Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand was born in Petrograd in 1905. In 1917, following the October Revolution, her family sought refuge in Crimea, where she completed her schooling. She later returned to Petrograd and studied Philosophy and History at the university. She continued her education at the State Institute of Cinematographic Arts with the aim of becoming a screenwriter. In 1925, she obtained permission to visit relatives in the United States and settled permanently in Hollywood, where the famous Cecil B. DeMille hired her as a script reader. There, she met Frank O'Connor, whom she married. Ayn Rand began her writing career as a screenwriter and playwright. Her first novel, "We the Living," was published in 1936. She later published two more novels ("The Fountainhead" in 1943 and "Atlas Shrugged" in 1957). These three books immediately secured her impressive success and were translated into many languages. She also wrote numerous other works, including scientific, political, literary, and primarily philosophical texts, where she developed her philosophical theory known as Objectivism. Ayn Rand passed away in 1982, but her books continue to be reprinted to this day, with total sales exceeding twenty million copies.