Ayn Rand and the World She Made
Encyclopedia
Ayn Rand and the World She Made is a biography of Russian-American philosopher Ayn Rand
by Anne C. Heller published in 2009.
included it among its "Best Books 2009", and The New York Times Book Review
named it one of their "100 Notable Books of 2009". In a review for Liberty
, Stephen Cox
called the book "engrossing" and "objective", although he disagreed with Heller's interpretations in some areas.
Several of the reviews compared the book with another biography of Rand, Goddess of the Market
by Jennifer Burns, which focuses on Rand's intellectual development and influence on the libertarian
and conservative movements, as opposed to Heller's focus on the details of Rand's life. Johann Hari
, while reviewing both books for Slate magazine, remarked that they were "thrilling psychological portraits of a horribly damaged woman who deserves the one thing she spent her life raging against: compassion." In a review for The New York Times
, Janet Maslin
said the two books "make many of the same points and touch on many of the same biographical details", although Maslin prefers Heller's book for its greater detail. The two books were also reviewed jointly in The New Republic
and Time
.
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand was a Russian-American novelist, philosopher, 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....
by Anne C. Heller published in 2009.
Contents
The book is a chronological biography of Rand. Each chapter covers a specific period of time indicated as part of the chapter title. An "Afterword" briefly describes what some of her former associates have done since her death. Although there are no footnotes in the main text, the book has a "Notes" section that explains the sources for passages.Reception
The book received overall positive reviews upon publication. Library JournalLibrary Journal
Library Journal is a trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey . It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional practice...
included it among its "Best Books 2009", and The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
named it one of their "100 Notable Books of 2009". In a review for Liberty
Liberty (1987)
Liberty is a leading libertarian journal founded in 1987 by R. W. Bradford in Port Townsend, Washington, and currently edited from San Diego, California, by Stephen Cox...
, Stephen Cox
Stephen D. Cox
Stephen D. Cox is the editor of Liberty magazine, an American monthly libertarian and classical liberal review. He is also a professor of literature at the University of California, San Diego and author of several non-fiction books....
called the book "engrossing" and "objective", although he disagreed with Heller's interpretations in some areas.
Several of the reviews compared the book with another biography of Rand, Goddess of the Market
Goddess of the Market
Goddess of the Market is a biography of Ayn Rand by historian Jennifer Burns. Subtitled "Ayn Rand and the American Right", it explores Rand's intellectual development and her relationship to the conservative and libertarian movements...
by Jennifer Burns, which focuses on Rand's intellectual development and influence on the libertarian
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
and conservative movements, as opposed to Heller's focus on the details of Rand's life. Johann Hari
Johann Hari
Johann Hari is an award winning British journalist who has been a columnist at The Independent, the The Huffington Post, and contributed to several other publications. In 2011, Hari was accused of plagiarism; he subsequently was suspended from The Independent and surrendered his 2008 Orwell Prize...
, while reviewing both books for Slate magazine, remarked that they were "thrilling psychological portraits of a horribly damaged woman who deserves the one thing she spent her life raging against: compassion." In a review for The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin
Janet Maslin is an American journalist, best known as a film and literary critic for The New York Times. She served as the Times film critic from 1977–1999.- Biography :...
said the two books "make many of the same points and touch on many of the same biographical details", although Maslin prefers Heller's book for its greater detail. The two books were also reviewed jointly in The New Republic
The New Republic
The magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
and Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
.
External links
- Official book homepage from the publisher