Ayn Rand

Published in 1986 by Doubleday, "The Passion of Ayn Rand" is a biography written by Barbara Branden, a former close associate and business partner of Ayn Rand. This work was the first comprehensive biography of Rand and served as the basis for a later film adaptation. Branden, who was involved with Rand's Objectivist movement and her husband Nathaniel Branden for many years, drew on audiotaped interviews she had previously conducted with Rand, as well as interviews with over 100 other individuals who knew Rand throughout her life.

The biography aimed to present Rand as a human being rather than an idealized or demonized figure, with Branden stating her intention to separate Objectivism from its founder. The book controversially revealed Rand's extramarital affair with Nathaniel Branden, which occurred during their close association. The publication of the book was met with mixed reception, including praise for its narrative sweep and psychological insight, but also criticism from some within the Ayn Rand Institute who questioned its objectivity and accuracy.

Barbara Branden was a significant figure in the Objectivist movement, having been closely associated with Ayn Rand and her husband Nathaniel Branden for eighteen years. They managed the Nathaniel Branden Institute, established to promote Rand's philosophy. The close relationship fractured in 1968, coinciding with the closure of the institute and the Brandens' expulsion from Rand's inner circle. "The Passion of Ayn Rand" was conceived as an unauthorized biography, intended to offer a more nuanced perspective than earlier authorized writings. Branden utilized audiotaped interviews she had conducted with Rand for prior projects, supplemented by extensive interviews with over one hundred people. A key revelation in the book was Rand's affair with Nathaniel Branden. Branden expressed a desire to portray Rand as a complex human being, distinct from the often-deified image, suggesting that Objectivism's validity should be assessed independently of its founder's personal virtues or flaws.

First released in hardcover by Doubleday in 1986, "The Passion of Ayn Rand" was subsequently published in paperback by Anchor Books in 1987. The book gained further visibility when it was adapted into a 1999 film. Critical responses to the biography were varied. Some reviewers, like Joseph Sobran and George Gilder, lauded its engaging narrative, psychological depth, and balanced portrayal of a complex individual. Sociologist Peter L. Berger acknowledged Rand's appeal and the loyalty she inspired, despite his disagreements with her philosophy. Florence King included it as a recommended read. However, the book also faced strong opposition from figures associated with the Ayn Rand Institute, such as Leonard Peikoff and Peter Schwartz, who denounced it as arbitrary and motivated by animosity. Later analyses, including a book-length negative review by James S. Valliant and comments by historian Jennifer Burns, debated the biography's factual accuracy and Branden's editorial choices, though Burns also acknowledged the unique access Branden had to Rand's personal life.

“Those who worship Ayn Rand and those who damn her do her the same disservice: they make her unreal and they deny her humanity. I hope to show in her story that she was something infinitely more fascinating and infinitely more valuable than either goddess or sinner. She was a human being. She lived, she loved, she fought her battles, she knew triumph and defeat. The scale was epic; the principle is inherent in human existence.”