Out of a Grey Fog : The Reception of Ayn Rand's Work in Europe
Type
conference paper
Date Issued
2012-11-04
Author(s)
Abstract
Ayn Rand (1905-1982) is a household name in the United States, but even at the height of her career in the 1960s her work was hardly available or read in Continental Europe. Translations of even her most successful novels would only be printed after her death, since, previously, potential publishers and Rand's agents could not get her work translated for reasons both economic, legal and personal, that is, due to Ayn Rand's personal principles that precluded certain arrangements. Since then, however, her work has become more widely disseminated, with the long awaited French translation of Atlas Shrugged (orig. 1957) finally available and the publication of completely revised German language editions of all of her four novels. Although it would be exaggerated to speak of a surge of European interest in Ayn Rand's work, it has indeed received more media attention, not least due to her influence on the Tea Party movement and its activists as well as on American high-profile politicians and businessmen.
This paper analyzes the reception of Ayn Rand's work in Western Europe, specifically in francophone and German-speaking Europe and in Spain, retracing the more recent discussion of her work and influence.
This paper analyzes the reception of Ayn Rand's work in Western Europe, specifically in francophone and German-speaking Europe and in Spain, retracing the more recent discussion of her work and influence.
Language
English
Keywords
Ayn Rand
libertarianism
Objectivism
Tea Party movement
American politics
HSG Classification
contribution to scientific community
Refereed
Yes
Book title
Women, Gender and Sexuality
Publisher
SSHA
Publisher place
Chicago
Start page
30
Event Title
37th Annual Meeting Histories of Social Science History Association SSHA
Event Location
Vancouver, Canada
Event Date
01.-04.11.2012
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
217728