Author, Philosopher. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia to a well-to-do pharmacist, Rand developed her interest in literature early in life. By the age of nine, not only did she know that she wanted to become a fiction writer but she had abandon the traditions of Russian Literature in favor of European styles such as that of her favorite author, Victor Hugo. By the time that she reached high school, Rand had developed a profound understanding of politics and was witness to some of the most turbulent times in modern Russian history. With the rise of Communism, her family knew crushing poverty, and she grew to hate Communism, developing an interest in America and the American way of life. After years of trying to gain an education in her interests in literature and cinema in the rising Communist system, she obtained a visa to live in America were she went to stay with relatives in Chicago, determined never to go back to her home land. She eventually was able to go to get to California to pursue a career in screenwriting. During her first month in Hollywood, she got a job with Cecil B. DeMille and met the man she would later marry, actor Frank O'Connor. After years of struggling, her literary career took off in 1932 with the sale of the screenplay, "Red Pawn" and the production of her famous play "The Night of January 16th". From 1934 to 1957 she would write, "We the Living," "Anthem," "The Fountainhead," and "Atlas Shrugged." She would also write the screenplay of "The Fountainhead" which was made into a film starring Gary Cooper. "Atlas Shrugged" became her last work of fiction and introduced to the world her creation Objectivism, which she called "a philosophy for living on earth." She devoted the rest of her life to teaching others about this way of thinking and wrote several essays that were combined into books. Rand developed lung cancer in the early 1970's, which claimed to be successfully treated for. She would later die of heart failure in New York City in 1982.
Author, Philosopher. Born in St. Petersburg, Russia to a well-to-do pharmacist, Rand developed her interest in literature early in life. By the age of nine, not only did she know that she wanted to become a fiction writer but she had abandon the traditions of Russian Literature in favor of European styles such as that of her favorite author, Victor Hugo. By the time that she reached high school, Rand had developed a profound understanding of politics and was witness to some of the most turbulent times in modern Russian history. With the rise of Communism, her family knew crushing poverty, and she grew to hate Communism, developing an interest in America and the American way of life. After years of trying to gain an education in her interests in literature and cinema in the rising Communist system, she obtained a visa to live in America were she went to stay with relatives in Chicago, determined never to go back to her home land. She eventually was able to go to get to California to pursue a career in screenwriting. During her first month in Hollywood, she got a job with Cecil B. DeMille and met the man she would later marry, actor Frank O'Connor. After years of struggling, her literary career took off in 1932 with the sale of the screenplay, "Red Pawn" and the production of her famous play "The Night of January 16th". From 1934 to 1957 she would write, "We the Living," "Anthem," "The Fountainhead," and "Atlas Shrugged." She would also write the screenplay of "The Fountainhead" which was made into a film starring Gary Cooper. "Atlas Shrugged" became her last work of fiction and introduced to the world her creation Objectivism, which she called "a philosophy for living on earth." She devoted the rest of her life to teaching others about this way of thinking and wrote several essays that were combined into books. Rand developed lung cancer in the early 1970's, which claimed to be successfully treated for. She would later die of heart failure in New York City in 1982.
Bio by: Catharine
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