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The Passion of Ayn Rand: A Biography
 
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The Passion of Ayn Rand: A Biography (Paperback)

by Barbara Branden (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
RRP: £11.95
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The Passion of Ayn Rand: A Biography + The Passion Of Ayn Rand [1999] [DVD] + Atlas Shrugged (Penguin Modern Classics)
Price For All Three: £22.43

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Product details

  • Paperback: 442 pages
  • Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group; New edition edition (6 Oct 1998)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 038524388X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385243889
  • Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.1 x 3.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 385,974 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Synopsis
Based on interviews with Rand and discussions with those close to her, this biography describes her life from her youth in Russia, to her stint in Hollywood as a screenwriter, and through her marriage, the publication of her novels, and the evolution of her philosophy.

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The Passion of Ayn Rand: A Biography
71% buy the item featured on this page:
The Passion of Ayn Rand: A Biography 4.2 out of 5 stars (9)
£10.76
The Passion Of Ayn Rand [1999] [DVD]
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The Passion Of Ayn Rand [1999] [DVD] 4.0 out of 5 stars (1)
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Atlas Shrugged (Penguin Modern Classics)
13% buy
Atlas Shrugged (Penguin Modern Classics) 3.9 out of 5 stars (80)
£7.69
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Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST-READ FOR CONFUSED AYN RAND ADMIRERS, 19 May 2002
When I first read the Fountainhead, it affected my life like a bombshell. I recognized myself in the character of Peter Keating, and shuddered. I had been selling myself for money, prestige, for the admiration of other people. I re-read the book four times over a period of 9 months - and then found the courage to quit my job. The next year, I ambitiously worked to become Howard Roark, and grew increasingly despondent in my inability to achieve a state of unemotional living, which is what he implied. I began to realize that there were shortcomings in Ayn philosophy of the perfect man, but given the powerful arguments in her books (including Atlas Shrugged), I struggled to identify the errors.

The Passion of Ayn Rand is a case study in an attempt to live life according to Objectivism, as Ayn tried. Not only did Ayn fail to live up to many of her own philosophies, but she failed utterly to trully live life to its fullest. Bitter, isolated and without children, her life path is not one that I would like to follow. Lest the strong Ayn Rand believer reading this review is tempted to dismiss these observations, it should be pointed out that Barbara Branden was an admirer of Ayn Rand, and therefore did not unduly skew facts to Ayn's disfavor.

In summary, this book makes clear that Ayn did not take her own philosophy "to not fake reality in any manner" to heart. Ayn married a man who in no way resembled any of her versions of the ideal man - yet to her death prominently announced to the world that he was her greatest hero. Ayn is a great writer, and her theory that man should aspire to their best is excellent. But her theory of Objectivism is not a way to live life, as the failure of her life clearly shows.

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable woman writes about a remarkable woman, 3 Aug 1999
By A Customer
Barbara Brandon should be commended for her ability to be so "objective" and forthright about her relationship with Ayn Rand. This is a fascinating biography which reads like a novel. What is most remarkable is Brandon's ability to write about her own pain over her husband's affair with Rand and yet she never loses what is obviously a profound love for the woman herself. She has revealed a side of Ayn Rand that was perhaps not the best, but she has also depicted a woman who was all too human, flawed and yet great in the truest sense of the word. Brandon herself is no less great for being able to write so hauntingly about the whole situation. Her ability to understand Rand helps the reader to understand also.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A book that fills in the gaps, 28 Feb 1998
By A Customer
I first read Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" when I was 16. It had a profound influence on me and I went on to read all of her published works. In one essay, Rand wrote a brief "P.S." at the end, stating that Nathaniel Branden was no longer assoctiated with her or her philosophy. Given that she had proclaimed Nathaniel her closest associate in the Objectivism movement, it was all the more puzzling that she never explained why the break. This books explains why. It details some of the dark side of Rand's philosophy - the rationalizations of Rand, the unquestioning (read, unthinking) loyalty of some of her followers, but much of it praises Rand's philosophy and sense of life.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars So much for 'Objectivism.'
Either the contents of this book are basically true, in which case Rand was not the model of 'objectivity' she pretended to be, or they are false, in which case the Brandens -... Read more
Published on 3 Aug 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Antisocial witch' is right . .
Ayn Rand was indeed a highly antisocial woman and the followers who ape her thereby risk making themselves equally unfit for life in human society. Read more
Published on 27 Jul 1999

3.0 out of 5 stars An antisocial witch
After reading this interesting biography of Ayn Rand, I am confirmed in my opinion that she simply didn't measure up to the standards of human decency. Read more
Published on 17 Jun 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful and penetrating writing
Barbara Branden delivers the goods. Not only does she chronicle the life of one of the world's great figures she does it with a powerful and penetrating style, and an excellence... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 1998

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent objective look at a powerful, controversial author
This is an excellent, literary, balanced biography.

Barbara Branden gives the reader a detailed look at the real life behind the romantic fiction of Ayn Rand, beginning with... Read more

Published on 4 Dec 1998

1.0 out of 5 stars Not a reliable biography, as recent new books show.
Branden's book remains the only full-length biography of Rand, although new primary material arranged in chronological order has been published as "The Journals of Ayn... Read more
Published on 28 Nov 1998

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