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The Passion of Ayn Rand
This bestselling biography of one of the 20th century's most remarkable and controversial writers is now available in paperback. Author Barbara Branden, who knew Rand for nineteen years, provides a matchless portrait of this fiercely private and complex woman.
464 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
About the author
Barbara Branden
15 books4 followersBarbara Branden was a Canadian writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.
Barbara met her husband Nathaniel Branden through a shared interest in Rand's works. Barbara and Nathaniel became personal friends of Rand and her husband, Frank O'Connor, in 1950. When Barbara and Nathaniel married in 1953, Rand and O'Connor served as matron of honor and best man, respectively.
After earning her M.A. in philosophy, Barbara joined her husband as one of the founding members of the Objectivist movement, which sought to advance Rand's ideas. Rand acknowledged Barbara as one of the most important proponents of Objectivism.
In 1954, Nathaniel pursued an affair with Rand with the reluctant consent of both Barbara and O'Connor. Barbara described the affair as a "sacrifice" that caused "years of pain."
Rand broke off her relationship with the Brandens in 1968 after learning of Nathaniel's affair with actress Patrecia Scott.
Barbara's 1986 biography of Rand, The Passion of Ayn Rand, created a rift among Rand's followers because the book exposed that Rand had lied about why she broke off her relationship with the Brandens. Rand's private correspondence later confirmed what Barbara brought to light in her biography. The Passion of Ayn Rand was later made into a Emmy Award-winning motion picture in 1999.
Barbara Branden died of a lung infection in Los Angeles on December 11, 2013.
Barbara met her husband Nathaniel Branden through a shared interest in Rand's works. Barbara and Nathaniel became personal friends of Rand and her husband, Frank O'Connor, in 1950. When Barbara and Nathaniel married in 1953, Rand and O'Connor served as matron of honor and best man, respectively.
After earning her M.A. in philosophy, Barbara joined her husband as one of the founding members of the Objectivist movement, which sought to advance Rand's ideas. Rand acknowledged Barbara as one of the most important proponents of Objectivism.
In 1954, Nathaniel pursued an affair with Rand with the reluctant consent of both Barbara and O'Connor. Barbara described the affair as a "sacrifice" that caused "years of pain."
Rand broke off her relationship with the Brandens in 1968 after learning of Nathaniel's affair with actress Patrecia Scott.
Barbara's 1986 biography of Rand, The Passion of Ayn Rand, created a rift among Rand's followers because the book exposed that Rand had lied about why she broke off her relationship with the Brandens. Rand's private correspondence later confirmed what Barbara brought to light in her biography. The Passion of Ayn Rand was later made into a Emmy Award-winning motion picture in 1999.
Barbara Branden died of a lung infection in Los Angeles on December 11, 2013.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
April 5, 2009
The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged are often cited by people as seminal works in the development of their personal world view. What is this philosophy expounded by Rand called objectivism? Also known as “enlightened self-interest,” it has become the basis for much of libertarian politics. Rand has rarely been viewed neutrally: she is either seen as a prophet of reason or the destroyer of traditional values; the promoter of personal happiness and self-worth or advocate of mindless greed.
Her childhood, she would have argued, was, irrelevant to the person she became. Later writings revealed a contempt for the “intellectual hostess” indifferent to the world of ideas. This stemmed, perhaps, from her early environment, her father completely indifferent to her, and her mother’s active social life. She was a precocious child and valued intelligence above everything else; intelligence was to become inextricably linked in her world to virtue. She was bored by school; it was entirely too easy, and she began writing stories as a form of self-entertainment. A recurring theme even in the early stories was the battle between good and evil. Reason became the overarching element in her life. One day she simply decided to become an atheist. “I had decided that the concept of God is degrading to men. Since they say God is perfect, and man can never be that perfect, then man is low and imperfect and there is something above him-- which is wrong, [and since there was:] no proof of the existence of God; the concept is an untenable invention.”
She wanted to define a moral ideal and to “project through fiction, the living reality of that ideal.” She had a brief interest in Nietzsche, but after discovering his anti-reason stance, discarded him. Clearly the trauma of growing up during the turmoil and privations of the Bolshevik revolution made a deep impression.
By age eighteen she had already fully defined her philosophy and never deviated from it: “My philosophy, in essence, is 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.”
In her first novel, We the Living appeared a Nietzschean statement that implied she supported the use of force. She had it removed from later editions and stressed repeatedly that, "Whatever may be open to disagreement, there is one act of evil that may not, the act that no man may commit against others and no man may sanction to forgive. So long as men desire to live together, no man may initiate. . . .no man may start. . . the use of force against others.” Many of Rand's detractors have misinterpreted her use of the word selfish. Rand despised the typical interpretation because it meant defining one's values and thoughts based on making an impression on others. What she meant by the use of the words selfish and ego was an individual objectively (hence Objectivism) defining for oneself self-sufficiently what those convictions, values, and judgments would be independent of what others thought. Altruism was destructive because it meant that people operated and made decisions for the group. This led to a group-think mentality that disvalued the individual.
This conflict is exemplified in The Fountainhead between Howard Roark and Peter Keating who represent the two extremes: the individualist versus the collectivist, and that evolved into a political philosophy. This raises another point as to why conservatives view her as such an icon. Corporations, it seems to me, are basically very hierarchical, tyrannical, and autocratic in their structure (despite protestations to the contrary) and they function for the benefit of their stockholders. That, I suggest, is a collectivist and not an individualist function. They function in the interest of a group. Individualists within such an organization, those with the selfish ego proclaimed as an ideal by Rand, would not be tolerated because they would behave in a non-collectivist manner. Her first interest in politics was sparked by the Roosevelt campaign, and she voted for him in the first election because he seemed the most tied to free enterprise, but by the end of his first term had decided he was too collectivist-oriented and went to work for Wilkie, but became disillusioned with him quite quickly. When later it was suggested that by working for the Wilkie campaign she was making a sacrifice in violation of her "selfish" principles, she replied somewhat ingenuously, I think, that it was really an act of supreme selfishness, fighting for a world in which she would be able to freely write her ideas.
All her life she opposed religion and faith-based beliefs, arguing that "Religion. . . is the first enemy of the ability to think. . . .Faith is the worst curse of mankind [her italics:], as the exact antithesis of thought." Religion was the embodiment of evil, an "explicit and implicit rejection of reason." Her attitude with regard to emotion was interesting as well. She argued that all emotion was the result of cognition. "If a small baby sees someone pointing a gun at him, he will not react with fear; he may smile, thinking he is being giving a new toy. If an adult sees someone pointing a gun at him--he will feel fear: he knows the gun is dangerous and may kill him." This means that emotions and the subconscious should be available to the conscious mind and that behavior and emotion should and can result from conscious thought and that "free will consists of the choice to think or not to think. Even psychologists who have admired her work regard this as a dangerous simplification.
The filming of The Fountainhead became a struggle for her to maintain the integrity of the script she had written. Frank Lloyd Wright was asked to design the set buildings representing Howard Roark's designs, but he demanded a huge fee and complete set and script control, something that would have effectively made him the director. It was refused. Ultimately the studio's set designer did the buildings and simply patterned them after ugly modern buildings. Ayn was not happy. The movie also came under attack from the Johnson Office, Hollywood's self-censorship body, which was effectively controlled by the Catholic Church. It was not the "rape" scene they objected to, but rather Roark's speech to the jury, the priest who challenged it claiming it was too "materialistic." The Johnson Office was not supposed to pass judgment on a film's philosophy, so Ayn called him on it and he was forced to back down. Atlas Shrugged continued the expression of her philosophy in fictional form. I'll say little about the content because a review will follow in a later issue, but one important concept, according to Brandon, is her view of the "impotence of evil." Evil is irrational and to be fought but not to be taken seriously. "Evil is to be despised, not hated or feared." The moral issues are fought between the good and the good (shades of Rushworth Kidder?). Ayn said, "the alleged victories of evil are made possible only by the flaws or the errors of those who are essentially good. Evil, left to its own devices, is impotent and self-defeating. . . [taking:] the burden of sin upon yourself --as God does-- it amounts to the sanction of evil. The power of religion consists of the power of morality--that's what holds people to religion--and I wanted to show that religion's monopoly on values does not belong to religion but to philosophy."
By this time she had become disillusioned with political conservatives: they did not know how to fight an intellectual battle. "What was needed was a moral justification for freedom that would be the antithesis of faith, altruism and collectivism. Rand gave America a moral sanction: "the philosophical demonstration that to live for one's own rational self-interest, to pursue one's own selfish, personal goals, to use one's mind in the service of one's own life and happiness, is the noblest, the highest, the most moral of human activities." Conservatives would write about economic and political issues, but they did so from a religious and altruistic morality that was an anti-capitalist morality. Brandon and her future husband became acolytes of Rand, enamored of her ideas. But Brandon also was not a little dismayed by Rand's attitudes to "irrational" art: Beethoven was too filled with a tragic sense of doom; Rembrandt had a "grim, unfocused malevolence" and Shakespeare tragically failed to portray human beings with free will. Brandon remarks that those artists who became Rand's followers and adopted a completely rational approach to art lost their sense of originality and their art became "thin and tight."
Barbara Brandon is an unlikely biographer as she writes at length about the affair that her husband Nathaniel had with Ayn Rand, an affair that was to be very destructive to them all. Ultimately, in her affair with Nathaniel Brandon, Ayn surrendered to an emotion that she tried to categorize as a rational response to a situation, but it was to have enormous negative effects on her and those around her. "Ayn was a strikingly unsophisticated woman. . .she had lived an oddly sheltered life, locked within the confines of her special view of reality." When Nathaniel fell in love with another woman and refused to rekindle the affair that Ayn had suspended, she became enraged, cut him off from all the Objectivist activities and began a campaign against him to get revenge. Brandon herself suggests this might not have been a bad thing because Ayn had become such a “cult” figure that the movement needed to be eliminated.
This is a fascinating biography of an intriguing and influential personality.
Her childhood, she would have argued, was, irrelevant to the person she became. Later writings revealed a contempt for the “intellectual hostess” indifferent to the world of ideas. This stemmed, perhaps, from her early environment, her father completely indifferent to her, and her mother’s active social life. She was a precocious child and valued intelligence above everything else; intelligence was to become inextricably linked in her world to virtue. She was bored by school; it was entirely too easy, and she began writing stories as a form of self-entertainment. A recurring theme even in the early stories was the battle between good and evil. Reason became the overarching element in her life. One day she simply decided to become an atheist. “I had decided that the concept of God is degrading to men. Since they say God is perfect, and man can never be that perfect, then man is low and imperfect and there is something above him-- which is wrong, [and since there was:] no proof of the existence of God; the concept is an untenable invention.”
She wanted to define a moral ideal and to “project through fiction, the living reality of that ideal.” She had a brief interest in Nietzsche, but after discovering his anti-reason stance, discarded him. Clearly the trauma of growing up during the turmoil and privations of the Bolshevik revolution made a deep impression.
By age eighteen she had already fully defined her philosophy and never deviated from it: “My philosophy, in essence, is 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.”
In her first novel, We the Living appeared a Nietzschean statement that implied she supported the use of force. She had it removed from later editions and stressed repeatedly that, "Whatever may be open to disagreement, there is one act of evil that may not, the act that no man may commit against others and no man may sanction to forgive. So long as men desire to live together, no man may initiate. . . .no man may start. . . the use of force against others.” Many of Rand's detractors have misinterpreted her use of the word selfish. Rand despised the typical interpretation because it meant defining one's values and thoughts based on making an impression on others. What she meant by the use of the words selfish and ego was an individual objectively (hence Objectivism) defining for oneself self-sufficiently what those convictions, values, and judgments would be independent of what others thought. Altruism was destructive because it meant that people operated and made decisions for the group. This led to a group-think mentality that disvalued the individual.
This conflict is exemplified in The Fountainhead between Howard Roark and Peter Keating who represent the two extremes: the individualist versus the collectivist, and that evolved into a political philosophy. This raises another point as to why conservatives view her as such an icon. Corporations, it seems to me, are basically very hierarchical, tyrannical, and autocratic in their structure (despite protestations to the contrary) and they function for the benefit of their stockholders. That, I suggest, is a collectivist and not an individualist function. They function in the interest of a group. Individualists within such an organization, those with the selfish ego proclaimed as an ideal by Rand, would not be tolerated because they would behave in a non-collectivist manner. Her first interest in politics was sparked by the Roosevelt campaign, and she voted for him in the first election because he seemed the most tied to free enterprise, but by the end of his first term had decided he was too collectivist-oriented and went to work for Wilkie, but became disillusioned with him quite quickly. When later it was suggested that by working for the Wilkie campaign she was making a sacrifice in violation of her "selfish" principles, she replied somewhat ingenuously, I think, that it was really an act of supreme selfishness, fighting for a world in which she would be able to freely write her ideas.
All her life she opposed religion and faith-based beliefs, arguing that "Religion. . . is the first enemy of the ability to think. . . .Faith is the worst curse of mankind [her italics:], as the exact antithesis of thought." Religion was the embodiment of evil, an "explicit and implicit rejection of reason." Her attitude with regard to emotion was interesting as well. She argued that all emotion was the result of cognition. "If a small baby sees someone pointing a gun at him, he will not react with fear; he may smile, thinking he is being giving a new toy. If an adult sees someone pointing a gun at him--he will feel fear: he knows the gun is dangerous and may kill him." This means that emotions and the subconscious should be available to the conscious mind and that behavior and emotion should and can result from conscious thought and that "free will consists of the choice to think or not to think. Even psychologists who have admired her work regard this as a dangerous simplification.
The filming of The Fountainhead became a struggle for her to maintain the integrity of the script she had written. Frank Lloyd Wright was asked to design the set buildings representing Howard Roark's designs, but he demanded a huge fee and complete set and script control, something that would have effectively made him the director. It was refused. Ultimately the studio's set designer did the buildings and simply patterned them after ugly modern buildings. Ayn was not happy. The movie also came under attack from the Johnson Office, Hollywood's self-censorship body, which was effectively controlled by the Catholic Church. It was not the "rape" scene they objected to, but rather Roark's speech to the jury, the priest who challenged it claiming it was too "materialistic." The Johnson Office was not supposed to pass judgment on a film's philosophy, so Ayn called him on it and he was forced to back down. Atlas Shrugged continued the expression of her philosophy in fictional form. I'll say little about the content because a review will follow in a later issue, but one important concept, according to Brandon, is her view of the "impotence of evil." Evil is irrational and to be fought but not to be taken seriously. "Evil is to be despised, not hated or feared." The moral issues are fought between the good and the good (shades of Rushworth Kidder?). Ayn said, "the alleged victories of evil are made possible only by the flaws or the errors of those who are essentially good. Evil, left to its own devices, is impotent and self-defeating. . . [taking:] the burden of sin upon yourself --as God does-- it amounts to the sanction of evil. The power of religion consists of the power of morality--that's what holds people to religion--and I wanted to show that religion's monopoly on values does not belong to religion but to philosophy."
By this time she had become disillusioned with political conservatives: they did not know how to fight an intellectual battle. "What was needed was a moral justification for freedom that would be the antithesis of faith, altruism and collectivism. Rand gave America a moral sanction: "the philosophical demonstration that to live for one's own rational self-interest, to pursue one's own selfish, personal goals, to use one's mind in the service of one's own life and happiness, is the noblest, the highest, the most moral of human activities." Conservatives would write about economic and political issues, but they did so from a religious and altruistic morality that was an anti-capitalist morality. Brandon and her future husband became acolytes of Rand, enamored of her ideas. But Brandon also was not a little dismayed by Rand's attitudes to "irrational" art: Beethoven was too filled with a tragic sense of doom; Rembrandt had a "grim, unfocused malevolence" and Shakespeare tragically failed to portray human beings with free will. Brandon remarks that those artists who became Rand's followers and adopted a completely rational approach to art lost their sense of originality and their art became "thin and tight."
Barbara Brandon is an unlikely biographer as she writes at length about the affair that her husband Nathaniel had with Ayn Rand, an affair that was to be very destructive to them all. Ultimately, in her affair with Nathaniel Brandon, Ayn surrendered to an emotion that she tried to categorize as a rational response to a situation, but it was to have enormous negative effects on her and those around her. "Ayn was a strikingly unsophisticated woman. . .she had lived an oddly sheltered life, locked within the confines of her special view of reality." When Nathaniel fell in love with another woman and refused to rekindle the affair that Ayn had suspended, she became enraged, cut him off from all the Objectivist activities and began a campaign against him to get revenge. Brandon herself suggests this might not have been a bad thing because Ayn had become such a “cult” figure that the movement needed to be eliminated.
This is a fascinating biography of an intriguing and influential personality.
September 6, 2024
Histrionic and a bit sentimental, but an extremely readable and compelling look at Alice Rosenbaum. Like many people my age, I read Ayn Rand in high school (I finished Atlas Shrugged at age 15, I think) and outgrew her not too much later. As I figured out pretty quickly after studying the topic seriously, her 'philosophy' is just weirdly half-assed fideism re: a couple basic quasi-philosophical concepts that she never really understands. As Branden points out in the first section of The Passion of Ayn Rand, Rosenbaum settled on her life philosophy at age 18 and literally never rethought it, which is . . . uh . . . not a good idea, let's say. And then, as a person, she was obviously somewhat autistic and perhaps mildly sociopathic; certainly there's some good qualities in there somewhere, but she wasn't a pleasant person.
Anyway, I was aware of the basic outline of Rosenbaum's life -- raised in Russia, fled during the Revolution, worked in Hollywood, became a successful novelist. But it's difficult to describe exactly how interesting each stage of her life was, when you get down to the details. Her first-hand description of the October / February revolutions (Branden relies on very extensive interviews) is absurdly compelling. I've read a few books on the topic but never from quite her perspective, i.e., a precocious high school student who fled to Crimea and then returned to St. Petersburg after the Reds defeated the Whites. (Also the fact that she had pin-up photos of Kerensky on her walls, Tiger Beat style, is almost impossible to believe, but I somehow feel compelled to believe it.)
Generally speaking, the sheer amount of interesting things that happened to Rosenbaum beggars belief. E.g., when she finally makes it to Hollywood (a few years later), in her first week there, she walks by Cecil B. DeMille on a street corner, chats about his work, and then DeMille gives her a ride to his studio and gives her a job on set (?!), where she later meets her husband . . . Rand's detailed description of the Hollywood studio system in the 1920s alone is worth the price of this book. Finally, while I'm not a huge fan of her novels as such (though Anthem is actually quite good), Branden's narration of these decades is nonetheless very compelling.
Anyway, I was aware of the basic outline of Rosenbaum's life -- raised in Russia, fled during the Revolution, worked in Hollywood, became a successful novelist. But it's difficult to describe exactly how interesting each stage of her life was, when you get down to the details. Her first-hand description of the October / February revolutions (Branden relies on very extensive interviews) is absurdly compelling. I've read a few books on the topic but never from quite her perspective, i.e., a precocious high school student who fled to Crimea and then returned to St. Petersburg after the Reds defeated the Whites. (Also the fact that she had pin-up photos of Kerensky on her walls, Tiger Beat style, is almost impossible to believe, but I somehow feel compelled to believe it.)
Generally speaking, the sheer amount of interesting things that happened to Rosenbaum beggars belief. E.g., when she finally makes it to Hollywood (a few years later), in her first week there, she walks by Cecil B. DeMille on a street corner, chats about his work, and then DeMille gives her a ride to his studio and gives her a job on set (?!), where she later meets her husband . . . Rand's detailed description of the Hollywood studio system in the 1920s alone is worth the price of this book. Finally, while I'm not a huge fan of her novels as such (though Anthem is actually quite good), Branden's narration of these decades is nonetheless very compelling.
July 12, 2011
I don't usually read biographies, but having read some of Ayn Rand's books I was very interested in what made her tick. There is much controversy that gets generated whenever her name is mentioned so I wanted to know more. The Passion of Ayn Rand was a surprising insightful and thoughtful book on the life and times of Ayn Rand.
Initially I was expecting a hatchet job since many people despise her, but Barbara Branden provides a well balanced look at one of the most controversial and influential figures of the 20th Century. Barbara and her then husband Nathaniel Branden became close friends with Ayn and husband Frank. Barbara has a special interest in this story not only because of her friendship with Ayn but also because of the open affair between Nathaniel and Ayn Rand. Even after all the pain caused, Barbara still has much admiration for Rand.
While the affair is an important turning point, the majority of the book covers Ayn's early life. It begins with Ayn Rand as a girl who grew up in poverty and political turmoil in the Soviet Union, moves on to her rise to successful author in the US and to her declining years after turning 50 and the tumultuous affair that caused plenty of suffering for all those concerned. Aside from showing Ayn's brilliant mind, it also showed her quickness in dismissing people, her lack of humour and her intense anger and outbursts. She is also portrayed as a generous person who gave money to struggling writers and even had struggling writers live at her house. She gave up alot of her time to discuss and promote her ideas. She fought hard to get her work published the way she intended her work to be portrayed.
Interesting notes are the people she met along the way: Frank Lloyd Wright, Oppenheimer (whom she interviewed a few times for a script and later modelled one of her characters in Atlas Shrugged on), Cecil B. DeMille who gave her a ride in his car and one of her first jobs in the US. She even featured as an extra in one of his movies. While working on the Fountainhead movie, she worked with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neil. And of course there was her economist friends Alan Greenspan and Henry Von Mises (teacher of nobel prize winner Frederick A Hayek). I was surprised to learn she was invited to a White house dinner hosted by Gerald Ford, at the request of fellow guest Malcolm Fraser (Australian Prime Minister). Ayn was invited to the Apollo 11 launch, and wrote a brief article on the experience of man's first landing on the moon. http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServe...
This book is great for those her admire her and those who don't. It shows her as brilliant but flawed (although she would not have thought so). One thing for sure is that she was talented and her philosophy is still being discussed and debate now more than ever before. Her books are still selling well with Atlas Shrugged (her 1957 novel) rocketing to number 4 on the Amazon best sellers list this year (2011).
Of course this is just one person's view point (from someone who was hurt by the whole affair) and Ayn isn’t around to defend herself against some of the allegations.
Initially I was expecting a hatchet job since many people despise her, but Barbara Branden provides a well balanced look at one of the most controversial and influential figures of the 20th Century. Barbara and her then husband Nathaniel Branden became close friends with Ayn and husband Frank. Barbara has a special interest in this story not only because of her friendship with Ayn but also because of the open affair between Nathaniel and Ayn Rand. Even after all the pain caused, Barbara still has much admiration for Rand.
While the affair is an important turning point, the majority of the book covers Ayn's early life. It begins with Ayn Rand as a girl who grew up in poverty and political turmoil in the Soviet Union, moves on to her rise to successful author in the US and to her declining years after turning 50 and the tumultuous affair that caused plenty of suffering for all those concerned. Aside from showing Ayn's brilliant mind, it also showed her quickness in dismissing people, her lack of humour and her intense anger and outbursts. She is also portrayed as a generous person who gave money to struggling writers and even had struggling writers live at her house. She gave up alot of her time to discuss and promote her ideas. She fought hard to get her work published the way she intended her work to be portrayed.
Interesting notes are the people she met along the way: Frank Lloyd Wright, Oppenheimer (whom she interviewed a few times for a script and later modelled one of her characters in Atlas Shrugged on), Cecil B. DeMille who gave her a ride in his car and one of her first jobs in the US. She even featured as an extra in one of his movies. While working on the Fountainhead movie, she worked with Gary Cooper and Patricia Neil. And of course there was her economist friends Alan Greenspan and Henry Von Mises (teacher of nobel prize winner Frederick A Hayek). I was surprised to learn she was invited to a White house dinner hosted by Gerald Ford, at the request of fellow guest Malcolm Fraser (Australian Prime Minister). Ayn was invited to the Apollo 11 launch, and wrote a brief article on the experience of man's first landing on the moon. http://www.aynrand.org/site/PageServe...
This book is great for those her admire her and those who don't. It shows her as brilliant but flawed (although she would not have thought so). One thing for sure is that she was talented and her philosophy is still being discussed and debate now more than ever before. Her books are still selling well with Atlas Shrugged (her 1957 novel) rocketing to number 4 on the Amazon best sellers list this year (2011).
Of course this is just one person's view point (from someone who was hurt by the whole affair) and Ayn isn’t around to defend herself against some of the allegations.
October 31, 2009
Although Ms.Rand may be able to turn out great political books and writings, she was a very selfish, hostile, unforgiving woman whom could justify all kinds of bad behavior on her part. I did enjoy reading this book but would caution anyone who is a die hard fan of hers to avoid this one if you don't want your illusions destroyed. When she died, she went straight to hell. I expect I'll meet her there someday.
May 6, 2008
Truth is stranger than fiction!
January 10, 2014
Barbara Branden, died on 11 December 2013, at 84 years old. She was an "associate" of Ayn Rand, a former member of Rand's inner circle, and co-author of Ayn Rand's first biography.
Ayn Rand was one of the most influential women in the United States, influencing the financial and political domain. Barbara Branden's explosive second biography changed what many people believed about Ayn Rand. It presented a view, warts and all, that revealed her private life in unwholesome detail.
Barbara Branden, died on 11 December 2013, at 84 years old. She was an "associate" of Ayn Rand, a former member of Rand's inner circle, and co-author of Ayn Rand's first biography.
Ayn Rand, who died in 1982, was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century. She was a philosopher and novelist; her books and philosophy were unlike anything else before or since. Her novels were full of philosophical discussions, sometimes incredibly long, but often described not in words, but in the actions of the characters. Her two best-known books are The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. Besides novels she wrote a number of collections of essays. An example of her way of turning established beliefs upside-down, is her book, The Virtue of Selfishness.
Her books attracted many followers, particularly generations in their twenties and thirties, who were probably more flexible in their thinking than older generations. Rand was strongly opposed to religions of all creeds, faith, and anything remotely connected to mysticism. She believed in logical reasoning as the only method of thinking.
Politically she was opposed to all forms of socialism, including government assistance to the poor, support for farmers, or giving aid to the starving. She believed strongly in minimal government and laissez-faire capitalism. She believed that governments should not be involved in taxation, hospitals, regulations for industry, commerce, or infrastructure. Basically, she taught that if there was no government interference, then entrepreneurs would provide what was needed at a realistic price based on market forces, not out of altruism, but to fill a market.
Anyone reading a few sentences about her beliefs, and trying to grasp her teachings is going to be unimpressed. For a start it is a philosophy that has nothing in common with any on the planet today or yesteryear. Her teachings are not always easy to fully understand. They are, she claimed, based on rational, logical ideas, rather than faith, and altruism.
All the same her ideas have influenced many world leaders and governments, often indirectly. For example Alan Greenspan was a devoted member of her small group for many years when he was in his twenties. He was converted to Rand's philosophy of Objectivism by her associate Nathaniel Branden. At weekly meetings, they read sections of Atlas Shrugged as it was being written by Ayn Rand. Greenspan published articles in her newsletters and contributed essays for Rand's book, Capitalism: the Unknown Ideal. He went on to become the American economist who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006.
After that he worked for many of the largest American companies, and the UK government. President Reagan appointed Greenspan in 1987, he was then reappointed at successive four-year intervals until retiring on January 31, 2006. There can be no doubt that Greenspan influenced American financial direction more than any other person during those 19 years.
Greenspan was only one of many influential people who were affected by her ideas; there was also Ronald Regan, Margaret Thatcher, and recently the Republican Party candidate Paul Ryan. The latest political group, are The Tea Party, who choose the parts of Rand's philosophy they like, and ignore the parts they don't like, for example her total advocacy of atheism, while they promote Christianity. The Ayn Rand Institute promote her books and philosophy, so far giving away 1.4 million copies of Ayn Rand novels to 30,000 teachers in 40,000 classrooms in the United States and Canada.
But her teachings, although initially attractive, seem flawed to many people. One of her basic tenets is that we must do what is logical, what is rational, without regard to sentiment or altruism; only then can the downtrodden raise themselves up. Assisting people by taxing the rich and giving to the poor, would breed a nation of greedy, lazy, unambitious people, who would permanently require handouts stolen from those who earn through work, investment, risk, and thought. She called people needing assistance "parasites", believing that do not want to better themselves, or earn their way in life.
Barbara Branden, along with her husband Nathaniel Branden, were members of her inner circle. Unfortunately, the inner circle was something of a Rand Cult: it had an unquestioned leader, who demanded absolute loyalty from its members. Nathaniel Branden was Rand's "intellectual heir", nominated as her protege, until the falling out. Nathaniel and Barbara Branden co-wrote the biography called, Who is Ayn Rand?
In 1954, Ayn became strongly attracted to Nathaniel Branden, 25 years her junior, culminating in a relationship. This sexual involvement was reluctantly approved by Barbara and Frank, knowing that they could not prevent it, nor could they out-argue Ayn Rand. This association was presented as a rational, sensible, understandable relationship between consenting adults, all four of them. Yet neither Frank or Barbara could accept it without also accepting destructive emotional pain. Of course this caused difficulties with Barbara, who he still lived with.
The arrangement was quite a clinical one, almost like prostitution, with Nathaniel visiting her for pre-arranged sex. It continued for three years, faltering when Ayn Rand became depressed after the publication of Atlas Shrugged. She did not give up the idea of the affair continuing, but it fizzled out; Nathaniel was glad to escape.
Eventually, Ayn told him she was ready to restart their relationship. Nathaniel was now full of excuses, delays, and self-confessed psychological problems that rendered him unready to continue. The truth was he was already in a sexual relationship with another woman. His marriage to Barbara had always been problematic until they divorced.
Ayn was determined to get Nathaniel back, she phoned him constantly to work on his "psychological problems", to encourage him to return to her bedroom. As the pressure increased, Nathaniel decided to tell Ayn some of the truth. He wanted to permanently end the affair. He told her he could not continue their involvement because the age difference was a problem for him, and he was also interested in another — younger — woman. Ayn was furious, she harangued him in front of the others for hours, describing his disloyalty, his lies, his dishonesty, his faulty reasoning, his failed intellect. She was enraged beyond any thing she had ever experienced.
No doubt Ayn, underneath her brash, robust exterior, was a woman who felt vulnerable about her age and looks. She removed all mention of Nathaniel and Barbara from her Objectivist organisation. She published an attack on Nathaniel for "irrational behaviour in his private life", along with dishonesty. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, even a rational one.
In 1986, Barbara Branden published her second biography of Ayn Rand, The Passion of Ayn Rand. This one was quite different from the first book. In this book she gives a fascinating account of Rand's life, particularly the years in Hollywood, along with her problems with writing and publication. This biography tells everything about the affair Ayn had with Barbara's husband. She explains her own problems, how she coped, and how Ayn's husband was demoralized by the affair. The biography is detailed account of Rand's writing, her relationships, her attitudes, her thoughts. It is an essential book to understand all the dimensions of Rand.
This is one of the most interesting biographies I have ever read: The Passion of Ayn Rand, by Barbara Branden (1986). It reveals, more than anything else written to that date, the flaws in her character, and the flaws in her thinking. Without this book, it would be difficult to see the real Ayn Rand. Suddenly the philosophy she espoused looked twisted and semi-paranoid.
Of course if you have not heard of Ayn Rand, or read any of her books, it might be less fascinating, but you will get a story of immense interest. It could still end up as the most interesting biography you will ever read.
Nathaniel Branden went on to develop his psychology clinics, and in later years apologized publicly for Ayn Rand's "failure to appreciate adequately the importance of kindness in human relationships."
He also wrote a fascinating biography of his relationship with Ayn Rand, titled: My Years with Ayn Rand. (1999)
For more great biographies click here!
June 22, 2016
Ayn Rand glorified selfishness and absence of any social consience-not someone we should look up to
What amazes me most is how so many religious people revere Rand when her ideas where so anti-Biblical in every way whether you be Christian or Jewish
What amazes me most is how so many religious people revere Rand when her ideas where so anti-Biblical in every way whether you be Christian or Jewish
August 30, 2009
Your understanding of Ayn Rand and Objectivism is not complete until you have read this book.
April 2, 2020
Well... that was a wild ride. I like long detailed biographies. Reading this one helped me to gain perspective into the idea that even those who have groundbreaking philosophy can’t possibly live their lives without tragic mistakes. Barbara Branden is a fantastic biographer. I wish she wrote more books.
August 27, 2008
I have been fascinated by Ayn Rand since I read Atlas Shrugged. I was appauled by her after reading the biography. She was a horribly selfish woman. She destroyed the man who loved her and made the people who respected her hate her.
I was rooting for her as she escaped from communist Russia and then furiously turned against her as she forced an affair with her protege.
I was rooting for her as she escaped from communist Russia and then furiously turned against her as she forced an affair with her protege.
December 17, 2008
good bio on a horrendous person. I really hated AR after reading this bio.
Currently reading
March 18, 2010A bit histrionic with excessive use of lists. Branden's writing is perhaps the opposite of Rand's--for better or for worse.
December 19, 2020
This work is ok, but not great, nor terrible. It is a perspective on Rand’s life, ideals, struggles and philosophy. Her epic life journey from Soviet Russia to America, and how she accomplished her vision of Objectivism is noteworthy though.
April 8, 2022
This is the only biography of Ayn Rand a person could need. If you're someone who needs a biography of Ayn Rand. It is not advertised with half the dramatic flair of the authors relationship to Ayn and her husband. I've never read a biography with a plot twist before. Barbara Brandon is the only person who could write this, having been so personally affected by the cult of personality that was Ayn and the NBI school. I had never realized quite how popular she was in her day. Politically, Ayn is everything that I am not, but I feel for her. Even though she encouraged the emotional repression of so many followers, she had violent endings to friendships, and she projected so much onto poor Frank that he lost himself completely, I feel for her. She's a product of her own emotional repression, and I don't think she knew how to change that.She could only convince herself that she was doing her best, which she couldn't have as second to anything. What a cult icon though. And perhaps the first polygamous icon of recent history- if you could call it that. I remember doing a project on Ayn in high school, and somehow this affair/two partners that appeared as a twist in the biography never came up in my research. I want to email my english teacher and apologize for the lacking information- although I think history has choosen to forget everything that happened in her personal life in favor of her philosophy. I know that's how she would have wanted it, but I am shocked by this. Barbara Brandon's biography is all you'll ever need to see Ayn's personal life and relationships, having been so close to her, yet writing so objectively and thoughtfully.
April 27, 2010
One review here says this book would never be read by admirers of Ayn Rand. Well, maybe not uncritical doctrinaire ones. I was an admirer when I started the book and one when I left it. In fact, I'm glad I found it early on when I had just discovered Ayn Rand and she had created a revolution in my thinking. I think if there had been any danger I'd become a "Randroid" as I've heard some describe it, this book did put paid to that, because goodness it's true this book does a good job of idol smashing--and I think that's healthy actually in some ways if we're going to judge Rand by her ideas--and not worship her (or condemn her) unthinkingly.
And yes, it's true, Barbara Branden did have good reason to be bitter towards Ayn Rand. She was the wife of the man Rand had an affair with--Nathaniel Branden--after Rand informed both Barbara and Rand's own husband she was going to pursue this affair. And when Nathaniel fell for yet another women and decided to break things off, Barbara supported him and was relegated to the outer darkness by Ayn. Barbara also reports many instances of cult-like behavior within Rand's circle. But it should be noted that some time after this book's release, Leonard Peikoff, Rand's designated "intellectual heir" admitted that having gone through Rand's papers, the affair did happen much in the way Barbara described. And the stories of Ayn Rand's circle and its purges? I'm afraid that's substantiated by too many sources to just brush off as an attack by a women with a grudge.
And yet what was remarkable to me despite that, is that, yes, I do think Barbara Branden writes this biography with both empathy and admiration for her subject. And some understanding born of years of close association with the woman. I do recommend reading Nathaniel Branden's memoir Judgement Day as well for similar reasons, though I think there the tone is much more bitter and self-serving. And certainly if you find Ayn Rand's ideas and life of interest, there are two recent books from outside, I dare say more "objective" perspectives that are well thought of and from what I've read not hatchet jobs-- Anne C. Heller's Ayn Rand and the World She Made and Jennifer Burns Goddess of the Market. I haven't read either yet, but I've already picked up Heller's as an ebook.
And yes, it's true, Barbara Branden did have good reason to be bitter towards Ayn Rand. She was the wife of the man Rand had an affair with--Nathaniel Branden--after Rand informed both Barbara and Rand's own husband she was going to pursue this affair. And when Nathaniel fell for yet another women and decided to break things off, Barbara supported him and was relegated to the outer darkness by Ayn. Barbara also reports many instances of cult-like behavior within Rand's circle. But it should be noted that some time after this book's release, Leonard Peikoff, Rand's designated "intellectual heir" admitted that having gone through Rand's papers, the affair did happen much in the way Barbara described. And the stories of Ayn Rand's circle and its purges? I'm afraid that's substantiated by too many sources to just brush off as an attack by a women with a grudge.
And yet what was remarkable to me despite that, is that, yes, I do think Barbara Branden writes this biography with both empathy and admiration for her subject. And some understanding born of years of close association with the woman. I do recommend reading Nathaniel Branden's memoir Judgement Day as well for similar reasons, though I think there the tone is much more bitter and self-serving. And certainly if you find Ayn Rand's ideas and life of interest, there are two recent books from outside, I dare say more "objective" perspectives that are well thought of and from what I've read not hatchet jobs-- Anne C. Heller's Ayn Rand and the World She Made and Jennifer Burns Goddess of the Market. I haven't read either yet, but I've already picked up Heller's as an ebook.
October 10, 2012
I don't know what gave me the idea to read this book. It was very well written, and a fascinating read about Ayn Rand, a very bright and unusual woman who has had a lasting impact on philosophy through her writing.
Barbara Branden does an amazing job of telling Ayn Rand's story objectively (even though she was personally hurt by Rand's radical ideas, including the ongoing affair with Branden's then husband), ideas which seemed to create a cult-like following, but which most people would immediately see as very flawed.
I was glad that Ayn's strict adherence to a very rigid philosophy led her movement to self-destruct. It seemed to influence very bright, intellectual people in a way that was harmful to themselves and others.
My husband says many conservatives and Christians like Ayn Rand's writing, I cannot begin to understand why that would be. I admit I have not read any of her writing, but felt I got enough exposure to it in this biography to know that I would not want to devote my time to books that preach against my personal ideals.
I also felt that Ayn's philosophies were not true to her personal experiences. For instance, Ayn did not believe in altruism. However, it was pure charity and altruism from her relatives that got her out of the hell of Russia at the time, and into the United States. It was charity and altruism that made her relatives help her stay here (even though she was not a considerate guest!). If it weren't for altruism, Ayn would have never had the opportunity to share her ideas. She got some sweet breaks throughout her life that came because of the unselfishness of others... none more than her ever patient and kind husband, Frank.
In my opinion, Ayn was really an amazingly talented woman, who had a way of connecting with people (at least in a temporary way). I would love to see what someone like Ayn Rand could have accomplished with more balanced ideals. My faith leads me to believe in her potential greatness, a greatness far better than the supreme greatness she felt herself to have over almost everyone else. I'm thankful that there's a way out of all that pain through a higher power and truth. I would really like to know an enlightened Ayn Rand on "the other side".
Barbara Branden does an amazing job of telling Ayn Rand's story objectively (even though she was personally hurt by Rand's radical ideas, including the ongoing affair with Branden's then husband), ideas which seemed to create a cult-like following, but which most people would immediately see as very flawed.
I was glad that Ayn's strict adherence to a very rigid philosophy led her movement to self-destruct. It seemed to influence very bright, intellectual people in a way that was harmful to themselves and others.
My husband says many conservatives and Christians like Ayn Rand's writing, I cannot begin to understand why that would be. I admit I have not read any of her writing, but felt I got enough exposure to it in this biography to know that I would not want to devote my time to books that preach against my personal ideals.
I also felt that Ayn's philosophies were not true to her personal experiences. For instance, Ayn did not believe in altruism. However, it was pure charity and altruism from her relatives that got her out of the hell of Russia at the time, and into the United States. It was charity and altruism that made her relatives help her stay here (even though she was not a considerate guest!). If it weren't for altruism, Ayn would have never had the opportunity to share her ideas. She got some sweet breaks throughout her life that came because of the unselfishness of others... none more than her ever patient and kind husband, Frank.
In my opinion, Ayn was really an amazingly talented woman, who had a way of connecting with people (at least in a temporary way). I would love to see what someone like Ayn Rand could have accomplished with more balanced ideals. My faith leads me to believe in her potential greatness, a greatness far better than the supreme greatness she felt herself to have over almost everyone else. I'm thankful that there's a way out of all that pain through a higher power and truth. I would really like to know an enlightened Ayn Rand on "the other side".
March 9, 2011
I don't remember when I first learned of Ayn Rand's and Nathaniel Branden's open long-term affair (both spouses knew) and their ultimate break but I was immediately intrigued.
I had not read any of either of their books so I started there.
I first read Branden's "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem". It was ok but somewhat repetitive and boring.
And then I read Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Mind blowing. It was epic, over 1300 pages. While I don't agree with all of her philosophies, it was a great story and changed the way I think about many things. I loved it, and she was clearly an extremely talented writer. My only criticism of the story itself was Galt's 60+ page radio speech.
In The Passion Of Ayn Rand, the author (who was married to Nathaniel Branden when he and Ayn Rand had an affair) addresses that speech. Rand's editor wanted it cut. He said no one would read the whole thing and the concepts were already made clear through the story itself. I couldn't agree more. But Rand refused to change a thing. Typical Rand.
I was shocked at the subjectivity of Barbara Branden's biography and not in the way I expected. As she was basically a scorned ex-wife I expected all sorts of criticisms and even bitterness. There was none of that. She told the story of Rand's entire life in significant detail and although the affair ruined many lives (including Rand's) Barbara Branden glossed over many of the gory details and clearly still loved and admired both her ex-husband and Ayn Rand. The focus of this biography was on the Ayn Rand, including her talents and flaws.
I strongly dislike Ayn Rand after reading this book. She was a seriously disturbed and just plain mean woman. While extremely talented in many ways, she did not possess the ability to look at herself while brutally condemning just about everyone else for even the most minor "errors". Her husband suffered the most. She sucked the life out of the poor man.
I can't wait to read Nathaniel Branden's "My Years With Ayn Rand" as I am still fascinated by it all.
I had not read any of either of their books so I started there.
I first read Branden's "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem". It was ok but somewhat repetitive and boring.
And then I read Rand's Atlas Shrugged. Mind blowing. It was epic, over 1300 pages. While I don't agree with all of her philosophies, it was a great story and changed the way I think about many things. I loved it, and she was clearly an extremely talented writer. My only criticism of the story itself was Galt's 60+ page radio speech.
In The Passion Of Ayn Rand, the author (who was married to Nathaniel Branden when he and Ayn Rand had an affair) addresses that speech. Rand's editor wanted it cut. He said no one would read the whole thing and the concepts were already made clear through the story itself. I couldn't agree more. But Rand refused to change a thing. Typical Rand.
I was shocked at the subjectivity of Barbara Branden's biography and not in the way I expected. As she was basically a scorned ex-wife I expected all sorts of criticisms and even bitterness. There was none of that. She told the story of Rand's entire life in significant detail and although the affair ruined many lives (including Rand's) Barbara Branden glossed over many of the gory details and clearly still loved and admired both her ex-husband and Ayn Rand. The focus of this biography was on the Ayn Rand, including her talents and flaws.
I strongly dislike Ayn Rand after reading this book. She was a seriously disturbed and just plain mean woman. While extremely talented in many ways, she did not possess the ability to look at herself while brutally condemning just about everyone else for even the most minor "errors". Her husband suffered the most. She sucked the life out of the poor man.
I can't wait to read Nathaniel Branden's "My Years With Ayn Rand" as I am still fascinated by it all.
December 15, 2018
This is Ayn Rand in all her glory and all her shame. From the lows of Rand's life in Soviet Russia to the heights of life in New York, and everywhere in between, Barbara Branden tells all. This biography is required reading for those like myself who study--but don't practice--Objectivism and fence-sitters trying to decide whether or not they should commit themselves wholly to the Objectivist philosophy.
While Rand herself was the focus of this biography, her husband Frank O'Connor was an equally interesting character. Ayn Rand believed that no man should live for the sake of another, yet Frank O'Connor lived exclusively for the sake of Ayn Rand. From giving up fledgling art and acting careers to leaving his California dream home and breaking with good friends, Frank lived solely for a wife who seemingly never returned the favor. Rand herself saw no issue with this blatant contradiction of her ethos, and ultimately deprived Frank of almost every joy he took in living. Sadly, Frank O'Connor died an unaccomplished, half-demented man paranoid of and, at times, physically hostile toward his wife.
While Barbara Branden does wax romantic or nostalgic at times, she holds nothing back, particularly in regards to her ex-husband Nathaniel's infamous affair with Rand. Branden even goes so far as to list some very valid criticisms and flaws with Objectivist thought, namely its excessive moralism and overly judgmental tendencies exhibited by adherents who think of Ayn Rand as more akin to a guru or oracle (hence the term "Randroid").
Many love, and many more hate, Ayn Rand without even knowing who she was. Ayn Rand may have been a philosophy given form, but she was nonetheless a person who lived, loved, laughed, and languished like the rest of us. Regardless of whether you love or hate her ideas, you would do well to at least know who Ayn Rand was.
While Rand herself was the focus of this biography, her husband Frank O'Connor was an equally interesting character. Ayn Rand believed that no man should live for the sake of another, yet Frank O'Connor lived exclusively for the sake of Ayn Rand. From giving up fledgling art and acting careers to leaving his California dream home and breaking with good friends, Frank lived solely for a wife who seemingly never returned the favor. Rand herself saw no issue with this blatant contradiction of her ethos, and ultimately deprived Frank of almost every joy he took in living. Sadly, Frank O'Connor died an unaccomplished, half-demented man paranoid of and, at times, physically hostile toward his wife.
While Barbara Branden does wax romantic or nostalgic at times, she holds nothing back, particularly in regards to her ex-husband Nathaniel's infamous affair with Rand. Branden even goes so far as to list some very valid criticisms and flaws with Objectivist thought, namely its excessive moralism and overly judgmental tendencies exhibited by adherents who think of Ayn Rand as more akin to a guru or oracle (hence the term "Randroid").
Many love, and many more hate, Ayn Rand without even knowing who she was. Ayn Rand may have been a philosophy given form, but she was nonetheless a person who lived, loved, laughed, and languished like the rest of us. Regardless of whether you love or hate her ideas, you would do well to at least know who Ayn Rand was.
May 10, 2021
I would recommend all Rand fans to read the biography, by Rand’s best friend for many years, with whose husband (who was 25 years Rand’s junior) Rand had a roaring affair, in hotel rooms while Barbara would walk the streets, having been brain washed into believing that ‘this was the right course of action’.
This biography gives insight into a writer who still commands 300,000 book sale annually, people passionately falling in love with her books, trying to emulate a Roark or a Taggart. Passionate discussions about her philosophy of objectivism still happen.
Rand, the writer chosen by the capitalists of the day, as an effective tool to counter socialism. At that time Socialism was an ideology spread throughout the world as wild fire, unsettling, upsetting and scaring the hell out of the handful who control the majority of wealth. They picked Rand, sponsored her extensive travels, rallies, lectures, seminars, media presence… This is also a reason for her huge popularity. Rand stood solidly behind the capitalists. She carried this atlas on her back, and never shrugged.
Don’t misunderstand, I was a huge Rand fan. Huge. I still rate her books, especially, The Atlas Shrugged as one of the best books I’ve ever read. A tome I reread! Which is extremely rare.
But, I can no longer think of Rand as a ‘heroic being’, she is more like an evil manipulator who sunk her teeth into anything, actually anyone she took a fancy to. She miserably failed to Walk her own extensive ‘Talks’. She used her power, popularity and position to exploit her closest relationships. And, hid it beautifully, signs of a megalomaniac.
Do read the Bio, to put the writer and her now obsolete philosophy in perspective.
Dates are a guess.
This biography gives insight into a writer who still commands 300,000 book sale annually, people passionately falling in love with her books, trying to emulate a Roark or a Taggart. Passionate discussions about her philosophy of objectivism still happen.
Rand, the writer chosen by the capitalists of the day, as an effective tool to counter socialism. At that time Socialism was an ideology spread throughout the world as wild fire, unsettling, upsetting and scaring the hell out of the handful who control the majority of wealth. They picked Rand, sponsored her extensive travels, rallies, lectures, seminars, media presence… This is also a reason for her huge popularity. Rand stood solidly behind the capitalists. She carried this atlas on her back, and never shrugged.
Don’t misunderstand, I was a huge Rand fan. Huge. I still rate her books, especially, The Atlas Shrugged as one of the best books I’ve ever read. A tome I reread! Which is extremely rare.
But, I can no longer think of Rand as a ‘heroic being’, she is more like an evil manipulator who sunk her teeth into anything, actually anyone she took a fancy to. She miserably failed to Walk her own extensive ‘Talks’. She used her power, popularity and position to exploit her closest relationships. And, hid it beautifully, signs of a megalomaniac.
Do read the Bio, to put the writer and her now obsolete philosophy in perspective.
Dates are a guess.
September 21, 2018
With this book, Barbara Branden, a long time friend and associate of Ayn Rand, reveals the life story of Ayn Rand out to the public. It is an achievment, and it is mostly a very haunting read that will keep you want to read more about what Ayn Rand is like, however not without faults. As many after its publication has noted, it is not fully truthful account and it is an overly psychologizing portrait. Branden writes boldly about the inner life of Rand, and yes, who is to write it better than the woman who knew her maybe the best of all. It's impossible for it to be very correct, but it paints a portrait of the kind of woman Branden experienced - and that is something and ofter too; spot on. This is why one cannot trust it all, because her relationship with Rand was not always good and not always there, but she did have great first hand access to Rand and big parts of the book is Rand herself talking via interviews with Branden. Branden also does the narrative very well, tying in parts across pages and plants hints early that is used later - some easily spotted and other masterfully followed up. She shows good understanding of Rands ideas and you will get a fair introduction to a lot of it in the book as well, with plenty of repetition both of the mundane but also the profound. It is a mixed basket, but it is a essential read if you want to know the first account of Rand written by somebody who knew her better than probably anyone else.
May 23, 2013
Interesting biography of novelest Ayn Rand, marred by the fact that the book's author holds an Everest-sized grudge against her. Barbara Branden was a friend and associate of Ayn Rand's for many years, but Rand broke off all contact with her after Branden and her husband betrayed her. So when you read this book, keep in mind that the author has a vested interested in making Rand look bad.
June 24, 2008
Barbara Branden's incisive and, in the end, deeply moving biography of Ayn Rand bears a cautionary tale: even the strongest and most independent among us cannot live without love. Highly recommended for its excellent style and poignant story.
June 11, 2018
A wonderful inside view of Ayn Rand. Although Barbara Brandon never repudiated her support for Rand's philosophy, she doesn't shy away from pointing out the flaws in Rand's thinking. Personally, I don't think a reader should take this on unless they have read Rand's fiction first.
June 9, 2007
Quite revealing. Turns out she was far more (and less) human than her writing might lead you to believe...she was not as objective as one might hope.
July 15, 2008
Outstanding. Must read this to get a human fully-formed portrait of Rand. Branden does a remarkably generous homage to her former mentor. What happened to Greenspan???
April 26, 2020
One Ayn Rand quote from this book sums up what I learned and wished I hadn't... Ayn asked a friend "Do you know what it's like to hve no one to look up to --- always to look down?" Yikes. This biography, written by Ayn's friend Barbara Branden (wife of Ayn Rand's part-time lover Nathaniel Branden) addresses Ayn's childhood in Russia, how she came to America, the struggles she had as a writer - and as a woman, as well as covering her relationships with men in her early years, her marriage to Frank O'Conner, and affair with Branden. The book also covers her thinking as she wrote and got published many of her books (four of which I'd read - some multiple times - Anthem, Atlas Shrugged, Fountainhead and We the Living) and also covers a bit about the making of the movie Fountainhead. The book largely left me feeling very sad for anyone who had direct contact with Ayn Rand, portrayed as an incredibly arrogant, selfish, unaware, thoughtless person - of course taken with a grain of salt, bearing in mind that the author had an intense personal relationship with the subject. Not sure I would recommend this to an Ayn Rand fan given the very sour taste this left in my mouth. That said, the book is well written, thorough, and certainly covers Ayn Rand's life in full.
April 13, 2024
Considering its length and microscopic print, I thought this book would take me at least a month to complete. Instead, it took a little over two weeks. The Passion of Ayn Rand is written in an incredibly engaging way, always keeping you on edge and wanting to jump into the next chapter. The intimate and complex relationship the author had with her subject, makes this biography nuanced, presenting both Ayn's strengths and weaknesses. Brandon makes sure to give due to Ayn's intellect and innovations, but also critiques the relentness contradictions of both Ayn's beliefs and behavior. It paints such an interesting and complicated picture of the woman who was Ayn Rand.
May 21, 2019
Very few authors are as polarizing as Ayn Rand. I have been a huge fan of her thoughts, but hate her style of writing. I have always found her characters too unnatural, but have admired her clarity of thought and sheer intellect.
So when a friend presented me with this book, I was more than curious to read about this author. The book is very informative, and provides insights into Ayn Rand that I never had before. No spoilers here, but I did get a feeling that the author of this book wasn't to fond of Ayn Rand herself.
So when a friend presented me with this book, I was more than curious to read about this author. The book is very informative, and provides insights into Ayn Rand that I never had before. No spoilers here, but I did get a feeling that the author of this book wasn't to fond of Ayn Rand herself.
March 30, 2021
Interesting biography. Ayn Rand's economics makes sense. Her idea of romantic love shipwrecked both couples. She believed so strongly in freewill, that she believed her will was free from the "law of cause and effect." Barbara relates an incident where Ayn is drugged after surgery, and misinterprets her IV tube for a shadow of a tree branch. Ayn's friend explains the shadow to her, and is met with a diatribe that her friend is trying to undermine Ayn's confidence in her own mind. Ayn should have realized her will has never been free of "law of cause and effect."
November 20, 2020
I read Heller's and Branden's bios of Rand almost simultaneously but can't say which I enjoyed the more. Rand is the sort of person one loves to hate—though "hate" is too strong a word. As a teacher of undergraduates, it never ceases to amaze how many True Believers I run across. I was amused by a recent FB meme: "There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: one is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs." — John Rogers.
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