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Anthem & Fountainhead
The 1938 novel "Anthem," by Russian-American author Ayn Rand, is revered for being one of her classic works and an obvious precursor to her later masterpieces, "The Fountainhead" and "Atlas Shrugged." This short, engrossing novel, hailed by The New York Times as "A gripping dystopian look at paranoia from one of the most unusual and incisive writers of our day," delivers a lesson.
The Fountainhead, one of the most thought-provoking novels of the 20th century, advocates individualism through the tale of a talented young architect who challenges the tyranny of traditional public opinion. Three personalities provide as strong illustrations of the struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above Roarke, Howard
The Fountainhead, one of the most thought-provoking novels of the 20th century, advocates individualism through the tale of a talented young architect who challenges the tyranny of traditional public opinion. Three personalities provide as strong illustrations of the struggle for personal integrity in a world that values conformity above Roarke, Howard
1264 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2022
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About the author
Ayn Rand
592 books10.5k followersPolemical novels, such as
The Fountainhead
(1943), of primarily known Russian-American writer Ayn Rand, originally Alisa Rosenbaum, espouse the doctrines of objectivism and political libertarianism.
Fiction of this better author and philosopher developed a system that she named. Educated, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early initially duds and two Broadway plays, Rand achieved fame. In 1957, she published Atlas Shrugged , her best-selling work.
Rand advocated reason and rejected faith and religion. She supported rational and ethical egoism as opposed to altruism. She condemned the immoral initiation of force and supported laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system, based on recognizing individual rights, including private property. Often associated with the modern movement in the United States, Rand opposed and viewed anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She sharply criticized most philosophers and their traditions with few exceptions.
Books of Rand sold more than 37 million copies. From literary critics, her fiction received mixed reviews with more negative reviews for her later work. Afterward, she turned to nonfiction to promote her philosophy, published her own periodicals, and released several collections of essays until her death in 1982.
After her death, her ideas interested academics, but philosophers generally ignored or rejected her and argued that her approach and work lack methodological rigor. She influenced some right conservatives. The movement circulates her ideas to the public and in academic settings.
Fiction of this better author and philosopher developed a system that she named. Educated, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early initially duds and two Broadway plays, Rand achieved fame. In 1957, she published Atlas Shrugged , her best-selling work.
Rand advocated reason and rejected faith and religion. She supported rational and ethical egoism as opposed to altruism. She condemned the immoral initiation of force and supported laissez-faire capitalism, which she defined as the system, based on recognizing individual rights, including private property. Often associated with the modern movement in the United States, Rand opposed and viewed anarchism. In art, she promoted romantic realism. She sharply criticized most philosophers and their traditions with few exceptions.
Books of Rand sold more than 37 million copies. From literary critics, her fiction received mixed reviews with more negative reviews for her later work. Afterward, she turned to nonfiction to promote her philosophy, published her own periodicals, and released several collections of essays until her death in 1982.
After her death, her ideas interested academics, but philosophers generally ignored or rejected her and argued that her approach and work lack methodological rigor. She influenced some right conservatives. The movement circulates her ideas to the public and in academic settings.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 20, 2023
Ho scoperto Ayn Rand (e non solo lei) grazie al club di lettura: società alternative https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
e ne sono rimasto colpito. In questo ebook ci sono due opere insieme. Anthem o Antifona un breve racconto distopico pubblicato nel 1938. Mi chiedo se Orwell abbia avuto modo di leggerlo. Semplice, chiaro: la volonta del singolo verso la collettività, il piacere della scoperta verso l'accettazione di un "benessere" senza rischi...echi della dottrina/rivoluzione bolscevica a causa della quale la Rand aveva lasciato il suo paese per l'America?
The Fountainhead o La Fonte Meravigliosa è invece un colosso in tutti i sensi, più di mille pagine scritte in modo magistrale. Libro non leggero dove l'Autrice chiarisce la sua posizione e filosofia di vita. L'eroe è il singolo (ancora una volta) che grazie alle sue capacità senza compromessi si fa avanti contribuendo al progresso dell'umanità. Ma l'accettazione di nuove idee e propositi è per l'appunto contrastata senza mezzi termini fino al discredito dalla collettività che poi beneficierà delle invenzioni del singolo. Il retroscena è la società americana/occidentale così piena di paradossi. "It takes two to make every great career: the man who is great, and the man - almost rarer - who is great enough to see greatness and say so."
e ne sono rimasto colpito. In questo ebook ci sono due opere insieme. Anthem o Antifona un breve racconto distopico pubblicato nel 1938. Mi chiedo se Orwell abbia avuto modo di leggerlo. Semplice, chiaro: la volonta del singolo verso la collettività, il piacere della scoperta verso l'accettazione di un "benessere" senza rischi...echi della dottrina/rivoluzione bolscevica a causa della quale la Rand aveva lasciato il suo paese per l'America?
The Fountainhead o La Fonte Meravigliosa è invece un colosso in tutti i sensi, più di mille pagine scritte in modo magistrale. Libro non leggero dove l'Autrice chiarisce la sua posizione e filosofia di vita. L'eroe è il singolo (ancora una volta) che grazie alle sue capacità senza compromessi si fa avanti contribuendo al progresso dell'umanità. Ma l'accettazione di nuove idee e propositi è per l'appunto contrastata senza mezzi termini fino al discredito dalla collettività che poi beneficierà delle invenzioni del singolo. Il retroscena è la società americana/occidentale così piena di paradossi. "It takes two to make every great career: the man who is great, and the man - almost rarer - who is great enough to see greatness and say so."
April 27, 2026
it’s the usual Ayn it….
Once you’ve read Ayn Rand, you see the pattern… my opening discovery was Atlas Shrugged. While I thought that there, one could still conceive of a certain sanity and rationality in the characters, circumstances and political concepts, of a certain libertarian capitalism and the evils of government interventionism, all this is anything but clear and obvious in The Fountainhead.
The key figures here are rather egotistical and caricature type humans who bear no appreciable character traits. Selfish and superficial are the two key words appearing in my vision.
Rand’s female characters particularly behave in irrational ways; none of what they are saying, doing or thinking is in a balanced range.
The most annoying to me is Rand’s obsession with violent sexual confrontations… I would not call them love relationship, rather combat relationships. It’s not even sado-maso…. No, it’s more on the emotionally abusive spectrum.
I watched a biography movie that was made of her American life, and through it, it appears that she had a real preference for that type of interaction: controlling, exploiting and manipulative…. Very self-centered.
Others may find this fascinating, but it rather wears me out!
Once you’ve read Ayn Rand, you see the pattern… my opening discovery was Atlas Shrugged. While I thought that there, one could still conceive of a certain sanity and rationality in the characters, circumstances and political concepts, of a certain libertarian capitalism and the evils of government interventionism, all this is anything but clear and obvious in The Fountainhead.
The key figures here are rather egotistical and caricature type humans who bear no appreciable character traits. Selfish and superficial are the two key words appearing in my vision.
Rand’s female characters particularly behave in irrational ways; none of what they are saying, doing or thinking is in a balanced range.
The most annoying to me is Rand’s obsession with violent sexual confrontations… I would not call them love relationship, rather combat relationships. It’s not even sado-maso…. No, it’s more on the emotionally abusive spectrum.
I watched a biography movie that was made of her American life, and through it, it appears that she had a real preference for that type of interaction: controlling, exploiting and manipulative…. Very self-centered.
Others may find this fascinating, but it rather wears me out!
July 16, 2024
Fountainhead - unlike Anthem - is actaully an interesting read. On one hand, it is outdated, tediously long and full of Rand's ideological ballast (which is, especially in the last part, delivered in long boring monologues, full of pathos and bombast). On the other hand, it is about architecture and actually shows a keen interest in modernism, which is fun to read. Also, it has that weird quality of a 1940s Hollywood blockbuster: unrealistic, full of cliché and pretenses, but fundamentally fun to watch/read.
December 31, 2023
Read Fountainhead (not anthem). I enjoyed the book. It supported an ideal that was interesting but not realistic. The book was overly long with some wasted text that did little to the overall storyline. Also, the book had several instances of long, many paragraph arguments supporting the political position the author was trying to make.
August 8, 2023
This book now has my most hated villain in literature. Eat dirt Ellsworth Toohey. This book is misogynistic to an insane degree but i can't say that I hated it. It kept me interested and I didn't know where the plot was going. Ever. Or any of the conversations.
November 30, 2023
Wonderful
Ayn is the best storyteller ever. Characters come to life and are unforgettable. You will have a good understanding of how the world works after reading this book.
Ayn is the best storyteller ever. Characters come to life and are unforgettable. You will have a good understanding of how the world works after reading this book.
October 18, 2024
Great story
Well written story. I loved the book, but not as much as Atlas Shrugged". That one is in my top 5. This would probably be in the top 10.
Well written story. I loved the book, but not as much as Atlas Shrugged". That one is in my top 5. This would probably be in the top 10.
December 4, 2025
Incredible
You can draw a direct line with today's society at large. The insight of Rand's thinking is important to understanding the world both in the 1930's and 2030.
You can draw a direct line with today's society at large. The insight of Rand's thinking is important to understanding the world both in the 1930's and 2030.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews