This remarkable, newly revised collection of Ayn Rand’s early fiction, now including the previously unpublished short story, “The Night King,” ranges from beginner’s exercises to excerpts from early versions of We the Living and The Fountainhead. Arranged chronologically, from 1926 through 1940, these works allow readers to follow the extraordinary trajectory of Rand’s literary and intellectual growth during a critical decade: from a twenty-one-year-old Russian immigrant struggling to master English to the brilliant prose stylist she was to become in her mature work. Chosen and introduced by Leonard Peikoff, Ayn Rand’s longtime associate and literary executor, each piece represents a significant advance in Rand’s evolution as artist and philosopher.
Download and start listening now!
"There is some very elegant epistemology in Rand's writing here. Whether it is non-sequiter to anti-mystical and anti-socialism ideals is up to the distinguished reader to adjudge. "
— Harper (4 out of 5 stars)
“This collection of unfinished and largely developmental short stories offers strong characters with integrity and purpose, and provides some insight into Rand’s growth as a writer. In brief, intimate readings, narrator Bernadette Dunne creates realistic characters with only slight shifts in tone. Most of the stories are written in the first person, and Dunne demonstrates her ability to realize each character without theatrics. Dunne’s voice shifts almost imperceptibly between description and dialogue, and the result is a resonating, unencumbered performance.”
— AudioFile" I learned all about Objectivism from this book. Great philosophy! "
— Scott, 6/7/2010" I didn't like this. Mostly Rand weaves and unweaves tautologies. "
— Ty, 5/15/2009" An excellent account of epistemology. Rand's view on concept formation is especially novel. "
— Patrick, 4/26/2009" I read this in college when I was still a philosophy major. Pretty bad. "
— Josh, 1/28/2009" Possibly the most important book in the world. "
— Morris, 2/20/2008" Ayn Rand is such an incredibly lucid thinker and writer. And her style has got to be the most male of any writer I know. "
— -uht!, 6/11/2007Ayn Rand (1905–1982) was born in Russia, graduated from the University of Leningrad, and came to the United States in 1926. She published her first novel in 1936. With the publication of The Fountainhead in 1943, she achieved a spectacular and enduring success, and her unique philosophy, Objectivism, gained a worldwide following.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.