Barbara Branden on the Passion of Ayn Rand

Arguably, no two people were closer to Ayn Rand than Barbara and Nathaniel Branden, whom Rand once named as her "intellectual heir." Indeed, when the Brandens married in 1953, the author served as bridesmaid (Rand had also urged the pair to wed).

A decade later, the Brandens would collaborate on the first biography of Rand, Who Is Ayn Rand? In 1986, Barbara published a second biography, The Passion of Ayn Rand, which eventually was made into an award-winning Showtime movie starring Helen Mirren.

Despite the ruinous and controversial romantic affair between Rand and Nathaniel Branden and her eventual ouster from Rand's inner circle, Barbara still feels fondly for the author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. As Branden, now 80, recalls in this Reason.tv interview, "I felt like she's answering questions that I've been looking for answers for, and nobody's been giving me any sort of answer until now."

Approximately seven minutes. Interview by Seth Goldin, camera by Alex Manning, and editing by Hawk Jensen.

This is part of the Reason.tv series Radicals For Capitalism: Celebrating the Ideas of Ayn Rand.


For more videos and information, go to http://reason.org/rand

All videos are available for download in a variety of formats at http://reason.tv

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• barbara branden
• ayn rand
• reason
• libertarian
• objectivism
• helen mirren
• radicals for capitalism
• reason.tv
• reason magazine
• reason foundation
• nathaniel branden

[legendre007]

I love Ayn Rand's books. When I'm feeling down, I can pick up "The Fountainhead" and get absorbed in its beautiful sense of life. And every time I read "Atlas Shrugged," I get something new out of it - it's like a new experience every time.

[mptfg]

"You had better stat recognizing people of ability, or else you're not going to have a world left."

[beesleeper]

Libertarians are LAUGHABLE

[The727stpete727]

@Bill4Banco I wish more people came here like you, that's what made America a great nation. Now we have immigration with the aspiration of welfare and entitlement.

[richardcadbury]

Branden is an evil parasite.

[bcsizemore]

The music in the background is from the game Braid.

[LordCalvinHastings]

I agree - Rand seemed to have an answer to every question. I've never seen her lost for words in interviews, and she never falters while speaking.

I've read all of her fiction books and one of her nonfiction books. My mom and a friend were responsible for getting me hooked.

[mf91007]

Objectivism/Atlas Shrugged is very comforting for me. Public school really tries to beat the shit out of your confidence and your ability, but I fought it and constantly trumped and stumped the fools who run the public education system. How pathetic of them to become intellectually bankrupted by a 13 year old! It got so bad that they just modified my schedule so I only had to go to school from 8 to 10:30, then I got bussed home so that I could teach myself using books and the internet. Pathetic.

[InanityAnon]

This is beautiful. This is what man could be.

[InanityAnon]

I weep at how lonely she must have been. What a mind, what confidence, whatever her 'faults' I wish I had known her.

[notbestfriends]

Atlas Shrugged: Fiction to Fact in 53 years.

A great read.