Editing Ayn Rand (section)

== Life and career ==
=== Early life ===
Rand was born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum on February{{nbs}}2, 1905, into a Jewish [[bourgeois]] family living in [[Saint Petersburg]], which was then the capital of the [[Russian Empire]].{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=xiii}} She was the eldest of three daughters of Zinovy Zakharovich Rosenbaum, a pharmacist, and Anna Borisovna ({{née|Kaplan}}).{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=3–5}} She was 12 when the [[October Revolution]] and the rule of the [[Bolsheviks]] under [[Vladimir Lenin]] disrupted her family's lives. Her father's pharmacy was nationalized,{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=31}} and the family fled to [[Yevpatoria]] in Crimea, which was initially under the control of the [[White Army]] during the [[Russian Civil War]].{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=35}} After graduating high school there in June 1921,{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=36}} she returned with her family to Petrograd, as Saint Petersburg was then named,{{efn|The city was renamed ''Petrograd'' from the Germanic ''Saint Petersburg'' in 1914 because Russia was at war with Germany. In 1924 it was renamed ''Leningrad''. The name ''Saint Petersburg'' was restored in 1991.{{sfn|Ioffe|2022}}}} where they faced desperate conditions, occasionally nearly starving.{{sfn|Sciabarra|2013|pp=86–87}}

[[File:Pola Negri by Ayn Rand cover.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Book cover with black-and-white drawings and text in Russian|Rand's first published work was a monograph in Russian about actress [[Pola Negri]].]]
After the Russian Revolution opened up Russian universities to women, Rand was among the first to enroll at Petrograd State University, now [[Saint Petersburg State University]].{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=15}} At 16, she began her studies in the department of [[social pedagogy]], majoring in history.{{sfn|Sciabarra|2013|p=72}} She was one of many bourgeois students purged from the university shortly before graduating. After complaints from a group of visiting foreign scientists, many purged students, including Rand, were reinstated.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=47}}{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=24}} 

In October 1924, she graduated from the renamed Leningrad State University.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=15}}{{sfn|Sciabarra|1999|p=1}} She then studied for a year at the State [[Tekhnikum|Technicum]] for Screen Arts in Leningrad. For an assignment, Rand wrote an essay about the Polish actress [[Pola Negri]]. It became her first published work.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=49–50}} She decided her professional surname for writing would be ''Rand'',{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=33}} and she adopted the first name ''Ayn'' (pronounced {{IPAc-en|aɪ|n}}).{{sfn|Gladstein|1999|p=9}}{{efn|She may have taken ''Rand'' as her surname because it is graphically similar to a vowelless excerpt {{lang|ru|Рзнб}} of her birth surname {{lang|ru|Розенбаум}} in [[Cyrillic]].{{sfn|Gladstein|2010|p=7}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=55}} Rand said ''Ayn'' was adapted from a [[Finnish language|Finnish]] name.{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=19, 301}} Some biographical sources question this, suggesting it may come from a nickname based on the Hebrew word {{lang|he| עין}} (''[[ayin]]'', meaning 'eye').{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=55–57}} Letters from Rand's family do not use such a nickname.<ref>Milgram, Shoshana. "The Life of Ayn Rand: Writing, Reading, and Related Life Events". In {{harvnb|Gotthelf|Salmieri|2016|p=39}}.</ref>}}

In late 1925, Rand was granted a [[Travel visa|visa]] to visit relatives in Chicago.{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=18–19}} She arrived in New York City on February{{nbs}}19, 1926.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=53}} Intent on staying in the United States to become a screenwriter, she lived for a few months with her relatives learning English{{sfn|Hicks}} before moving to [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], California.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=57–60}}

In Hollywood a chance meeting with director [[Cecil B. DeMille]] led to work as an [[Extra (acting)|extra]] in his film ''[[The King of Kings (1927 film)|The King of Kings]]'' and a subsequent job as a junior screenwriter.{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=34–36}} While working on ''The King of Kings'', she met the aspiring actor [[Frank O'Connor (actor, born 1897)|Frank O'Connor]].{{efn|name="frank"}} They married on April{{nbs}}15, 1929. She became a [[Green card|permanent American resident]] in July 1929 and an [[United States nationality law#Naturalization|American citizen]] on March{{nbs}}3, 1931.{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=39}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=71}}{{efn|Rand's immigration papers [[Anglicisation of names|anglicized]] her given name as ''Alice'';{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=53}} her legal married name became ''Alice O'Connor'', but she did not use that name publicly or with friends.<ref>Milgram, Shoshana. "The Life of Ayn Rand: Writing, Reading, and Related Life Events". In {{harvnb|Gotthelf|Salmieri|2016|p=24}}.</ref>{{sfn|Branden|1986|p=72}}}} She tried to bring her parents and sisters to the United States, but they could not obtain permission to emigrate.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=96–98}}{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=43–44, 52}} Rand's father died of a heart attack in 1939. One of her sisters and their mother died during the [[siege of Leningrad]].{{sfn|Popoff|2024|p=119}}

=== Early fiction ===
{{see also|Night of January 16th|We the Living|Anthem (novella)}}

[[File:Night of January 16th jury flyer front.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Poster for the play Night of January 16th|Rand's play ''[[Night of January 16th]]'' opened on Broadway in 1935.]]
In 1932, Rand's first literary success was the sale of her screenplay ''[[Red Pawn]]'' to [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]], although it was never produced.{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=40, 42}}{{efn|It was later published in ''[[The Early Ayn Rand]]'' along with other screenplays, plays, and short stories that were not produced or published during her lifetime.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=22}}}} Her courtroom drama ''[[Night of January 16th]]'', first staged in Hollywood in 1934, reopened successfully on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in 1935. Each night, a jury was selected from members of the audience. Based on its vote, one of two different endings would be performed.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=76, 92}}{{efn|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.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=78}}{{sfn|Gladstein|2010|p=87}}}} In December 1934, Rand and O'Connor moved to New York City so she could handle revisions for the Broadway production.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=82}}

In 1936, her first novel was published, the semi-autobiographical{{sfn|Rand|1995|p=xviii}} ''[[We the Living]]''. Set in [[Soviet Russia]], it focuses on the struggle between the individual and the state. Initial sales were slow, and the American publisher let it go out of print;{{sfn|Gladstein|2010|p=13}} however, European editions continued to sell.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=141}}.</ref> She adapted the story as [[The Unconquered (1940 play)|a stage play]], but the Broadway production closed in less than a week.<ref>Britting, Jeff. "Adapting ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=164}}.</ref>{{efn|In 1942, the novel was adapted without permission into a pair of Italian films, ''Noi vivi'' and ''Addio, Kira''. After Rand's post-war legal claims over the piracy were settled, the films were re-edited with her approval and released as ''[[We the Living (film)|We the Living]]'' in 1986.<ref>Britting, Jeff. "Adapting ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|pp=167–176}}.</ref>}} After the success of her later novels, Rand released a revised version in 1959 that has sold over three million copies.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''We the Living''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2004|p=143}}.</ref>

In December 1935, Rand started her next major novel, ''[[The Fountainhead]]'',{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=98}} but took a break from it in 1937 to write her novella ''[[Anthem (novella)|Anthem]]''.{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=54–55}} The novella presents a [[dystopian]] future world in which [[totalitarian]] collectivism has triumphed to such an extent that the word ''I'' has been forgotten and replaced with ''we''.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=50}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=102}} Protagonists Equality 7-2521 and [[Liberty 5-3000]] eventually escape the collectivistic society and rediscover the word ''I''.{{Sfn|Gladstein|2010|pp=24–25}} It was published in England in 1938, but Rand could not find an American publisher at that time. As with ''We the Living'', Rand's later success allowed her to get a revised version published in 1946, and this sold over 3.5{{nbs}}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)}}
In the 1940s, Rand became politically active. She and her husband were full-time volunteers for Republican [[Wendell Willkie]]'s 1940 presidential campaign.{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=57}} This work put her in contact with other intellectuals sympathetic to free-market capitalism. She became friends with journalist [[Henry Hazlitt]], who introduced her to the [[Austrian School]] economist [[Ludwig von Mises]]. Despite philosophical differences with them, Rand strongly endorsed the writings of both men, and they expressed admiration for her. Mises once called her "the most courageous man in America", a compliment that particularly pleased her because he said "man" instead of "woman".{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=114}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=249}} Rand became friends with libertarian writer [[Isabel Paterson]]. Rand questioned her about American history and politics during their many meetings, and gave Paterson ideas for her only non-fiction book, ''[[The God of the Machine]]''.{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=75–78}}{{efn|Their friendship ended in 1948 after Paterson made what Rand considered rude comments to valued political allies.{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=130–131}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=214–215}}}}

[[File:The Fountain Head (1943 1st ed) - Ayn Rand.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Front cover of The Fountainhead|''[[The Fountainhead]]'' was Rand's first bestseller.]]
In 1943, Rand's first major success as a writer came with ''The Fountainhead'',{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=61–78}} a novel about an uncompromising architect named Howard Roark and his struggle against what Rand described as "second-handers" who attempt to live through others, placing others above themselves. Twelve publishers rejected it before [[Bobbs-Merrill Company]] accepted it at the insistence of editor Archibald Ogden, who threatened to quit if his employer did not publish it.{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=58–61}} 

While completing the novel, Rand was prescribed [[Benzedrine]], an [[amphetamine]], to fight fatigue.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=85}} The drug helped her to work long hours to meet her deadline for delivering the novel, but afterwards she was so exhausted that her doctor ordered two weeks' rest.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=89}} Her use of the drug for approximately three decades may have contributed to mood swings and outbursts described by some of her later associates.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=178}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=304–305}}

The success of ''The Fountainhead'' brought Rand fame and financial security.{{sfn|Doherty|2007|p=149}} In 1943, she sold the film rights to [[Warner Bros.]] and returned to Hollywood to write the screenplay. Producer [[Hal B. Wallis]] then hired her as a screenwriter and script-doctor for screenplays including ''[[Love Letters (1945 film)|Love Letters]]'' and ''[[You Came Along]]''.{{sfn|Britting|2004|pp=68–71}} Rand became involved with the [[anti-Communist]] [[Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals]] and [[American Writers Association]].{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=100–101, 123}} 

In 1947, during the [[Second Red Scare]], she testified as a "friendly witness" before the United States [[House Un-American Activities Committee]] that the 1944 film ''[[Song of Russia]]'' grossly misrepresented conditions in the [[Soviet Union]], portraying life there as much better and happier than it was.{{sfn|Mayhew|2005b|pp=91–93, 188–189}} She also wanted to criticize the lauded 1946 film ''[[The Best Years of Our Lives]]'' for what she interpreted as its negative presentation of the business world but was not allowed to do so.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=125}} When asked after the hearings about her feelings on the investigations' effectiveness, Rand described the process as "futile".{{sfn|Mayhew|2005b|p=83}}

In 1949, after several delays, the [[The Fountainhead (film)|film version]] of ''The Fountainhead'' was released. Although it used Rand's screenplay with minimal alterations, she "disliked the movie from beginning to end" and complained about its editing, the acting and other elements.{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=71}}

=== ''Atlas Shrugged'' and Objectivism ===
{{see also|Atlas Shrugged|Objectivism|Objectivist movement}}
[[File:Famous fantastic mysteries 195306.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Magazine cover with a man holding lightning bolts|Rand's novella ''Anthem'' was reprinted in the June 1953 issue of the pulp magazine ''[[Famous Fantastic Mysteries]]''.<ref>Ralston, Richard E. "Publishing ''Anthem''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2005a|p=26}}.</ref>]]
Following the publication of ''The Fountainhead'', Rand received many letters from readers, some of whom the book had influenced profoundly.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=91}} In 1951, Rand moved from Los Angeles to New York City, where she gathered a group of these admirers who met at Rand's apartment on weekends to discuss philosophy. The group included future [[chair of the Federal Reserve]] [[Alan Greenspan]], a young psychology student named Nathan Blumenthal (later [[Nathaniel Branden]]) and his wife [[Barbara Branden|Barbara]], and Barbara's cousin [[Leonard Peikoff]]. Later, Rand began allowing them to read the manuscript drafts of her new novel, ''Atlas Shrugged''.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=240–243}} 

In 1954, her close relationship with Nathaniel Branden turned into a romantic affair. They informed both their spouses, who briefly objected, until Rand "sp[u]n out a deductive chain from which you just couldn't escape", in Barbara Branden's words, resulting in her and O'Connor's assent.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=256–259}} Historian [[Jennifer Burns (historian)|Jennifer Burns]] concludes that O'Connor was likely "the hardest hit" emotionally by the affair.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=157}}

Published in 1957, ''Atlas Shrugged'' is considered Rand's ''[[magnum opus]]''.{{sfn|Sciabarra|2013|p=106}}{{sfn|Mayhew|2005b|p=78}} She described the novel's theme 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]] and expresses her concept of human achievement. The plot involves a [[dystopia]]n United States in which the most creative industrialists, scientists, and artists respond to a [[welfare state]] government by going on [[Strike action|strike]] and retreating to a hidden valley where they build an independent free economy. The novel's hero and leader of the strike, [[John Galt]], describes it as stopping "the motor of the world" by withdrawing the minds of individuals contributing most to the nation's wealth and achievements.{{sfn|Gladstein|1999|p=54}} The novel contains an exposition of Objectivism in a lengthy monologue delivered by Galt.<ref>[[Gennady Stolyarov II|Stolyarov II, G.]] "The Role and Essence of John Galt's Speech in Ayn Rand's ''Atlas Shrugged''". In {{harvnb|Younkins|2007|p=99}}.</ref>

Despite many negative reviews, ''Atlas Shrugged'' became an international bestseller,{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=2}} but the reaction of intellectuals to the novel discouraged and depressed Rand.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=178}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=303–306}} ''Atlas Shrugged'' was her last completed work of fiction, marking the end of her career as a novelist and the beginning of her role as a popular philosopher.{{sfn|Younkins|2007|p=1}}

In 1958, Nathaniel Branden established the Nathaniel Branden Lectures, later incorporated as the [[Nathaniel Branden Institute]] (NBI), to promote Rand's philosophy through public lectures. In 1962, he and Rand co-founded ''[[The Objectivist Newsletter]]'' (later renamed ''The Objectivist'') to circulate articles about her ideas.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=321}} She later republished some of these articles in book form. Rand was unimpressed by many of the NBI students{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=303}} and held them to strict standards, sometimes reacting coldly or angrily to those who disagreed with her.{{sfn|Doherty|2007|pp=237–238}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=329}}{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=235}} 

Critics, including some former NBI students and Branden himself, later said the NBI culture was one of intellectual conformity and excessive reverence for Rand. Some described the NBI or the [[Objectivist movement]] as a [[cult]] or religion.{{sfn|Gladstein|2010|pp=105–106}}{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=232–233}} Rand expressed opinions on a wide range of topics, from literature and music to sexuality and facial hair. Some of her followers mimicked her preferences, wearing clothes to match characters from her novels and buying furniture like hers.{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=236–237}} Some former NBI students believed the extent of these behaviors was exaggerated, and the problem was concentrated among Rand's closest followers in New York.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=235}}{{sfn|Doherty|2007|p=235}}

=== Later years ===
In the 1960s and 1970s, Rand developed and promoted her Objectivist philosophy through nonfiction and speeches,{{sfn|Branden|1986|pp=315–316}}{{sfn|Gladstein|1999|p=14}} including annual lectures at the [[Ford Hall Forum]].{{sfn|Gladstein|1999|p=16}} In answers to audience questions, she took controversial stances on political and social issues. These included supporting abortion rights,{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=320–321}} opposing the [[Vietnam War]] and the [[military draft]] (but condemning many [[draft dodgers]] as "bums"),{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=228–229, 265}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=352}} supporting Israel in the [[Yom Kippur War]] of 1973 against a coalition of Arab nations as "civilized men fighting savages",{{sfn|Brühwiler|2021|p=202 n114}}{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=266}} claiming [[European colonization of the Americas|European colonists]] had the right to invade and take land inhabited by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|American Indians]],{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=266}}<ref>Thompson, Stephen. "Topographies of Liberal Thought: Rand and Arendt and Race". In {{harvnb|Cocks|2020|p=237}}.</ref> and calling homosexuality "immoral" and "disgusting", despite advocating the repeal of all laws concerning it.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=362, 519}} She endorsed several [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] candidates for president of the United States, most strongly [[Barry Goldwater]] in [[1964 United States presidential election|1964]].{{sfn|Burns|2009|pp=204–206}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=322–323}}

[[File:Ayn Rand Marker.jpg|thumb|alt=Twin gravestone for Frank O'Connor and Ayn Rand O'Connor|Grave marker for Rand and her husband at [[Kensico Cemetery]] in [[Valhalla, New York]]{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=405}}]]
In 1964, Nathaniel Branden began an affair with the young actress [[Patrecia Scott]], whom he later married. Nathaniel and Barbara Branden kept the affair hidden from Rand. As her relationship with Nathaniel Branden deteriorated, Rand had her husband be present for difficult conversations between her and Branden.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=360–361}} In 1968, Rand learned about Branden's relationship with Scott. Though her romantic involvement with Nathaniel Branden was already over,{{sfn|Britting|2004|p=101}} Rand ended her relationship with both Brandens, and the NBI closed.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=374–375}} She published an article in ''The Objectivist'' repudiating Nathaniel Branden for dishonesty and "irrational behavior in his private life".{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=378–379}} In subsequent years, Rand and several more of her closest associates parted company.{{sfn|Burns|2009|p=276}}{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=398–400}}

In 1973, Rand's younger sister Eleonora Drobisheva (née ''Rosenbaum'', 1910–1999) visited her in the US at Rand's invitation, but did not accept her lifestyle and views, as well as finding little literary merit in her works. She returned to the Soviet Union and spent the rest of her life in Leningrad, later [[Saint Petersburg]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://biography.wikireading.ru/hj9OluXAZo | title=Элеонора Дробышева . Айн Рэнд. Сто голосов }}</ref>

In 1974, Rand had surgery for lung cancer after decades of heavy smoking.{{sfn|Heller|2009|pp=391–393}} In 1976, she retired from her newsletter and, despite her lifelong objections to any government-run program (while stating that only those who opposed such programs were entitled to recoup their contributions), was enrolled in and claimed [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] and [[Medicare (United States)|Medicare]] with the aid of a social worker.{{sfn|McConnell|2010|pp=520–521}}{{sfn|Weiss|2012|p=62}} Her activities in the Objectivist movement declined, especially after her husband died on November{{nbs}}9, 1979.{{sfn|Branden|1986|pp=392–395}} One of her final projects was a never-completed television adaptation of ''Atlas Shrugged''.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=406}}

On March{{nbs}}6, 1982, Rand died of heart failure at her home in New York City.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=410}} Her funeral included a {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=on}} floral arrangement in the shape of a dollar sign.{{sfn|Gladstein|2010|p=20}} In her will, Rand named Peikoff as her heir.{{sfn|Heller|2009|p=400}}