The Fountainhead

by Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand (Afterword)

The revolutionary literary vision that sowed the seeds of Objectivism, Ayn Rand's groundbreaking philosophy, and brought her immediate worldwide acclaim.

This modern classic is the story of intransigent young architect Howard Roark, whose integrity was as unyielding as granite...of Dominique Francon, the exquisitely beautiful woman who loved Roark passionately, but married his worst enemy...and of the fanatic denunciation unleashed by an enraged society against a great creator. As fresh today as it was then, Rand’s provocative novel presents one of the most challenging ideas in all of fiction—that man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress...

“A writer of great power. She has a subtle and ingenious mind and the capacity of writing brilliantly, beautifully, bitterly...This is the only novel of ideas written by an American woman that I can recall.”—The New York Times

• ISBN10: 0452273331
• ISBN13: 9780452273337
• Publish Date: 1 November 1994 (first published 12 December 1943)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 October 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: New American Library
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 752
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780452273337

Reviews

[luddite]

I think only the Bible has had a more profound effect on my life than this book.
Masterpiece.

[jeannamichel]

A deep, ravishing plot that will unfold through this piece of artwork. Howard Roark is an architect who loves what he does. Dominque Francon makes it her mission to ruin him- she wounldn't fight so hard if she didn't love him so much. In the world that is run by the Wynand's Papers, a social magazine that lives on scandel, and Ellesworth Toohey, a "second-hander," the people are against Roark. Roark and Francon fight fate, when Francon decides to marry Keating and Wynand. After her divorce, Roark and Francon can not stay apart. Social standing, trails on buildings, and Ellesworth Toohey fight Roark and Francon. Through the entirety of the piece, the reader will get a taste of architectural business and who is on top of the world.
When someone said, "What do you think of me?" Howard Roark would simply say, "I don't think of you." Well, if you asked me what I though of this book- well, I don't think of it. If you can get passed the first 200 pages- which was what took me the most time- then it'll be smooth sailing from there. I love the build-up of the plot throughout the entire piece. When I was reading the book, I felt unreal. It was too long and I felt that if you aren't into architecture then you wouldn't like this book.