Ayn Rand: A Sense of Humor

[Backlighting]

A friend of mine & I drove up from NYC to the Ford Hall Forum (Boston)in the early 1970's to hear Rand"s lecture, The Anti-Industrial Revolution. During the Q&A session an audience member asked Miss Rand to explain a particular concept he had trouble understanding in one of the chapters of Atlas Shrugged.

Ayn said, in her heavy Russian accent, "If you don't understand my writing, you certainly won't understand my speaking" The entire audience broke in to laughter!!

I'll never forget that evening.

Anyone else have any humorous tales of Ayn Rand??

[Barbara Branden]

From The Passion of Ayn Rand:

After the publication of The Fountainhead Rand gave a talk at a Book and Authors group. A woman asked: "The sex scenes between Roark and Dominique are so wonderful! Do they come from your own experience? What is their source?" Rand brought down the house when she answered in two words:"Wishful thinking."

When she addressed the American Association of Architects, a man said, "You present Howasrd Roark as unconventional -- but he wasn't really -- he was, after all, faithful to one woman all his life!" Rand replied, "Do you call that conventional?" -- and the audience burst into laughter and applause.

Barbara

[Victor Pross]

Barbara,

Those are two of my fave antidotes about Rand! They really show a warm and funny side to Rand, and you tell them well. I have read these two little gems from your book to friends to crack them up.

Victor

[Mikee]

"Las Vegas" [gambling man?]

Thanks for the anecdote.

Barbara,

When I had read only Ayn Rands books and articles I was obsessed with her ideas. When I read your book I discovered I liked Ayn Rand the person very much. Thank you for that. "The Passion of Ayn Rand" is a wonderful book.

Mike Erickson

[Brant Gaede]

I have some Ayn Rand humor stories, which I once posted on the old Atlantis, now lost. One was on a trip to the Ford Hall Forum in the early 70s. She tended to go by bus. On one trip there was a threatened bus strike and it was in doubt how she (and those with her) would get back to New York from Boston. One staffer of the Objectivist (or Ayn Rand Letter) suggested they might have to hitchhike. Ayn volunteered to show some leg (a la "It Happened One Night"--I don't think she mentioned the movie). I got this story from one of the staffers.

--Brant

[Barbara Branden]

Brant, I don't have any doubt that your story is true. Rand was very proud of her legs.

Barbara