美国名人 哲学家、小说家 安·兰德.docx

美国名人哲学家、小说家安兰德AynRand,1905-1982:AmericansStillDebateHerBooksandIdeasplaystopmutemaxvolume00:00-19:24repeatBySarahRandle2010-6-5Photo:aynrand.orgAynRandattheHollywoodStudioClubSTEVEEMBER:I'mSteveEmber.BARBARAK1.ElN:Andl,mBarbaraKleinwithPEOP1.EINAMERICAinVOASpecialEnglish.TodaywetellaboutthelifeandwritingsofAynRand.(MUSIC)STEVEEMBER:Althoughshediedmorethantwenty-fiveyearsago,manyAmericansstillargueaboutAynRand.Morethantwentymillioncopiesofherbookshavebeensoldaroundtheworld.Manypeoplesayherbooksarepoorlywritten.Butpeoplestillbuyhundredsofthousandsofcopiesofthemeachyear.Peoplealsocontinuetotalkaboutherideasandherinterestinglife.BARBARAK1.EIN:Innineteen-oh-five,AlisaRosenbaumwasbornintheRussiancityofSaintPetersburg.Asayoungchild,Alisalovedbooks.Shebegantowriteherownstorieswhenshewasonlysevenyearsold.WhentheRussianRevolutionbeganinnineteenseventeen,theRosenbaumfamilyfledtotheRussianstateofCrimea.ThisexperiencewasimportantinAlisa'slife.Itstartedherhatredofcollectivism.Collectivismisthesystemofownershipandcontrolofthemeansofproductionbythepeoplecollectively,usuallyunderthesupervisionofagovernment.Aftertherevolution,AlisareturnedtoSaintPetersburg,nowcalledPetrograd,toattendcollege.Shetookclassesinpolitics,history,law,andwriting.Innineteentwenty-six,shetraveledtotheUnitedStatestovisitfamilymembers.STEVEEMBER:SoonaftershearrivedintheUnitedStateszAlisadecidedshewouldneverleave.Shealsodecidedtochangehernameto"AynRand."Shesaid"Rand"wastakenfromtheRussianalphabetspellingof"Rosenbaum."Shesaidshechose"Ayn"afterthenameofawriterfromFinland.Newlynamed,RandmovedtoHollywood,Californiatoworkinthemoviebusiness.ShemetandmarriedactorFrankO1Connorinnineteentwenty-nine.Throughoutthenineteenthirties,O'ConnoractedandRandwrote.Shepublishedtwobooksduringtheseyears,butdidnotearnmuchcriticalorpopularrecognition.aynrand.orgRand'sfamousbook"TheFountainhead"waspublishedinnineteenforty-three.BARBARAK1.ElN:Then,innineteenforty-three,Rand'sfamousbook"TheFountainhead"waspublished.Ittookhersevenyearstowritethenovel.Twelvepublishersrejectedthebook.However,amannamedArchibaldOgdenlovedthestoryandconvincedtheBobbs-Merrillcompanytopublishit."TheFountainhead"becameahugesuccessaroundtheworld.Ithassoldmorethansixmillioncopies.Itcontinuestosellaboutonehundredthousandcopieseachyear."TheFountainhead"tellsthestoryofayoungbuildingdesignernamedHowardRoark.Roarkwantstobuildinteresting,modern-lookingbuildings.However;mostpeopleonlywanttoseetraditionaldesigns.Roarklovesdesigningandbuildingmorethananythingintheworld.Butherefusestocompromiseandmakebuildingshehates.SeveralpeopleworkagainstRoarkandhisgoals.Butintheend,Roarksucceeds."TheFountainhead"isanunusualnovelformanyreasons.Itismorethansevenhundredpageslong,farlongerthanmostbookspeoplereadforentertainment.Italsoincludesdiscussionsofphilosophy,whicharenotusuallyfoundinpopularbooks.Inaddition,thebookcriticizescollectivismandreligioninawaythatmanypeoplehavefoundinsulting.Mostcriticsdidnotlike"TheFountainhead."Butreaderslovedit.Innineteenforty-nineitwasmadeintoapopularmovie.Randwrotethescreenplay.GaryCooperandPatriciaNealstarredinthemovie.(MUSIC)STEVEEMBER:Afterthemoviewasreleased,AynRandandFrankO'ConnormovedtoNewYorkCity.Theystartedhavingweeklymeetingsforfriendsintheirapartment.Soon,thegatheringsbecamemoreserious.Themembersdiscussedphilosophicalideasandbeganwritingaboutthem.Thegroupdecidedtocallitself"theCollective."Thenamewasmeanttobeajoke,becauseallofthemembershatedcollectivism.AlanGreenspanzwhowouldlaterbecomechairmanoftheFederalReserve,waspartofthisgroup.TheCollectiveworkedtogethertoformthedetailsofRand'sphilosophy,whichtheycalled"Objectivism."Objectivismisabouttheimportanceoftheindividualandreasonablethought.Randbelievedthatpeoplemustchoosetheirvaluesandactionsthroughreason.Shebelievedthattheindividualhasarighttoexistforhisorherownself.TheCollectivealsohelpedRandeditherbook"AtlasShrugged,"whichwaspublishedinnineteenfifty-seven.BARBARAK1.EIN:"AtlasShrugged"issetinthenearfuture.TheAmericaneconomyandsocietyarestartingtocollapseundertheinfluenceofbiggovernment.TheUnitedStatesisanationoffailingbusinesses,closedfactoriesandangrycitizens.Asmallgroupofthinkers,artists,scientistsandindustrialleadersdisappearsfromsociety.TheyfleetoahiddenvalleyinColorado.Heretheyestablishanewcommunitybasedoncapitalismwithoutgovernmentcontrol.TheheroineofthebookisDagnyTaggartwhoownsalargerailroadcompany.Shestrugglestokeepherbusinessaliveandsavethecountrywhilesocietyiscollapsingaroundher."AtlasShrugged"ismorethanonethousandpages,oneofthelongestnovelseverwritten.AynRandsaidthat"AtlasShrugged"fullydefinedherphilosophyofObjectivism.Shewroteattheendofthebook:"Myphilosophy.istheconceptofmanasaheroicbeing,withhisownhappinessasthemoralpurposeofhislife,withproductiveachievementashisnoblestactivity;andreasonashisonlyabsolute."aynrand.orgAynRandisstilloneofthemostloved,andhated,Americanthinkers.STEVEEMBER:Randthought"AtlasShrugged"wasthemostimportantbookeverwritten.Thecriticsdidn