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A Is Not A, It Seems


A comment I made on Krugman's blog regarding Ayn Rand:

I remember a writing contest for student, whereby one could win several thousand dollars writing about an Ayn Rand book, Anthem for high school students, The Fountainhead for college students, and Atlas Shrugged for post-graduate. I read the four Tolkien novels at 14, and read Anthem and the Fountainhead a year later. I never got around to Atlas Shrugged, but then again, I found Castaneda, Hesse, Asimov, and Vonnegut.

Anyway, I do not think it a fair comparison, comparing a thoroughly enjoyable childrens' stories with a relatively adult-oriented novel. For pure power and simplicity, there are always Brave New World, 1984, and Animal Farm, the latter what I think most like Republican political stances, although 1984 is a good second.

As 'libertarians' cite Rand, one cannot help but think of the atrocities committed by authoritarians in the name of some grand false ideal.

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