Ayn Rand was born 100 years ago today, on February 2, 1905 in St Petersburg, Russia. As the daughter of a Jewish shopkeeper, young Ayn and family were pretty fortunate to have escaped straight up extermination during the communist revolution.…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
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26 - Eric Olsen
guilty here
27 - Mike Kole
I was surprised that Reason devoted as much of the current issue to Rand as they did- front cover, the Young article, etc. It had seemed that Reason had made a very concerted effort to not rely on Rand as a crutch, and seek out places in more every day living and cultural ares where libertarian sensibilities were being offended.
Of course, editor Nick Gillespie's remarks at the front of the issue began, "I'm no fan of Rand". There's a certain distance being kept.
28 - Mike Kole
Al- There is a current post on a new book in the Foundation series of science fiction novels. The original books were by Isaac Asimov, but several other writers have contibuted novels based on Asimov's work, extending the fun.
What do you think about other authors doing the same thing with Atlas Shrugged? Sure, to use the Rand parlance, it would be a second-hander kind of thing to do, but really, I don't care. I liked several of the characters in Atlas, and would have enjoyed it very much if Rand herself had followed them in other novels. Alas.
29 - Al Barger
Depending on what exactly they came up with, this could be highly interesting- and not necessarily a second-hander move.
For starters, by rights Atlas and The Fountainhead should both long since be in the public domain and free for the re-invention, just like Huck Finn or Edgar Allen Poe stories.
There's certainly a lot that could be done with some of these characters, putting them into different contexts. Or perhaps Howard Roark's grandson rises up in this modern Age of Terror and nanny states.
30 - RJ
"My choices for #1/#2 novels of the 20th Century:
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger - Stephen King"
WTF?
How about:
#1 - The Stand
#2 - Tommyknockers
(Did I mention that I love SK?)
31 - SFC SKI
As much as I love all of those books, there is a big difference between a popular writer and a great writer.
THis leads me to ask this question: If classic were to be defined solely as fiction that is used as an example to schoolkids 75 to 100 years after its publication, what are some books from the last 25 years that will still be taught as exemplary "classic" literature 50 years from now?"
32 - Al Barger
Ski, are you saying we should try to guess the taste of schoolmarms not yet born as the basis for picking out great literature?
33 - DrPat
Ski and Al, there was a previous thread here on somewhat the same topic: What Book Today Is What Atlas Shrugged Was?. Interestingly, many of the same books were advanced (Joyce, King, Tolkein, etc.) as present-day matches to Rand's masterwork.
The major additions to the Foundation Trilogy were done with "beneficence aforethought", in which the "killer B's" (Bear, Benford, Brin) were invited by Asimov's estate to write about the origins of pshychohistory. OTOH, Donald Kingsbury's Psychohistorical Crisis was done without the approval of Asimov's estate, and so he needed to mask many of the central characters and concepts "in the mists of time".
Rand may be gone as well, but I think you'll find her estate is just as protective of her works as Asimov's!
34 - Al Barger
Oh, I can guarantee the Rand estate will be very tight with her "intellectual property." With the Rand crowd, attaching the word "property" to something gives it a holy status- even if the word "property" is misapplied to intellectual works.
Also, while we're dropping in best books of the century to compete against Rand, somebody better put in a plug for Robert Heinlein. Stranger in a Strange Land or The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress would be the obvious candidates. I'm personally particularly big on Job as well, but I don't know if that really quite rates.
35 - Al Barger
If you're humping an Objectivist, here are some things not to say.
36 - Mark Saleski
"...but nothing beats Tchaikovsky when it comes to anal"
yow!
37 - JR
Al Barger: Also, while we're dropping in best books of the century to compete against Rand, somebody better put in a plug for Robert Heinlein. Stranger in a Strange Land or The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress would be the obvious candidates. I'm personally particularly big on Job as well, but I don't know if that really quite rates.
Oh come on, you gotta be a fan of Farnham's Freehold. Of course, it's been a quarter century since I read it, so maybe it doesn't hold up so well.
38 - DrPat
I read Farnham's Freehold as a teen, when it did not appeal much to me. After living in South Africa, I reread the book, and it rang true.
It's not Heinlein's best, however. I suspect he was exploring several themes, since the story is a little muddied and does not have the usual resolution one expects from RAH.
39 - CJ
Admittedly, I haven't read most of the books mentioned here, but I can safely say that I far preferred Orwell's "1984" to Ayn Rand's "Anthem." Orwell's vision seemed at least to me to be far more plausible, relevant and horrifying than Rand's. Maybe "Atlas Shrugged" is far more indicative of her work, but in these two comparable texts, I have got to vote for Orwell.
40 - Al Barger
CJ, I'd have to agree with you, but that's mostly because you're comparing Ayn's first and least novel to Orwell's best. Anthem was pretty good, but it's her first attempt at a novel, and working in a still new to her language.
There's certainly no denying 1984 though, nor Animal Farm, which I would rate nearly equal.
41 - CJ
Thanks for clearing that up for me, Al. I guess I'll have to add "Atlas Shrugged" to my "to read" list.