowledged [[Aristotle]] as her greatest influence<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1992|p=1171}}</ref> and remarked that in the [[history of philosophy]] she could only recommend "three A's"—Aristotle, [[Aquinas]], and Ayn Rand.<ref name="Sciabarra1995p12">{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=12}}</ref> In a 1959 interview with [[Mike Wallace]], when asked where her philosophy came from, she responded, "Out of my own mind, with the sole acknowledgement of a debt to Aristotle, the only philosopher who ever influenced me. I devised the rest of my philosophy myself."<ref>{{harvnb|Podritske|Schwartz|2009|pp=174–175}}</ref> However, she also found early inspiration in [[Friedrich Nietzsche]],<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=42}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=16, 22}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=100–106}}</ref> and scholars have found indications of his influence in early notes from Rand's journals,<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1997|p=21}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=24–25}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1998|pp=136, 138–139}}</ref> in passages from the first edition of ''We the Living'' (which Rand later revised),<ref>{{harvnb|Merrill|1991|pp=38–39}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1998|p=135}}; Loiret-Prunet, Valerie. "Ayn Rand and Feminist Synthesis: Rereading ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Gladstein|Sciabarra|1999|p=97}}</ref> and in her overall writing style.<ref>{{harvnb|Badhwar|Long|2010}}; Sheaffer, Robert. "Rereading Rand on Gender in the Light of Paglia". In {{harvnb|Gladstein|Sciabarra|1999|p=313}}.</ref> However, by the time she wrote ''The Fountainhead'', Rand had turned against Nietzsche's ideas,<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=41, 68}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=42}}; {{harvnb|Merrill|1991|pp=47–49}}</ref> and the extent of his influence on her even during her early years is disputed.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=303–304}}; {{harvnb|Sciabarra|1998|pp=135, 137–138}}; Mayhew, Robert. "''We the Living'' '36 and '59". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=205}}.</ref> Among the philosophers Rand held in particular disdain was [[Immanuel Kant]], whom she referred to as a "monster",<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1971|p=4}}</ref> although philosophers George Walsh<ref name="Walsh">{{harvnb|Walsh|2000}}</ref> and Fred Seddon<ref>{{harvnb|Seddon|2003|pp=63–81}}</ref> have argued that she misinterpreted Kant and exaggerated their differences.

Rand said her most important contributions to philosophy were her "theory of concepts, [her] ethics, and [her] discovery in politics that evil—the violation of rights—consists of the initiation of force."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|2005|p=166}}</ref> She believed epistemology was a foundational branch of philosophy and considered the advocacy of reason to be the single most significant aspect of her philosophy,<ref>{{cite book |title=[[Return of the Primitive: The Anti-Industrial Revolution]] |chapter=The Left: Old and New |page=62 |isbn=0-452-01184-1 |oclc=39281836 |year=1999 |location=New York |publisher=Meridian |last=Rand |first=Ayn |others=Edited by Peter Schwartz}}</ref> stating, "I am not ''primarily'' an advocate of capitalism, but of egoism; and I am not ''primarily'' an advocate of egoism, but of reason. If one recognizes the supremacy of reason and applies it consistently, all the rest follows."<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1971|p=1}}</ref>

==Reception and legacy==
{{See also|List of people influenced by Ayn Rand}}

===Reviews===
During Rand's lifetime, her work evoked both extreme praise and condemnation. Rand's first novel, ''We the Living'', was admired by the literary critic [[H. L. Mencken]],<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1995|pp=10, 13–14}}</ref> her Broadway play ''Night of January 16th'' was both a critical and popular success,<ref name="Branden 122-124">{{harvnb|Branden|1986|pp=122–124}}</ref> and ''The Fountainhead'' was hailed by a reviewer in ''[[The New York Times]]'' as "masterful".<ref name="Pruette">{{cite news |first=Lorine |last=Pruette |work=The New York Times |date=May 16, 1943 |title=Battle Against Evil |page=BR7 |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20610FD3D5C167B93C4A8178ED85F478485F9 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110511114039/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20610FD3D5C167B93C4A8178ED85F478485F9 |archivedate=May 11, 2011 |deadurl=no}} Reprinted in {{cite book |title=Books of the Century |editor-first=Charles |editor-last=McGrath |year=1998 |location=New York |publisher=Times Books |isbn=0-8129-2965-9 |oclc=38439024 |pages=135–136}}</ref> Rand's novels were derided by some critics when they were first published as being long and melodramatic.<ref name="Gladstein 117-119"/> However, they became [[bestseller]]s largely through word of mouth.<ref>{{harvnb|Paxton|1998|p=120}}; {{harvnb|Britting|2004|p=87}}</ref>

The first reviews Rand received were for ''Night of January 16th''. Reviews of the production were largely positive, but Rand considered even positive reviews to be embarrassing because of significant changes made to her script by the producer.<ref name="Branden 122-124"/> Rand believed that her first novel, ''We the Living'', was not widely reviewed, but Rand scholar Michael S. Berliner says "it was the most reviewed of any of her works", with approximately 125 different reviews being published in more than 200 publications. Overall these reviews were more positive than the reviews she received for her later work.<ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Reviews of ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|pp=147–151}}</ref> Her 1938 novella ''Anthem'' received little attention from reviewers, both for its first publication in England and for subsequent re-issues.<ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Reviews of ''Anthem''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2005a|pp=55–60}}</ref>

Rand's first bestseller, ''The Fountainhead'', received far fewer reviews than ''We the Living'', and reviewers' opinions were mixed.<ref name="tfreviews">Berliner, Michael S. "''The Fountainhead'' Reviews". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=77–82}}</ref> There was a positive review in ''The New York Times'' that Rand greatly appreciated.<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1995|p=74}}</ref> The reviewer called Rand "a writer of great power" who wrote "brilliantly, beautifully and bitterly", and stated that "you will not be able to read this masterful book without thinking through some of the basic concepts of our time".<ref name="Pruette"/> There were other positive reviews, but Rand dismissed most of them as either not understanding her message or as being from unimportant publications.<ref name="tfreviews"/> Some negative reviews focused on the length of the novel,<ref name="Gladstein 117-119"/> such as one that called it "a whale of a book" and another that said "anyone who is taken in by it deserves a stern lecture on paper-rationing". Other negative reviews called the characters unsympathetic and Rand's style "offensively pedestrian".<ref name="tfreviews"/>

Rand's 1957 novel ''Atlas Shrugged'' was widely reviewed, and many of the reviews were strongly negative.<ref name="Gladstein 117-119"/><ref name="asreviews">Berliner, Michael S. "The ''Atlas Shrugged'' Reviews". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2009|pp=133–137}}</ref> In the ''[[National Review]]'', conservative author [[Whittaker Chambers]] called the book "sophomoric" and "remarkably silly". He described the tone of the book as "shrillness without reprieve" and accused Rand of supporting a godless system (which he related to that of the [[Religion in the Soviet Union|Soviets]]), claiming "From almost any page of ''Atlas Shrugged'', a voice can be heard, from painful necessity, commanding: 'To a gas chamber—go!{{' "}}<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chambers |first=Whittaker |authorlink=Whittaker Chambers |title=Big Sister is Watching You |journal=[[National Review]] |pages=594–596 |url=http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/222482/big-sister-watching-you/flashback |date=December 8, 1957 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110511214136/http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/222482/big-sister-watching-you/flashback |archivedate=May 11, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> ''Atlas Shrugged'' received positive reviews from a few publications, including praise from the noted book reviewer [[John Chamberlain (journalist)|John Chamberlain]],<ref name="asreviews"/> but Rand scholar [[Mimi Reisel Gladstein]] later wrote that "reviewers seemed to vie with each other in a contest to devise the cleverest put-downs", calling it "execrable claptrap" and "a nightmare"; they said it was "written out of hate" and showed "remorseless hectoring and prolixity".<ref name="Gladstein 117-119"/> Author [[Flannery O'Connor]] wrote in a letter to a friend that "The fiction of Ayn Rand is as low as you can get re fiction. I hope you picked it up off the floor of the subway and threw it in the nearest garbage pail."<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Connor |first=Flannery |title=The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O'Connor |editor-first=Sally |editor-last=Fitzgerald |location=New York |publisher=Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |year=1979 |isbn=0-374-52104-2 |oclc=18175642 |page=398}}</ref>

Rand's nonfiction received far fewer reviews than her novels had. The tenor of the criticism for her first nonfiction book, ''[[For the New Intellectual]]'', was similar to that for ''Atlas Shrugged'',<ref name="Gladstein119">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=119}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=193–194}}</ref> with philosopher [[Sidney Hook]] likening her certainty to "the way philosophy is written in the Soviet Union",<ref>{{cite news |first=Sidney |last=Hook |authorlink=Sidney Hook |title=Each Man for Himself |work=[[The New York Times Book Review]] |date=April 9, 1961 |page=28 |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70914F83B5B147A93CBA9178FD85F458685F9 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110511114045/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70914F83B5B147A93CBA9178FD85F458685F9 |archivedate=May 11, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and author [[Gore Vidal]] calling her viewpoint "nearly perfect in its immorality".<ref>{{cite book |first=Gore |last=Vidal |authorlink=Gore Vidal |title=Rocking the Boat |chapter=Two Immoralists: Orville Prescott and Ayn Rand |publisher=Little, Brown |location=Boston |year=1962 |oclc=291123 |page=234}} Reprinted from ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'', July 1961.</ref> Her subsequent books got progressively less attention from reviewers.<ref name="Gladstein119"/>

On the 100th anniversary of Rand's birth in 2005, Edward Rothstein, writing for ''The New York Times'', referred to her fictional writing as quaint [[utopian]] "retro fantasy" and programmatic [[neo-Romanticism]] of the misunderstood artist, while criticizing her characters' "isolated rejection of democratic society".<ref name="NYT100">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/books/02rand.html?pagewanted=all |work=The New York Times |title=Considering the Last Romantic, Ayn Rand, at 100 |first=Edward |last=Rothstein |date=February 2, 2005 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110512144841/http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/02/books/02rand.html?pagewanted=all |archivedate=May 12, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> In 2007, book critic Leslie Clark described her fiction as "romance novels with a patina of [[pseudo-philosophy]]".<ref>{{cite news |first=Leslie |last=Clark |title=The philosophical art of looking out number one |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/the-philosophical-art-of-looking-out-number-one-1.835066 |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |date=February 17, 2007 |accessdate=April 2, 2010}}</ref> In 2009, ''[[GQ]]''{{'}}s critic columnist Tom Carson described her books as "capitalism's version of middlebrow religious novels" such as ''[[Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ|Ben-Hur]]'' and the ''[[Left Behind]]'' series.<ref name = "GQB">{{cite journal |url=http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books/200911/ayn-rand-dick-books-fountainhead?printable=true |title=The Bitch is Back |first=Andrew |last=Corsello |journal=[[GQ]] |publisher=Condé Nast Publications |date=October 27, 2009 |accessdate=April 9, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514133528/http://www.gq.com/entertainment/books/200911/ayn-rand-dick-books-fountainhead?printable=true |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

===Popular interest===
[[File:Ayn Rand quote, American Adventure, Epcot Center, Walt Disney World.jpg.jpg|thumb|right|alt=An engraving in all capital letters that reads: "Throughout the centuries there were men who took first steps down new roads armed with nothing but their own vision." Ayn Rand|A quote from Rand's book ''The Fountainhead'', on the wall directly across from the entrance to [[The American Adventure (Epcot)|The American Adventure]] rotunda at [[Walt Disney World Resort|Walt Disney World's]] [[Epcot]].]]
In 1991, a survey conducted for the [[Library of Congress]] and the [[Book-of-the-Month Club]] asked club members what the most influential book in the respondent's life was. Rand's ''Atlas Shrugged'' was the second most popular choice, after the [[Bible]].<ref name="Doherty11">{{harvnb|Doherty|2007|p=11}}</ref> Rand's books continue to be widely sold and read, with over 29&nbsp;million copies sold as of 2013 (with about 10% of that total purchased for free distribution to schools by the [[Ayn Rand Institute]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ari.aynrand.org/media-center/press-releases/2013/05/14/ayn-rand-hits-a-million-again |title=Ayn Rand Hits a Million...Again! |publisher=Ayn Rand Institute |date=May 14, 2013 |accessdate=April 21, 2014}}</ref> Although Rand's influence has been greatest in the United States, there has been international interest in her work.<ref name="growing"/><ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2003|pp=384–386}}; {{cite book |last=Delbroy |first=Bibek |authorlink=Bibek Debroy |chapter=Ayn Rand—The Indian Connection |title=Ayn Rand at 100 |editor-last=Machan |editor-first=Tibor R |editor-link=Tibor R. Machan |location=New Delhi, India |publisher=Pragun Publications |year=2006 |isbn=81-89645-57-9 |oclc=76829742 |pages=2–4}}</ref> Rand's work continues to be among the top sellers among books in India.<ref>{{cite news |agency=[[Agence France-Presse]]/[[Jiji Press]] |title=In India, Ayn Rand never out of style |work=[[Japan Times]] |date=June 2, 2012 |page=4}}</ref>

Rand's contemporary admirers included fellow novelists, such as [[Ira Levin]], [[Kay Nolte Smith]] and [[L. Neil Smith]], and later writers such as [[Erika Holzer]] and [[Terry Goodkind]] have been influenced by her.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Riggenbach |first=Jeff |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |title=Ayn Rand's Influence on American Popular Fiction |volume=6 |issue=1 |date=Fall 2004 |pages=91–144 |url=http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars6-1/jars6_1jriggenbach.pdf |accessdate=April 20, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514042655/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars6-1/jars6_1jriggenbach.pdf |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=no |jstor=41560271}}</ref> Other artists who have cited Rand as an important influence on their lives and thought include [[comic book]] artist [[Steve Ditko]]<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|2004|pp=8–11}}</ref> and musician [[Neil Peart]] of [[Rush (band)|Rush]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sciabarra |first=Chris Matthew |authorlink=Chris Matthew Sciabarra |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |title=Rand, Rush, and Rock |volume=4 |issue=1 |date=Fall 2002 |pages=161–185 |url=http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/rush.htm |accessdate=April 20, 2011}}</ref> Rand provided a positive view of business, and in response business executives and entrepreneurs have admired and promoted her work.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=168–171}}</ref> [[John A. Allison IV|John Allison]] of BB&T and [[Ed Snider]] of Comcast Spectacor have funded the promotion of Rand's ideas,<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=298}}; {{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=419}}</ref> while [[Mark Cuban]], owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and [[John P. Mackey]], CEO of Whole Foods, among others, have said they consider Rand crucial to their success.<ref name="NYTimes07">{{cite news |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/business/15atlas.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print |work=The New York Times |title=Ayn Rand's Literature of Capitalism |first=Harriet |last=Rubin |date=September 15, 2007 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110512144741/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/15/business/15atlas.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print |archivedate=May 12, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

Rand and her works have been referred to in a variety of media: on television shows including animated sitcoms, live-action comedies, dramas, and game shows,<ref name="illustrated4-5">{{harvnb|Sciabarra|2004|pp=4–5}}</ref> as well as in movies and video games.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=282}}</ref> She, or a character based on her, figures prominently (in positive and negative lights) in literary and science fiction novels by prominent American authors.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|2004|p=3}}</ref> [[Nick Gillespie]], editor in chief of ''[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]]'', has remarked that "Rand's is a tortured immortality, one in which she's as likely to be a punch line as a protagonist..." and that "jibes at Rand as cold and inhuman, run through the popular culture".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Book Bag: Marking the Ayn Rand Centennial |episodelink= |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4475441 |series=Day to Day |serieslink=Day to Day |network=National Public Radio |airdate=February 2, 2005 |credits=[[Alex Chadwick]] (host), Nick Gillespie (contributor)}}</ref> Two movies have been made about Rand's life. A 1997 documentary film, ''[[Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life]]'', was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Documentary Feature]].<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=128}}</ref> ''[[The Passion of Ayn Rand (film)|The Passion of Ayn Rand]]'', a 1999 television adaptation of the [[The Passion of Ayn Rand (book)|book of the same name]], won several awards.<ref name="Gladstein122">{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=122}}</ref> Rand's image also appears on a [[List of people on stamps of the United States#R|1999]] [[Postage stamps and postal history of the United States|U.S. postage stamp]] designed by artist [[Nick Gaetano]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Krause-Minkus Standard Catalog of U.S. Stamps |editor-first=Maurice D. |editor-last=Wozniak |publisher=[[Krause Publications]] |year=2001 |edition=5th |isbn=0-87349-321-4 |oclc=48663542 |page=380}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.virtualstampclub.com/us1999.html|title=U.S. Stamp Schedule 1999|date=September 22, 1999|work=Virtual Stamp Club|accessdate=August 12, 2013}}</ref>

===Political influence===
{{See also|Libertarianism and Objectivism}}
Although she rejected the labels "[[Conservatism in the United States|conservative]]" and "[[libertarian]]",<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=258}}; {{harvnb|Rand|2005|p=73}}</ref> Rand has had continuing influence on [[right-wing politics]] and libertarianism.<ref name="politicalinfluence"/> [[Jim Powell (historian)|Jim Powell]], a senior fellow at the [[Cato Institute]], considers Rand one of the three most important women (along with [[Rose Wilder Lane]] and [[Isabel Paterson]]) of modern [[American libertarianism]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Powell |first=Jim |authorlink=Jim Powell (historian) |title=Rose Wilder Lane, Isabel Paterson, and Ayn Rand: Three Women Who Inspired the Modern Libertarian Movement |url=http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/rose-wilder-lane-isabel-paterson-and-ayn-rand-three-women-who-inspired-the-modern-libertarian-movement/ |journal=[[The Freeman|The Freeman: Ideas on Liberty]] |date=May 1996 |volume=46 |issue=5 |page=322 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110511104313/http://www.thefreemanonline.org/featured/rose-wilder-lane-isabel-paterson-and-ayn-rand-three-women-who-inspired-the-modern-libertarian-movement/ |archivedate=May 11, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> and [[David Nolan (libertarian)|David Nolan]], one of the founders of the [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]], stated that "without Ayn Rand, the libertarian movement would not exist".<ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=414}}</ref> In his history of the [[libertarian movement]], journalist [[Brian Doherty (journalist)|Brian Doherty]] described her as "the most influential libertarian of the twentieth century to the public at large",<ref name="Doherty11" /> and biographer Jennifer Burns referred to her as "the ultimate gateway drug to life on the right".<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=4}}</ref>

[[File:TDTP08.JPG|thumb|left|A protester at an April 2009 [[Tea Party protests|Tea Party rally]] carries a sign referring to [[John Galt]], the hero of Rand's novel ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''|alt=In a large outdoor crowd, a man holds up a poster with the words "I am John Galt" in all capital letters]]

She faced intense opposition from [[William F. Buckley, Jr.]] and other contributors for the ''[[National Review]]'' magazine. They published numerous criticisms in the 1950s and 1960s by [[Whittaker Chambers]], [[Garry Wills]], and [[M. Stanton Evans]]. Nevertheless, her influence among conservatives forced Buckley and other ''National Review'' contributors to reconsider how traditional notions of virtue and Christianity could be integrated with support for capitalism.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2004}}</ref>

The political figures who cite Rand as an influence are usually conservatives (often members of the United States Republican Party),<ref>{{harvnb|Doherty|2009|pp=54}}</ref> despite Rand taking some positions that are atypical for conservatives, such as being [[pro-choice]] and an atheist.<ref name="MJones">{{cite journal |url=http://motherjones.com/media/2009/07/and-rand-played |title=And the Rand Played On |first=Amy |last=Benfer |work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |date=July–August 2009 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110503215311/http://motherjones.com/media/2009/07/and-rand-played |archivedate=May 3, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> A 1987 article in ''[[The New York Times]]'' referred to her as the [[Reagan administration]]'s "novelist laureate".<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=279}}</ref> Republican [[United States Congress|Congressmen]] and conservative [[pundits]] have acknowledged her influence on their lives and recommended her novels.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=124}}; {{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=xi}}; {{harvnb|Doherty|2009|p=51}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=283}}</ref>

The [[late-2000s financial crisis]] spurred renewed interest in her works, especially ''Atlas Shrugged'', which some saw as foreshadowing the crisis,<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=283–284}}; {{harvnb|Doherty|2009|pp=51–52}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=125}}</ref> and opinion articles compared real-world events with the plot of the novel.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=125}}; {{harvnb|Doherty|2009|pp=54}}</ref> During this time, signs mentioning Rand and her fictional hero [[John Galt]] appeared at [[Tea Party protests]].<ref>{{harvnb|Doherty|2009|pp=51–52}}</ref> There was also increased criticism of her ideas, especially from the [[political left]], with critics blaming the economic crisis on her support of [[Rational egoism|selfishness]] and [[free markets]], particularly through her influence on [[Alan Greenspan]].<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=283}}</ref> For example, ''[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]'' remarked that "Rand's particular genius has always been her ability to turn upside down traditional hierarchies and recast the wealthy, the talented, and the powerful as the oppressed",<ref name="MJones" /> while equating Randian individual well-being with that of the ''Volk'' according to Goebbels. Corey Robin of ''[[The Nation]]'' alleged similarities between the "moral syntax of Randianism" and fascism.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Corey |last=Robin |title=Garbage and Gravitas |url=http://www.thenation.com/article/garbage-and-gravitas |journal=[[The Nation]] |date=June 7, 2010 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514200011/http://www.thenation.com/article/garbage-and-gravitas |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref>

===Academic reaction===
During Rand's lifetime her work received little attention from academic scholars.<ref name="reception"/> When the first academic book about Rand's philosophy appeared in 1971, its author declared writing about Rand "a treacherous undertaking" that could lead to "guilt by association" for taking her seriously.<ref>{{harvnb|O'Neill|1977|p=3}}</ref> A few articles about Rand's ideas appeared in academic journals before her death in 1982, many of them in ''[[The Personalist]]''.<ref name="Gladstein115">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=115}}</ref> One of these was "On the Randian Argument" by libertarian philosopher [[Robert Nozick]], who argued that her [[meta-ethical]] argument is unsound and fails to solve the [[is–ought problem]] posed by [[David Hume]].<ref>{{cite journal |title=On the Randian Argument |last=Nozick |first=Robert |authorlink=Robert Nozick |journal=[[The Personalist]] |date=Spring 1971 |volume=52 |pages=282–304}}</ref> Some responses to Nozick by other academic philosophers were also published in ''The Personalist'' arguing that Nozick misstated Rand's case.<ref name="Gladstein115" /> Academic consideration of Rand as a literary figure during her life was even more limited. Academic Mimi Gladstein was unable to find any scholarly articles about Rand's novels when she began researching her in 1973, and only three such articles appeared during the rest of the 1970s.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2003|pp=373–374, 379–381}}</ref>

Since Rand's death, interest in her work has gradually increased.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|pp=114–122}}; {{harvnb|Salmieri|Gotthelf|2005|p=1995}}; {{cite journal |last=McLemee |first=Scott |url=http://linguafranca.mirror.theinfo.org/9909/rand.html |title=The Heirs Of Ayn Rand: Has Objectivism Gone Subjective? |journal=[[Lingua Franca (magazine)|Lingua Franca]] |date=September 1999 |volume=9 |issue=6 |pages=45–55 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110515004459/http://linguafranca.mirror.theinfo.org/9909/rand.html |archivedate=May 15, 2011 |deadurl=no}}</ref> Historian Jennifer Burns has identified "three overlapping waves" of scholarly interest in Rand, the most recent of which is "an explosion of scholarship" since the year 2000.<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=295–296}}</ref> However, few universities currently include Rand or Objectivism as a philosophical specialty or research area, with many literature and philosophy departments dismissing her as a pop culture phenomenon rather than a subject for serious study.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=116}}</ref>

Gladstein, [[Chris Matthew Sciabarra]], [[Allan Gotthelf]], [[Edwin A. Locke]] and [[Tara Smith (philosopher)|Tara Smith]] have taught her work in academic institutions. Sciabarra co-edits the ''[[Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]]'', a nonpartisan [[peer-reviewed journal]] dedicated to the study of Rand's philosophical and literary work.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=118}}</ref> In 1987 Gotthelf helped found the Ayn Rand Society with George Walsh and David Kelley, and has been active in sponsoring seminars about Rand and her ideas.<ref>{{harvnb|Gotthelf|2000|pp=2, 25}}; {{cite journal |first=William |last=Thomas |title=Ayn Rand Through Two Lenses |journal=Navigator |date=April 2000 |volume=3 |issue=4 |pages=15–19 |url=http://www.atlassociety.org/on-ayn-rand-gotthelf}}</ref> Smith has written several academic books and papers on Rand's ideas, including ''Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist'', a volume on Rand's ethical theory published by [[Cambridge University Press]]. Rand's ideas have also been made subjects of study at [[Clemson University|Clemson]] and [[Duke University|Duke]] universities.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.rutlandherald.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050515/NEWS/505150346/1014 |title=Ayn Rand at 100: An 'ism' struts its stuff |first=Benjamin |last=Harvey |work=[[Rutland Herald]] |agency=Columbia News Service |date=May 15, 2005 |accessdate=June 4, 2009}}</ref> Scholars of English and American literature have largely ignored her work,<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2003|p=375}}</ref> although attention to her literary work has increased since the 1990s.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2003|pp=384–391}}</ref>

Rand scholars Douglas Den Uyl and [[Douglas B. Rasmussen]], while stressing the importance and originality of her thought, describe her style as "literary, hyperbolic and emotional".<ref>{{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1978|p=203}}</ref> Philosopher Jack Wheeler says that despite "the incessant bombast and continuous venting of Randian rage", Rand's ethics are "a most immense achievement, the study of which is vastly more fruitful than any other in contemporary thought."<ref>Wheeler, Jack. "Rand and Aristotle". In {{harvnb|Den Uyl|Rasmussen|1986|p=96}}</ref> In the ''[[The Literary Encyclopedia (English)|Literary Encyclopedia]]'' entry for Rand written in 2001, [[John David Lewis]] declared that "Rand wrote the most intellectually challenging fiction of her generation".<ref>{{cite web |last=Lewis |first=John David |authorlink=John David Lewis |url=http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3705 |work=[[The Literary Encyclopedia (English)|The Literary Encyclopedia]] |title=Ayn Rand |accessdate=August 2, 2009 |date=October 20, 2001}}</ref> In a 1999 interview in the ''[[Chronicle of Higher Education]]'', Sciabarra commented, "I know they laugh at Rand", while forecasting a growth of interest in her work in the academic community.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sharlet |first=Jeff |authorlink=Jeff Sharlet (writer) |work=[[The Chronicle of Higher Education]] |url=http://chronicle.com/article/Ayn-Rand-Has-Finally-Caught/20237/ |title=Ayn Rand Has Finally Caught the Attention of Scholars |date=April 9, 1999 |volume=45 |issue=31 |pages=A17–A18 |accessdate=April 15, 2011}}</ref>

Libertarian philosopher [[Michael Huemer]] has argued that very few people find Rand's ideas convincing, especially her ethics,<ref name="whyrand">{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Huemer |url=http://www.cato-unbound.org/2010/01/22/michael-huemer/why-ayn-rand-some-alternate-answers |title=Why Ayn Rand? Some Alternate Answers |work=[[Cato Unbound]] |date=January 22, 2010 |accessdate=August 18, 2012}}</ref> which he believes is difficult to interpret and may lack logical coherence.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Michael |last=Humer |title=Is Benevolent Egoism Coherent? |work=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |volume=3 |issue=2 |date=Spring 2002 |pages=259–288 |url=http://aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars3-2/jars3_2mhuemer.pdf |archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20110915095043/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars3-2/jars3_2mhuemer.pdf |archivedate=September 15, 2011}}</ref> He attributes the attention she receives to her being a "compelling writer", especially as a novelist. Thus, ''Atlas Shrugged'' outsells not only the works of other philosophers of [[classical liberalism]] such as [[Ludwig von Mises]], [[Friedrich Hayek]], or [[Frederic Bastiat]], but also Rand's own non-fiction works.<ref name="whyrand"/>

Political scientist [[Charles Murray (political scientist)|Charles Murray]], while praising Rand's literary accomplishments, criticizes her claim that her only "philosophical debt" was to Aristotle, instead asserting that her ideas were derivative of previous thinkers such as [[John Locke]] and [[Friedrich Nietzsche]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1708/article_detail.asp |publisher=The Claremont Institute |title=Who is Ayn Rand? |first=Charles |last=Murray |year=2010 |accessdate=December 7, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131501431000/http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1708/article_detail.asp |archivedate=December 1, 2013}}</ref>

Although Rand maintained that Objectivism was an integrated philosophical system, philosopher Robert H. Bass has argued that her central ethical ideas are inconsistent and contradictory to her central political ideas.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Robert H. |last=Bass |title=Egoism versus Rights |work=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |volume=7 |issue=2 |date=Spring 2006 |pages=329–349 |url=http://aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars7-2/jars7_2rbass1.pdf |archiveurl=http://wayback.archive.org/web/20121105111109/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars7-2/jars7_2rbass1.pdf |archivedate=November 5, 2012}}</ref>

===Objectivist movement===
{{Main|Objectivist movement}}
In 1985, Rand's heir Leonard Peikoff established the [[Ayn Rand Institute]], a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Rand's ideas and works. In 1990, philosopher [[David Kelley]] founded the Institute for Objectivist Studies, now known as [[The Atlas Society]].<ref>{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=280–281}}; {{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|pp=19, 114}}</ref> In 2001 historian John McCaskey organized the Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship, which provides grants for scholarly work on Objectivism in academia.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|p=117}}</ref> The charitable foundation of [[BB&T Corporation]] has also given grants for teaching Rand's ideas or works. The [[University of Texas at Austin]], the [[University of Pittsburgh]], and [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] are among the schools that have received grants. In some cases these grants have been controversial due to their requiring research or teaching related to Rand.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|2009|pp=116–117}}; {{harvnb|Burns|2009|p=297}}</ref>

==Selected works==
{{main|Bibliography of Ayn Rand and Objectivism}}
<!-- NOTE: This is a selected bibliography and not meant to be comprehensive. Only major works published in her lifetime are included. Please start a discussion on the talkpage if you think the selection ought to be altered. Thank you. -->

;Novels
* 1936 ''[[We the Living]]''
* 1943 ''[[The Fountainhead]]''
* 1957 ''[[Atlas Shrugged]]''
;Other fiction
* 1934 ''[[Night of January 16th]]''
* 1938 ''[[Anthem (novella)|Anthem]]''
* 2015 ''[[Ideal (novel)|Ideal]]''<ref>{{work=[[The Guardian]]|url=http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/jul/12/ideal-by-ayn-rand-review-a-flat-schematic-bit-of-juvenilia-re-emerges|title=Ideal by Ayn Rand review|first=Michelle|last=Dean|date=July 12, 2015}}</ref>

;Non-fiction
* 1961 ''[[For the New Intellectual]]''
* 1964 ''[[The Virtue of Selfishness]]''
* 1966 ''[[Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal]]''
* 1969 ''[[The Romantic Manifesto]]''
* 1971 ''[[The New Left: The Anti-Industrial Revolution]]''
* 1979 ''[[Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology]]''
* 1982 ''[[Philosophy: Who Needs It]]''

==References==
{{Reflist|20em}}

===Works cited===
{{Refbegin|40em}}
* {{Cite web |ref=harv |url=http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ayn-rand/ |title=Ayn Rand |last1=Badhwar |first1=Neera |last2=Long |first2=Roderick T. |authorlink2=Roderick Long |editor-first=Edward N. (ed) |editor-last=Zalta |editor-link=Edward N. Zalta |date=June 8, 2010 |work=[[Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |accessdate=June 16, 2010}}
*{{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand |last=Baker |first=James T. |location=Boston, Massachusetts |publisher=Twayne Publishers |year=1987 |oclc=14933003 |isbn=0-8057-7497-1}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=On Classical Liberalism and Libertarianism |last=Barry |first=Norman P. |authorlink=Norman P. Barry |location=New York |publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]] |year=1987 |isbn=0-312-00243-2 |oclc=14134854}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[The Passion of Ayn Rand]] |last=Branden |first=Barbara |authorlink=Barbara Branden |location=Garden City, New York |publisher=Doubleday & Company |year=1986 |isbn=0-385-19171-5 |oclc=12614728}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand |last=Britting |first=Jeff |authorlink=Jeff Britting |location=New York |publisher=Overlook Duckworth |year=2004 |isbn=1-58567-406-0 |oclc=56413971 |series=Overlook Illustrated Lives series}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Burns |first=Jennifer |date=November 2004 |title=Godless Capitalism: Ayn Rand and the Conservative Movement |journal=Modern Intellectual History |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=359–385 |doi=10.1017/S1479244304000216}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right]] |last=Burns |first=Jennifer |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-532487-7 |oclc=313665028}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=Nozick On the Randian Argument |last1=Den Uyl |first1=Douglas |last2=Rasmussen |first2=Douglas |journal=[[The Personalist]] |date=April 1978 |volume=59 |pages=184–205 |lastauthoramp=y}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=The Philosophic Thought of Ayn Rand |editor1-last=Den Uyl |editor1-first=Douglas |editor1-link=Douglas Den Uyl |editor2-last=Rasmussen |editor2-first=Douglas |editor2-link=Douglas B. Rasmussen |location=Chicago |publisher=University of Illinois Press |year=1986 |origyear=1984 |isbn=0-252-01407-3 |edition=paperback |lastauthoramp=y |oclc=15669115}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Radicals for Capitalism: A Freewheeling History of the Modern American Libertarian Movement]] |last=Doherty |first=Brian |authorlink=Brian Doherty (journalist) |location=New York |publisher=Public Affairs |year=2007 |isbn=1-58648-350-1 |oclc=76141517}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |first=Brian |last=Doherty |title=She's Back! |url=http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/09/ayn-rand-is-back/singlepage |journal=[[Reason (magazine)|Reason]] |date=December 2009 |volume=41 |issue=7 |pages=51–58 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110511102914/http://reason.com/archives/2009/11/09/ayn-rand-is-back/singlepage |archivedate=May 11, 2011 |deadurl=no}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=The New Ayn Rand Companion |last=Gladstein |first=Mimi Reisel |authorlink=Mimi Reisel Gladstein |location=Westport, Connecticut |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-313-30321-5 |oclc=40359365}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Atlas Shrugged: Manifesto of the Mind |last=Gladstein |first=Mimi Reisel |location=New York |publisher=Twayne Publishers |year=2000 |isbn=0-8057-1638-6 |oclc=43569158 |series=Twayne's Masterwork Studies series}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand Literary Criticism |last=Gladstein |first=Mimi Reisel |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |volume=4 |issue=2 |date=Spring 2003 |pages=373–394 |url=http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars4-2/jars4_2mgladstein.pdf |accessdate=April 20, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514042510/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars4-2/jars4_2mgladstein.pdf |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=yes |jstor=41560226}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand |last=Gladstein |first=Mimi Reisel |location=New York |publisher=Continuum |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-8264-4513-1 |oclc=319595162 |series=Major Conservative and Libertarian Thinkers series}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Feminist Interpretations of Ayn Rand |editor1-last=Gladstein |editor1-first=Mimi Reisel |editor2-last=Sciabarra |editor2-first=Chris Matthew |editor1-link=Mimi Reisel Gladstein |editor2-link=Chris Matthew Sciabarra |location=University Park, Pennsylvania |publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-271-01830-5 |oclc=38885754 |series=Re-reading the Canon series |lastauthoramp=y}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[On Ayn Rand]] |last=Gotthelf |first=Allan |authorlink=Allan Gotthelf |location=Belmont, California |publisher=Wadsworth Publishing |year=2000 |isbn=0-534-57625-7 |oclc=43668181 |series=Wadsworth Philosophers Series}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Ayn Rand and the World She Made]] |last=Heller |first=Anne C. |location=New York |publisher=Doubleday |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-385-51399-9 |oclc=229027437}}
* {{Cite encyclopedia |ref=harv |last=Kukathas |first=Chandran |authorlink=Chandran Kukathas |year=1998 |title=Rand, Ayn (1905–82) |editor-last=Craig |editor-first=Edward (ed) |encyclopedia=[[Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy]] |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |volume=8 |pages=55–56 |isbn=0-415-07310-3 |oclc=318280731}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Essays on Ayn Rand's We the Living |editor-last=Mayhew |editor-first=Robert |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2004 |isbn=0-7391-0697-X |oclc=52979186}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Essays on Ayn Rand's Anthem |editor-last=Mayhew |editor-first=Robert |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2005a |isbn=0-7391-1031-4 |oclc=57577415}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand and Song of Russia |last=Mayhew |first=Robert |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2005b |isbn=0-8108-5276-4 |oclc=55474309}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Essays on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead |editor-last=Mayhew |editor-first=Robert |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2006 |isbn=0-7391-1578-2 |oclc=70707828}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Essays on Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged |editor-last=Mayhew |editor-first=Robert |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7391-2780-3 |oclc=315237945}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=100 Voices: An Oral History of Ayn Rand |last=McConnell |first=Scott |location=New York |publisher=[[New American Library]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-451-23130-7 |oclc=555642813}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=The Ideas of Ayn Rand |last=Merrill |first=Ronald E. |location=La Salle, Illinois |publisher=Open Court Publishing |year=1991 |isbn=0-8126-9157-1 |oclc=23254190}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=With Charity Toward None: An Analysis of Ayn Rand's Philosophy |last=O'Neill |first=William F. |location=New York |publisher=Littlefield, Adams & Company |year=1977 |origyear=1971 |isbn=0-8226-0179-6 |oclc=133489}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Ayn Rand: A Sense of Life]] (The Companion Book) |last=Paxton |first=Michael |authorlink=Michael Paxton |location=Layton, Utah |publisher=Gibbs Smith |year=1998 |isbn=0-87905-845-5 |oclc=38048196}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand]] |last=Peikoff |first=Leonard |authorlink=Leonard Peikoff |location=New York |publisher=[[E. P. Dutton]] |year=1991 |isbn=0-452-01101-9 |oclc=28423965}}
*{{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Objectively Speaking: Ayn Rand Interviewed |editor1-last=Podritske |editor1-first=Marlene |editor2-last=Schwartz |editor2-first=Peter |editor2-link=Peter Schwartz (writer) |location=Lanham, Maryland |publisher=Lexington Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7391-3195-4 |oclc=267048088 |lastauthoramp=y}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |title=[[The Virtue of Selfishness]] |isbn=0-451-16393-1 |oclc=28103453 |year=1964 |publisher=Penguin |location=New York}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |title=Brief Summary |journal=[[The Objectivist]] |date=September 1971 |volume=10 |issue=9 |pages=1–4}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |title=[[Philosophy: Who Needs It]] |editor-last=Peikoff |editor-first=Leonard |year=1982 |location=New York |publisher=Signet |edition=paperback |isbn=0-451-13249-1}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[The Voice of Reason]] |first=Ayn |last=Rand |editor-first=Leonard |editor-last=Peikoff |location=New York |publisher=New American Library |year=1989 |isbn=0-453-00634-5 |oclc=18048955}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |title=[[Atlas Shrugged]] |location=New York |publisher=Dutton |year=1992 |origyear=1957 |edition=35th anniversary |isbn=0-525-94892-9 |oclc=60339555}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Letters of Ayn Rand]] |last=Rand |first=Ayn |editor-first=Michael S |editor-last=Berliner |location=New York |publisher=Dutton |year=1995 |isbn=0-525-93946-6 |oclc=31412028}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |editor-last=Harriman |editor-first=David |title=[[Journals of Ayn Rand]] |location=New York |publisher=Dutton |year=1997 |isbn=0-525-94370-6 |oclc=36566117}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Rand |first=Ayn |editor-last=Mayhew |editor-first=Robert |year=2005 |title=Ayn Rand Answers, the Best of Her Q&A |isbn=0-451-21665-2 |oclc=59148253 |publisher=New American Library |location=New York}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |editor-first=John R. |editor-last=Shook |first1=Gregory |last1=Salmieri |first2=Allan |last2=Gotthelf |author2-link=Allan Gotthelf |chapter=Rand, Ayn (1905–82) |title=The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers |publisher=Thoemmes Continuum |location=London |year=2005 |isbn=1-84371-037-4 |oclc=53388453 |lastauthoramp=y |volume=4 |pages=1995–1999}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=[[Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical]] |last=Sciabarra |first=Chris Matthew |authorlink=Chris Matthew Sciabarra |location=University Park, Pennsylvania |publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press |year=1995 |isbn=0-271-01440-7 |oclc=31133644}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |title=A Renaissance in Rand Scholarship |last=Sciabarra |first=Chris Matthew |journal=Reason Papers |volume=23 |date=Fall 1998 |pages=132–159 |url=http://www.reasonpapers.com/pdf/23/rp_23_16.pdf |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110513120014/http://www.reasonpapers.com/pdf/23/rp_23_16.pdf |archivedate=May 13, 2011 |deadurl=no}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Sciabarra |first=Chris Matthew |url=http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars1-1/jars1_1csciabarra.pdf |title=The Rand Transcript |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |volume=1 |issue=1 |date=Fall 1999 |pages=1–26 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514042557/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars1-1/jars1_1csciabarra.pdf |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=yes |jstor=41560109}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Sciabarra |first=Chris Matthew |title=The Illustrated Rand |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |volume=6 |issue=1 |date=Fall 2004 |url=http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/illustratedrand.pdf |pages=1–20 |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20121012191607/http://www.nyu.edu/projects/sciabarra/essays/illustratedrand.pdf |archivedate=October 12, 2012 |deadurl=no |jstor=41560268}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |last=Seddon |first=Fred |title=Ayn Rand, Objectivists, and the History of Philosophy |publisher=University Press of America |location=Lanham, Maryland |year=2003 |pages=63–81 |isbn=0-7618-2308-5 |oclc=51969016}}
* {{Cite journal |ref=harv |last=Walsh |first=George V. |title=Ayn Rand and the Metaphysics of Kant |journal=[[The Journal of Ayn Rand Studies]] |date=Fall 2000 |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=69–103 |url=http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars2-1/jars2_1gwalsh.pdf |accessdate=April 15, 2011 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20110514042532/http://www.aynrandstudies.com/jars/archives/jars2-1/jars2_1gwalsh.pdf |archivedate=May 14, 2011 |deadurl=yes |jstor=41560132}}
* {{Cite book| ref=harv| title= Ayn Rand Nation: The Hidden struggle for America's Soul | last=Weiss| first=Gary| authorlink=Gary Weiss| location= New York | publisher= [[St. Martin's Press]]|year=2012|isbn=978-0-312-59073-4}}
* {{Cite book |ref=harv |title=Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion |editor-last=Younkins |editor-first=Edward W. |location=Burlington, Vermont |publisher=Ashgate Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7546-5533-6 |oclc=69792104}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{external links|date=May 2015}}
{{Sister project links|voy=no|Ayn Rand|n=no|v=no|wikt=no|b=no|author=yes}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia-2|2007-06-02|Ayn_Rand1.ogg|Ayn_Rand2.ogg|...}}
* [http://www.noblesoul.com/orc/bio/biofaq.html Ayn Rand Biographical FAQ] from the Objectivism Reference Center
* [http://ari.aynrand.org/faq Frequently Asked Questions About Ayn Rand] from the [[Ayn Rand Institute]]
* [http://www.cato-unbound.org/issues/january-2010/whats-living-dead-ayn-rands-moral-political-thought What's Living and Dead in Ayn Rand's Moral and Political Thought] by the [[Cato Institute]]
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Rand,+Ayn | name=Ayn Rand}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Ayn Rand}}
* {{Librivox author |id=4301}}
* [http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms002006 Rand's papers at The Library of Congress]
* [http://www.aynrandlexicon.com Ayn Rand Lexicon] – searchable database
* [http://www.americanwriters.org/writers/rand.asp Ayn Rand] at [[C-SPAN]]'s ''[[American Writers: A Journey Through History]]''
* {{IEP|r/rand.htm}}
* {{SEP|ayn-rand|Ayn Rand|Neera K. Badhwar and Roderick T. Long|October 4, 2010}}
* {{IMDb name|0709446}}
* {{OL author|OL59188A}}
* {{Find a Grave|851}}
* {{DMOZ|Society/Philosophy/Movements/Objectivism/People/Rand%2C_Ayn/}}

{{Ayn Rand|state=expanded}}
{{Social and political philosophy}}
{{Criticism of religion}}
{{Atlas Shrugged}}

{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rand, Ayn}}
[[Category:Ayn Rand| ]]
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