The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand

Apr 2005 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

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

Ratings and reviews

This is my favorite book. I just finished my first read but I am already looking forward to reading it again. I strive to compete only against my former self and believe happiness only comes when you've rid yourself the practice of determining your value weighted against anyone's but your own. This is a book that should be read at the beginning of high school. People need to aspire to be original creators. Too much of our public system has led people to want to be employees and identify themselves by a career title. It's near a point where original thought is very rare. Humanity can only evolve through higher levels of abstract thought. That only comes from the creators. I found myself heartbroken and laughing out loud many times through the book. It's truly a wonderful story and a lovely way to convey a vital philosophical perspective: benevolent self-interest. Pursue Roarkhood.

An inspiration. I first read it when I was 14, and it changed so much of my own Outlook. It took me many years to realize I too could have been a Howard Roark, but like many of us, we live as Peter Keating's, who is a Noble character in his own ways. I would recommend this to anyone with a teenager who needs something to focus on. It's got everything; love, drama, profound idealism, tragedy, hope, destruction, betrayal, infidelity, and may inspire the realization that man is so capable, which if possible, seems equitable to those of a young age. Of course, these days they seem to be figuring that out.

The Fountainhead takes us to New York during 1920's and 1930's. It beautifully portrays the struggles faced by the extremely talented architect Howard Roark, the only architect in his era to understand the concept of Modern Architecture. The story opens with Roark being expelled from the Stanton Institute of Technology for not designing rather copying from Classical Architecture in his Architecture course because he wanted to implement his own innovations. On the contrary, Peter Keating tops the Architecture school by designing in traditional way who possessed no innovations of his own. This man portrays the most common human being whom we meet in our daily life! And then there is this exquisitely beautiful woman, Dominique Francon, daughter of the most successful architect in the city, Guy Francon. She passionately falls in love with Roark, but marries his worst enemy. Gail Wynand, an idealist in his philosophy who made his fortune by telling people what they wanted to hear.

About the author

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.