-- Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead.

The real beauty of our cities---and the ethereal beauty of their brains---is to be seen from above, and at night.

In cities like New York, the view can be had for a few dollars from some sky-kissing tower in Manhattan. In cities like Mysore, the view can be had for free from the eternal, expansive Chamundi Hills.

As the key milestones of the kingdom come aglow every Dasara to the oohs and aahs of tourists, you have to wonder, though: why have our modern maharajas, diwans and Rasputins---the politicians, the bureaucrats, the town planners, the builders, the developers, the real-estate brokers---failed to come up with a single structure that could stand the test of time?

Why, in other words, is their/our urban vision constricted to "mini"-Vidhana Soudhas, "hi-tech" bus shelters, and obnoxious welcome arches?

Photograph: Karnataka Photo News

Also read: Biggest, largest, highest, mostest. Anywhere

View an amazing portfolio here: London at night

Ayn Rand

ISBN:  0451191153

"When 'The Fountainhead' was first published, Ayn Rand's daringly original literary vision and her groundbreaking philosophy, Objectivism, won immediate worldwide interest and acclaim. This instant classic is the story of an intransigent young architect, his violent battle against conventional standards, and his explosive love affair with a beautiful woman who struggles to defeat him. This edition contains a special Afterword by Rand's literary executor, Leonard Peikoff which includes excerpts from Ayn Rand's own notes on the making of 'The Fountainhead'. As fresh today as it was then, here is a novel about a hero--and about those who try to destroy him."

Um livro para quem acha que o ser humano deve ser superado!

-- Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead.

The two books, which I bought unabridged, totalled 80 hours of reading time which has kept me busy for the last couple of months. I read Fountainhead first, followed by Atlas. I really enjoyed both, with the caveat mentioned below*.

Rand uses characters which represent either extreme of 'supermen' like Howard Roark in Fountainhead and Hank Reardon in Atlas Shrugged, or the 'seconds' (people that only survive by leaching off and controlling others) like Peter Keating/James Taggart.

The main protagonist is female in both cases, and struggles with an increasing self awareness of where they fit in this polarized world. Also common to both works is the love quadrangle where this female protagonist finally decides on the most 'super' of supermen.

*I wouldn't recommend reading them back to back, as I did, since the themes are very similar, and can even get quite tedious after a while:

• The benefits of pure capitalism
• The evil of religion (somewhat indirectly)
• You do yourself a great disservice when living your life for the benefit of others
• The only purpose of government should be military, police and courts
• The purpose of life is to use your mind to create
• Socialism/collectivism is bad

I am sure I am forgetting a few, but I have to say I agree with her point of view for the most part.

She is a little too radical when it comes to the line between where government should and should not get involved. For example, health care would definitely fall into the private domain, where I -as a Canadian- believe in universal health care. There is a big difference between someone who chooses to live off of others vs. someone who has dependence thrust upon them by bad health or accident.

I took the time to read Ayn Rand because I always like to find a balance in what I am reading. After reading Naomi Klein's shock doctrine, I needed something pro-capitalist, and this hit the spot. As usual my opinion is in the grey zone somewhere in between.

As a final note, it is very likely that Ayn Rand's work will soon experience a Renaissance, with Angelina Jolie slated to play the role of Dagny Taggart (good choice) in a film adaptation of Atlas Shrugged. It is currently slated for 2009, but turmoil over the director of the project may change this significantly.

Visit www.darbybailey.com/block for more information about BLOCK.

About Darby Bailey:

Voluntarily removed from parochial school in the 4th grade over sexual content in a book she was publishing for friends, Darby Bailey eventually went from downtown Salt Lake City to Santa Cruz to L.A., where she is pursing her B.A. degree at Antioch University. When she’s not writing, Darby makes a living as a voice over artist, actress and musician.

Darby is a proud resident of downtown Los Angeles and supports it’s revitalization.

Yes, I'm re-reading The Fountainhead. It is an amazing book.

I am reading 5-6 books simultaneously and it has been getting very ridiculous, as i am unable to follow that regime religiously so i decided to stick to the one book at a time scenario. I switched back to reading INDIA by V.S. Naipaul. Now i hate this man for his political and anti-Indian views, but boss, he does write damn well. I just finished a chapter on Mumbai, and i realised that Naipaul is really good at Non Fiction as well. So far i had only heard praises of his Fiction work. I have to say that i have started to enjoy the novel. So much so that i managed to cover about 80 pages today. An achievement for me since the last one month where i havent been able to stick to one book.

After INDIA by VS Naipaul, i am gonna finish off either Fountainhead by Ayn Rand or The Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra. Both are equally verbose. Followed by a non fiction book. I have got a couple of e books as well. So lots to be done on the reading front.

Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na will be releasing tomorrow. Cant wait to catch this flick.

Take Care

Ciao

Most of her her characters are simply not humans, they are all predictable programmed robots with an agenda. Humans never are never consistent with their thoughts, principles or philosophy. The Protagonist Howard Roark, was glorified to epic proportions, a man whom Ayn Rand promotes as a perfect human soul on Earth. He is arrogant, bold, stubborn, egotist to its extreme, whose soul purpose is life is Architecture. Little does Ayn Rand realise that human life simply is more than achieveing excellence in profession, there is simply more to life. Objectivism lays so much emphasis on the individual that if practiced in extreme forms would lead to doom. Look what Hitler did, I think he was supreme form of individualism. The book usually over states or exaggerates the reason behind human logic, thus giving an impression that humans are dirty creatures and people who simply are not creative or talented are worth not living. Eventually its Howard Roark's talent which bailed him out, not his set of beliefs or his priciples as Ayn rand would like us to believe. The court room argument in the climax is as ridiculous as it can get, show me a court of justice where anyone can get away with it, i would hang myself. Howard Roark could afford to be what all he was because he was supremely talented and gifted beyond mediocrity, what should the lesser mortals on the earth do?

Howard Roark's grit and determination are inspiring and is bound to give some solace for those who dont belive so much in themselves. One more funny aspect with Ayn Rand is that she tries to establish strangest possible relationship between a man and a women. Whats more queer in the book is that the heroine submitting herself to rape and her deriving pleasure from it, and yet maintaining it to be a sexual assault. The book to me was helpful, but it did raise more questions than it answers. Objectivism has its limitations, it simply is not as practical as it is touted to be.

Can you miss this book because it is flawed? No, Its definitely worth giving a tought. My final say is A Flawed book by a Brilliant, but flawed writer.

Author Ayn Rand's works were controversial for their time and continue to stir minds today. Her works are today classified as the exemplars of the principles of the philosophy of Objectivism, also coined by Rand.

A controversial position of Rand's philosophy is a critique of morality and altruism--much of which is the content of many religious themes and movements nowadays.

Consider the questions:

• Why is it moral to serve the happiness of others but not your own?
• Why is it immoral for you to desire, but moral for others to do so?

Here's a clip which is a reading of the speech of John Galt--Rand's character in her novel: Atlas Shrugged--which details a discussion of these and other questions regarding morality.

Having a critical mind is an attribute of objectivism.

In another of Rand's works: The Fountainhead, her character the architect Howard Roark is on trial for destroying a building that he designed. His courtroom defense is an outline of more principles: Man lives for himself, not for others.

Man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress
- Ayn Rand

Here is a clip of a movie adaptation of Rand's novel, with Roark portrayed by Gary Cooper:

My first contact with Ayn Rand’s writing was when I found, in a tiny bookshop, a second-hand copy of her novella, Anthem. I read it, thought it was wonderful, insightful, inspiring. At the back of the book, there were advertisements for two other books of hers: The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. Within the year, I’d bought and read The Fountainhead. It did what books are supposed to do; it changed me. It changed my life, my outlook, my views, my method of thinking. And then I read Atlas Shrugged, followed by We The Living. The cover of We The living was one of the most haunting pictures I had seen for a long time. I have a copy of the original artwork on my wall.

I won’t give you a plot synopsis, but if you want to read a great novel with an individual versus the state theme, then The Fountainhead is the book for you. After that you could try Anthem, Atlas Shrugged and We The Living. They’re all excellent.

As a writer, I learned a lot from Ayn Rand. I can now see that she’s not a particularly elegant stylist – her prose is quite clunky in places – but she is able to convey some rather large ideas in fairly fast-paced and well-plotted narratives. What Ayn Rand did for me was show me that as a writer I could incorporate philosophical ideas into my stories; that I could anchor them to the plot, to the characters, to the subtext, and the story would gain another layer of meaning.

When my novel Myth was published, I dedicated it to Alisa Zinov'yevna Rosenbaum, the young Russian woman who dreamed of going to America and becoming a successful writer. I dedicated it to the memory of the woman who became Ayn Rand.

Written: 15th June 2008

© R J Dent (2008)

www.rjdent.com

Ob "Iron Man" sehenswert ist oder nicht, kann ich nicht beantworten, nur sollte man eine so große Individualistin wie die amerikanische Philosophin Ayn Rand -nicht "Ayn Rands"-, die Zeit ihres Lebens für die Rechte des Individuums gekämpft hat, niemals mit "Totalitarismus" in Verbindung bringen.

Der Leserbrief ist bisher nicht veröffentlicht worden.

Ich habe mir allerdings ebenso einen kurzen Leserbrief zu diesem Artikel erlaubt:

Herr Kothenschulte sollte sich etwas informieren, bevor er versucht Spitzen zu setzen. Zum einen ist "The Fountainhead" von Ayn Rand (ohne s) keine Romanfigur, sondern tatsächlich ein ganzer Roman. Zum anderen zeugt es nicht nur von Unkenntnis, eine der großen liberalen Philosophinnen des 20. Jhds. als "totalitär" zu betiteln, sondern auch von Mangel an kritischer Prüfung der eigenen Quellen: Der mittlerweile wirklich platte Vorwurf des "Totalitarismus" geht zurück auf eine Biographie über Rand, die durch ihren düpierten Exliebhaber geschrieben wurde, und daher mehr als nur eine Schlagseite hat. Nicht nur widerspricht ihre Darstellung allen anderen Darstellungen; auch hat eine neuere Studie zu diesem Buch gezeigt, dass es als historische Quelle völlig unzuverlässig und untauglich ist.

Der Leserbrief wurde meines Wissens ebenso noch nicht veröffentlicht.

I appreciate when people respond to anything I write.  I have never met with anyone who said they loved this book as much as you.  There was one girl who wouldn’t shut up about it during my freshman year, but she proved to an idiot who only enjoyed it for the controversy.  You, on the other hand, provide some depth in your response.  I will offer you a rebuttal now.

1 - I did not say that Roark and Keating were equally as talented in the field of Architecture.  That is incorrect, as you know.   Sadly, Roark is Keating’s only friend (in Keating's mind).  Keating can open up to him and will tell him anything – things he would never tell his mother.  At the beginning of the book, immediately following graduation, Keating sits on the stoop of his house with Roark and tells him of how he wished to be a painter as a child.  This is a mirror of Roark – who decided as a child he wanted to become an architect.  Roark has no family and has been on his own for years.  Keating’s mother instructed him to be an architect because there is no money in painting.

If you remember towards the very end of the book when Keating and Roark discuss the housing projects, Keating arrives with some pieces of canvas where he has painted something.  Rand never tells us what was on the canvas, but Roark looks at him and says, “It is too late.”  He means that Keating cannot recreate himself into the painter he wished to be as a child.  He has chosen his path, and he must walk the line to the very end.  He then feels pity for Keating and is disgusted by the feeling.

I do not know much about Rand’s philosophy, but it appears that Keating was taking a step in the right direction.  He had decided he did not want to be a free loader, and he wanted to become the man he was to be, but Roark tells him no.  Who is Roark to tell anyone they are to stop?  It is against everything Roark believes.  I believe if Roark had evolved into something other than an architect, he would not be held back by anyone’s words – he encouraged the sculptor (whose name escapes me) to return to sculpting because it was his calling – perhaps I read too much into the painter thing, but this is how I interpreted it.

2 – Thank you for agreeing with the Toohey thing.

3 – Dominique Francon is an interesting character. The only reason I call her a whore is because she will willingly give herself to men who do not deserve her as punishment.  She will play the role of the perfect wife to effectively punish herself.  To give herself to Roark would be death because she would stop pretending and start being the perfect wife - submissive and adoring - no longer the individual she must be to keep Roark. Meanwhile, she cannot be alone. 

She divorces Keating, only to marry Wyndham.  Wyndham is the worst kind of second hander in accordance to Roark.  He is the highest offender due to his thirst for power over other men.  I will never understand why Francon would sleep with these men, and somehow internal reflection isn’t even something that she can handle well.  She needs external forces to help her to achieve her worthy state for Roark.  It seems contradictory to the essence of Roark and the perfection of man, but Rand has an interesting take on sex and gender relationships.  The woman and the man in all her books end up together, and the woman is a submissive creature in both.  The female is something that requires saving and guidance.  The Females are flawed and learns slower than the men in her books.

4 - I can’t really speak to the fourth piece.  This is my belief on Roark.  He is an elitist and an egoist in the worst sense.  Be the change you wish to be in the world – I hate that quote, but it is applicable.  Here would be a great time to implement strategies that could change the world. Roark can be considered another Christ figure.  The perfect figured of Christ perhaps – Roark is Rand’s answer to all the Toohey’s – and a reflection of what men can become (Keating being the opposite – One of Toohey’s protégés). Only Roark does not lead men – he waits for them to come to their own – without guidance.  He judges men and can be fooled (for example, he was fooled by Toohey and the old rich guy at the Temple).  It is selfish and very unnecessary – and it all runs by Roark’s standards and no one else's.  Somehow he is the only correct person in the book – and those that differ in opinion are wrong and pervert the world…

I don’t believe I need to take yet another look at this book.  I’ve read it twice.  The first time in high school for cash, the second as a young man starting off in the world.  Neither time was I touched by it.   Both times I saw flaws with its ideas. I outlined some of those flaws here.  As you can see, I’m capable of more detailed analysis.  What was written for the blog was really a quick and dirty version.  I would have left it at that if not provoked.  Perhaps, you should take a second look at the book.  If you come to the same conclusions, than you and I fundamentally disagree and must go our separate way.  I am a believer of altruism – but I am no doormat.  I think there is a balance that can be struck, and Rand only speaks of extremes that do not really exist in real life.

Toohey’s niece is Rand’s definition of an altruist, but in what light was she painted?  She is ruined by her altruism – she stopped being a person completely.  She was cold and sterile – she frowned upon anyone who lived without her help and worked hard at making his or her lives hell.  This book is not something I can stand behind.  It is not something I can say I love, because I believe in the value of mankind, but I also understand and see the value of human interactions and connections. To remove that social networks makes us no better than apes – or Howard Roark.

JJRC

I was lent The Fountainhead by Mandy, back in 6th form, so when I saw it and Atlas Shrugged in the library sale, I had to get them. The last 2 weeks have been spent almost exclusively reading Atlas Shrugged. It has some interesting ideas, but I think that The Fountainhead covers a lot of similar ideas in a nicer way. There are parts of Atlas Shrugged where she plays on a theme too long: I was expecting to finish the last few hundred pages pretty quickly, but I got to a certain point, and then noticed that there was a 50-page monologue in front of me, so I just went to sleep instead and skipped the monologue entirely. I have since half-listened to a recording of the monologue, and it doesn't seem to say much that wasn't said elsewhere in the book.

One thing that it does do quite well is theorise how "from him according to his ability, to him according to his need" will fail (turning into "to each according to his want", which could be worse than the capitalist ideal of linking ability and reward).

I am also quite interested in Rand's concept of love. I won't try to outline it here, for fear of being corrected, but essentially greed for the {recognition | respect | enjoyment} of another.

In other news, http://news.google.co.uk/news?q=iso+ooxml. While I think that it could have been done less forcefully, I believe that MS office having an ISO branded document format as its default is a step forward compared to .doc. The next step from here is to encourage governments to support at least one (or both) ISO document formats.

Concerning churches, stained glass windows, spiral staircases, murals on the walls, and gorgeous ceilings get me every time! They're the next best thing to being outside. Inside, I tend to look up or around a lot when I am singing so I appreciate interesting surroundings.

In general for decorating and architecture, I love fun doors (colored or interesting designs), odd shaped rooms (round, angled, anything), bright colors, that cozy close feeling, comfy furniture, fun lighting, lots of clocks (different sizes), high ceilings for the big rooms, secret pathways, gardens and rooms, personal balconies, rooms conducive for for entertaining, breakfast nooks (booths!), kitchens with hanging pots, painted chairs, overlooks, towers, flowers, blue glass, pottery, paintings, rugs, bookshelves, waterfalls and ponds in the backyard, unique bathtubs (claw-foot, old-fashioned, modern, round), round windows, bay windows, skylights, and well let's be honest the list could go on for a long time!  Let's be honest, my house is going to have an untraditional, unique and random style :)

To end, here's a little something that combines churches and spectacular architecture for you:

It took us about two hours to cross the city.  We walked through the neighborhoods of Palermo, Barrio Norte, Centro, and finally, San Telmo.  One of the stranger sights along the way was the huge and brightly colored Palacio de las Aguas Corrientes, or Palace of Running Water.  I believe it actually houses the waterworks mechanisms of the area.  We also walked by the congress building, which is modeled after the U.S. Capitol building, but has a green copper roof.

Eventually we came to San Telmo with its lovely antique buildings and cobblestone streets.  I sat on the couch in the clubhouse and read a letter from my mother.

I have always craved to write this post from a long time. Here is a list of 15 books which I truly-deeply-madly love. Some of them changed my perceptions, some of them made me cry, some of them gave me a terrible gooseflesh, some of them took me on a journey beyond the realms of my imagination and some of them made me think. So here is the list of my absolutely favourite books.

15 The catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger 

The book which conveyed the teenage anger and frustration vividly. What really made this story thought provoking was the fact that it shows the world through the eyes of a 17 year old. And boy!!! the world did looked disgusting. The narrative is broken and has random ideas thrown at times, somehow very close to how a teenager will explain things if he is asked to. The book was widely challenged when it was published because of its theme and the way it portrayed things. Now its considered one of the best books of all times. To say the least, around 250, 000 copies are sold every year. 

14 Uncle Tom's cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Published in 1852, the novel is rumoured to trigger the American civil war. The novel centers around Uncle Tom, a black slave who suffer constantly in the hands of evil masters. The book came out at a time when slavery was very much in practice and thus left a deep impact. The book had some memorable characters like Eliza ( who escapes after she has been sold with her five year old son), Eva and Topsy. The best incidence which underlines the impact of the novel is that when Abraham Lincoln met Harriet, he commented - "So, this is the little lady who started the great war." 

13 Life of Pi by Yann Martel 

The book won the Man Booker Prize in 2002 and revolves around Pi Patel who narrates his 227 days long journey on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker, a haena, a zebra and an orangutan, when the ship carrying his family from Pondicherry to Goa sinks taking his family with it. Basically there are only two characters - Pi and Parker as the rest vanish one by one. The best thing about the book is that the narrative hold the interest even though there are only two characters. The adventure about how Pi survives being eaten by the tiger forms the crux of the story.

12 Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks 

One of the best books on the impact and aftermath of the World War. The narrative moves through three time periods - before, during and after the war. The war is seen through the eyes of Stephen Wraysford who is learning the manufacturing process at a factory and ends up having a passionate affair with the factory owner's wife. The second track is the world war as seen through Stephen's eyes when he becomes a Lieutenant in the British army. The third track is the story of his granddaughter who is trying to cope up with her messed up life and trying to know who her grandfather was.

11 The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams 

Creativity and imagination at its best. The novel was a huge phenomenon which gave rise to everything from stage shows, tv series, computer games and movies. The book is the first one in a five book series which included "The restaurant at the end of the Universe", "Life, the Universe and everything", "So long, and thanks for all the fish" and "Mostly Harmless".  I was completely knocked down by the narrative which is nothing less than a roller coaster ride. The movie based on the novel was released in 2005 and generated mixed reviews as it differed widely from the novel...the way 99% of the movies are.

10  The Da Vinci code by Dan Brown

A book which shocked and surprised me to unimaginable ends. It was the first time I have seen such widespread recognition of a book. I have known people who have read only one book in their life and this is that book. People got so curious that it became mandatory to read this one. Robert Langdon became a legend and there were widespread discussions on Mary Magdalene's role in Christ's life. For the first time a book blended facts with fiction with such minute detailing that it was hard to separate them. The success of the movie can also be credited to the curiosity generated by the book.

9 Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Emily Bronte wrote just one novel and what a novel it was. A classic in the true sense. I read this book a loooong time back but it always stayed with me. Unforgettable characters and narrated like a dream. The doomed love story oozing utter despair and loneliness will leave you sad, so much that you would wish to hug the characters and tell them that everything will be all-right. You could almost feel the agony and bitterness of Heathcliff and the free spirit and sorrow of Catherine. Its a story of heartbreak and revenge which too gave rise to numerous forms of art like plays, movie, ballet, opera, tv series, radio series and songs.

8 The interpreter of maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

The best book of short stories I had laid hands on. Don't expect some over dramatized oh-my-god surprise stories. Its a subtle collection of human bondage, sufferings and understanding. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2000 and added Jhumpa Lahiri in the A grade list of writers of Indian origin. When I picked up this book I was quite apprehensive and had some preconceived notions. I readied myself for a Yawny boring book, but the first story ( A temporary matter ) killed all my notions. I read five stories in a row before I felt satiated.

7 Midnight's children by Salman Rushdie

One of my absolute favourites. Its a reader's sheer delight and is nothing less than a blinding flash of brilliance. It took the Booker Prize in 1981 and later the Booker of Bookers in 1993. If I try to narrate the theme in one line, you might find it really silly but it has been presented in such a way that you find sense in the chaos. The book follows the story of a group of children born at the stroke of midnight on 15 August, 1947. It follows the turbulence of a newly born nation through their eyes. The novel ran into a controversy because of the criticism of Indira Gandhi for imposing emergency. Typical Rushdie. :)

6 David copperfield by Charles Dickens

This was the most autobiographical book of Charles Dickens which came out in 1850 and was being published in monthly installments as most of the books in that era were. I have read so many Dickens's novels like Dombey and Son, Oliver Twist, Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby, Barnaby Rudge, Martin Chuzzlewit and Great Expectations but this one is my absolute favourite. Maybe because of the believable characters he created for this book. The book chronicles the story of David from his teens till he grows into a mature adult. This is the first Dickens novel to do a narrative in first person. 

5 The memory keeper's daughter by Kim Edwards

I had no idea about Kim Edward's work when I picked this one. There were two reasons to pick the book. A) It was an International Bestseller. B) I liked the cover. :) The book had such a strong undercurrent of human emotions that it left me spellbound. A doctor is forced to delivers his twins on his own and finds out that one of them(the girl) has Down's syndrome. He hands over this girl to the nurse to dispose her off in some institution and tells his wife that one of the twins died. The nurse brings up the girl instead of disposing her off and one the other side the Doctor's family crumbles under the burden of this lie. Beautifully written and definitely worth reading.

4 Sphere by Michael Crichton

I am an ardent Michael Crichton fan. He is one hell of a science fiction writer. I was completely bowled over by Timeline, Congo, Airframe, Disclosure, State of Fear, Terminal Man, A case of need, The Andromeda strain and Prey but the one book which gave me some nice gooseflesh was Sphere. I never knew what people meant when they say that the book is unputdownable until I read this. I finished it off in two days(my fastest ever). The story starts with a group of scientists who are assembled to examine a huge spacecraft buried in the Pacific ocean bed for around 300 years. It soon turns into a psychological thriller as the scientists reach the ocean bed. And don't watch the movie. It was nothing near the book.

3 The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

This was Colleen Mcullough's most famous work of all times which gave rise to the most successfull tv miniseries of all times. The book follows the life of Meggie since she was four to the time when she falls in love with a priest almost double her age to the time when she grows old after suffering in the hands of fate. This forbidden and doomed love story of Meggie and Father Ralph was considered a "bad" book. The Australian settings and the beautiful descriptive style of the writer makes the book a delight to read. To read more about the book, read this.

2 The Redemption of Althalus by David and Leigh Eddings

Ok. So this book seems completely out of place here. I read this book at a time when "Lord of the Rings" and "Harry Potter" did not existed for me. So for me this was moi first fantasy novel.  :) Its fascinating and in the league of the LOR series. Can anyone please make a movie out of it? Is any Hollywood director listening? Steven? Jackson? Helllooo??? On a serious note, Its a love story between a thief named Althalus and the Goddess Dweia whom he meet in the "House at the end of the world" where he is sent to steal the "Book of Deiwos". The book reaches epic proportions as it races towards its end. One of the very few yummy books I have read twice.

1 The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

The book which changed the way I perceive the world, the way I perceive my job and the way I perceive love. The book was a major literary success of its times and was rejected by numerous publishers before it saw the light of the day. It still sells like hot cakes since the sixty years it was published and was followed by "Atlas Shrugged", another of Ayn Rand's work which underlines her theory of Objectivism. The book was rightly called "a hymn in praise of the individual" by a NewYork times editor. The novel follows the story of Howard Roark, an unconventional and creative architect who has to constantly fight the dogma of established beliefs and conventions of his profession. Its a book which has inspired millions to flow against the tide.

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Hey everyone:)

Here I am again. Blogging away. I am so glad I got into blogging. I just love it to death. What a weird mood I'm in today. Anyways, my subject today is going to be Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice." I absolutely love that book. It is one of my favorites (although my favorite of favorites goes to Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead"). Anyways, I just read it again for about the fourth time. Although it has been a very long time since I have read it. I enjoyed as much as I always have. Most of the time I wonder why, because I know a lot of people would find the work boring considering it is about a bunch of people from the 18th century who are busy being intertwined in each other's life. Then I realized that is exactly why I love it....I love hearing about other times and places. Plus, I love the psychology of the human mind. It is absolutely fascinating. It amazes me sometimes that they are much the same in the 18th century England as we are in 21st century United States. I mean, naturally the etiquette and the way things were are different. As people we haven't changed much. We still have pride, prejudice, jealousy, and happiness like they did back then. I think what I love most about this book is that Jane Austen wrote the lead character Elizabeth with such spirit for a girl in the 1700s. I just love it. It makes me think of me and how I would have been back then.

Now, there are two different versions of the movie. I would suggest the first one. It is one of those six hour movies where your boyfriend will be crying at the end....not because it is so good, but probably because you bribed him into this in exchange for (you know what) and he just wants the thing to end. All in all, you will enjoy it. The beautifully cast british group does so much justice to the work that even Jane Austen would be proud. If you have ever watched "Bridget Jone's Diary" then you will know that Mr. Darcy is played by the true love interest in this movie. Great actor!

As far as the new one goes.....I didn't like it as much as the old one. Everyone might hate me after this statement, but I really do not like Keira Knightly all that much. Don't get me wrong, she is good in movies where the director has to lead her around by her nose, or she is playing herself. I'm sure as a person she is really great too, but as an actress I am not all that pleased. I honestly do not think she deserved the Academy Award nomination for this movie, but she got it. The movie is fine. I just think it is really hard to not make an eight hour movie on a Jane Austen book. They are so complicated.

Anyways, I am glad to get all that out. Now on to "Sense and Sensibility....."