The 75-Year-Old Book That Drives Our Politics Today

The legendary studio boss Harry Cohn once said to one of his writers, that if you want to send a political message, use Western Union. The point was that movies were for entertainment. Some have even tried to make that argument with respect to novels, but over the years, this has hardly been the case.

One of the great examples is Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Released 75 years ago, this month. This story of ambition, love, and architecture reverberates through our political discourse today, both in middle America and in the halls of Congress. What other 75-year-old novel can spark a heated debate between Paul Ryan and Paul Krugman?

Yaron Brook is an Israeli American entrepreneur and writer. He’s the current chairman of the board of the Ayn Rand Institute where he was its executive director from 2000 to 2017 and is leading the effort to mark the 75th anniversary of The Fountainhead.

My WhoWhatWhy.org conversation with Yaron Brook:

Who is Ayn Rand?

Know primarily for her bestselling books THE FOUNTAINHEAD and ATLAS SHRUGGED, Ayn Rand is one of the 20th century's most controversial and scandalous figures. A champion of unfettered capitalism, she redefined what it meant to be a libertarian and reshaped the very definition of conservatism. Undergoing a resurgence of interest, because of her anti government views, University of Virgina History Professor Jennifer Burns, in her new book Goddess of the Market: Ayn Rand and the American Right gives us a full spectrum view of Rand's philosophy and life.

My conversation with Jennifer Burns:Powered by Podbean.com