Essays on Ayn Rand’s "We the Living"

Ayn Rand remains a truly significant figure of modern philosophy. Her unique vision of a world in which man, relying on reason, acts wholly for his own good is skillfully developed and illustrated in her most famous novels, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. But Rand's first novel, We the Living, a lesser-known but no less important book, offers an early form of the author's nascent philosophy-the philosophy Rand later called Objectivism.In the second edition, Robert Mayhew once again brings together pre-eminent scholars of Rand's writing. The edition includes three new chapters, as well as an epilogue by renowned Rand-scholar Leonard Peikoff. In part a history of We the Living, from its earliest drafts to the Italian film later based upon it, Mayhew's collection goes on to explore the enduring significance of Rand's first novel as a work both of philosophy and of literature. For Ayn Rand scholars and fans alike, this enhanced second edition is a compelling examination of a novel that set the tone for some of the most influential philosophical literature to follow.

This is the second edition of the study of Ayn Rands first novel,We the Living, which is set in Soviet Russia, and was written in 1936, ten years after she left the U.S.S.R. Topics explored include: the fascinating history behind the novels creation; its autobiographical nature; its reception during Americas Red Decade; its connection to Victor Hugo (Rands favorite novelist); and, the philosophy of freedom and the sanctity of life which it portrays and defends.

PrefaceAcknowledgmentsBibliographical NotePart 1: The History of We the LivingChapter 1: From Airtight to We the Living: The Drafts of Ayn Rand's First Novelby Shoshana MilgramChapter 2: Parallel Lives: Models and Inspirations for Characters in We the Livingby Scott McConnellChapter 3: We the Living and the Rosenbaum Family Lettersby Dina Schein FedermanChapter 4: The Education of Kira Argounova and Leo Kovalenskyby Shoshana MilgramChapter 5: Russian Revolutionary Ideology and We the Livingby John RidpathChapter 6: The Music of We the Livingby Michael S. BerlinerChapter 7: Publishing We the Livingby Richard E. RalstonChapter 8: Reviews of We the Livingby Michael S. BerlinerChapter 9: Adapting We the Livingby Jeff BrittingChapter 10: We the Living: '36 and '59by Robert MayhewPart 2: We the Living as Literature and as PhilosophyChapter 11: We the Living and Victor Hugo: Ayn Rand's First Novel and the Novelist She Ranked Firstby Shoshana MilgramChapter 12: Red Pawn: Ayn Rand's other Story of Soviet Russiaby Jena TrammellChapter 13: The Integration of Plot and Theme in We the Livingby Andrew BernsteinChapter 14: The sacred in We the Livingby Robert MayhewChapter 15: The Plight of Leo Kovalenskyby Onkar GhateChapter 16: Kira's Familyby John David LewisChapter 17: Kira Argounova Laughed: Humor and Joy in We the Livingby Robert MayhewChapter 18: Forbidding Life to Those Still Livingby Tara SmithChapter 19: The Death Premise in We the Living and Atlas Shruggedby Onkar GhateEpilogue: Introduction to We the Livingby Leonard PeikoffSelect BibliographyIndexAbout the Contributors