death_date pseudonym ethnicity signature_alt birth_date language period signature alma_mater death_place spouse image citizenship name occupation resting_place birth_place awards subject notableworks article_title birth_name
6 march 1982 ayn rand russian jewish ayn rand 2 february 1905 english 1934 -- 1982 ayn rand signature 1949 . svg petrograd state university new york city , new york , usa frank o'connor 1929 1979 w. ayn rand.jpg 1905 russian 1922 -- 31 & nbsp ; & nbsp ; -- soviet 1931 -- 82 & nbsp ; & nbsp ; 22 american & nbsp ; & nbsp ; ayn rand writer kensico cemetery valhalla , new york , usa st. petersburg , russian empire prometheus for '' anthem '' -rrb- and co-inaugural inductee in 1983 award -lrb- for '' atlas shrugged '' -rrb- hall of fame inductee in 1987 -lrb- philosophy '' the fountainhead '' '' atlas shrugged '' ayn rand
 alisa zinov ` yevna rosenbaum
ayn rand

ayn rand -lrb- ; born alisa zinov ` yevna rosenbaum , ; -- march 6 , 1982 -rrb- was a russian-born american novelist , philosopher , playwright , and screenwriter .
she is known for her two best-selling novels , `` the fountainhead '' and `` atlas shrugged '' , and for developing a philosophical system she called objectivism .
born and educated in russia , rand moved to the united states in 1926 .
she had a play produced on broadway in 1935 -- 1936 .
after two early novels that were initially unsuccessful in america , she achieved fame with her 1943 novel , `` the fountainhead '' .
in 1957 , she published her best-known work , the novel `` atlas shrugged '' .
afterward , she turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy , publishing her own magazines and releasing several collections of essays until her death in 1982 .
rand advocated reason as the only means of acquiring knowledge and rejected faith and religion .
she supported rational and ethical egoism , and rejected altruism .
in politics , she condemned the initiation of force as immoral and opposed collectivism and statism as well as anarchism , instead supporting `` laissez-faire '' capitalism , which she defined as the system based on recognizing individual rights .
in art , rand promoted romantic realism .
she was sharply critical of most philosophers and philosophical traditions known to her , except for some aristotelians and classical liberals .
literary critics received rand 's fiction with mixed reviews , and academia generally ignored or rejected her philosophy , though academic interest has increased in recent decades .
the objectivist movement attempts to spread her ideas , both to the public and in academic settings .
she has been a significant influence among libertarians and american conservatives .
