June 16, 2012

"Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand

Many of you are probably familiar with Ayn Rand, a Russian-American novelist who wrote all-time classics such as We the Living and The Fountainhead. Many consider her magnum opus to be Atlas Shrugged, a complex philosophical book which presents a very bizarre and imaginative story in which Ayn Rand explores the concept of objectivism.

In Atlas Shrugged, we are presented with a story which follows a man who successfully stopped the motor of the world. However, the consequences of his actions are far from clear-cut; some see him as a destroyer, others as a liberator.

The novel explores how he goes onwards and fights battles against those who look up to him, even the woman he loves. 

Also, what is the motor of the world? 

What drives men to act the way they do? 

Needless to say, the novel itself is quite grand in the scope of events and concepts it covers; you will find something new in it with every read.

How is the book? Well, to start things off let me just say that this is not for those who are simply looking to relax on a lazy Sunday afternoon, unless of course your idea of relaxing is to get invested in a heavy, complex and unconventional story. Ayn Rand used Atlas Shrugged in order to explore the concept of objectivism and how it would work in a human world. 

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (Book cover)
She applies the concept to everything the characters do and think, creating a very unique world populated by all kinds of fascinating characters ranging from a lowly railroad tracks worker to a philosopher who decides that it is best to become a pirate. 

All in all, Atlas Shrugged brings to you not only a brilliant and irresistible mystery story, but it also manages to be a philosophical revolution; read it with an open mind and be ready to discard some of the premises which make up your beliefs, morals, values and convictions.




Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905 - March 6, 1982)

Ayn Rand
(February 2, 1905 - March 6, 1982)


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Ayn Rand was a Russian-born (Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum) American novelist , screenwriter and playwright who is best-known for two specific novels published in her illustrious career: The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

In addition to that, she is also to thank for the development of the concept of objectivism. She was awarded the Prometheus Award and inducted into the Hall of Fame.



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