Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 09:27:40 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: tv personalities...



I said about Chris' reading of Rand:

> My own suspicion is that anything
> > good he found in Rand, he put there. I have immense respect for Chris. His
> 
> Interestingly, Rand actually took her first name ("Ayn") from a Finnish
> writer.  Rand's original name was Alissa Rosenbaum; she was born in Silver
> Age Russia, and was taught by some pretty important neo-Hegelian
> dialecticians, among them, N. O. Lossky.  My own book, AYN RAND:  THE
> RUSSIAN RADICAL  has caused a bit of controversy among Rand's critics, but
> it has caused REAL controversy among Rand's sycophantic followers, because
> it links her to a Russian dialectical tradition that they would prefer to
> ignore.  I'm co-editing FEMINIST INTERPRETATIONS OF AYN RAND now, for Penn
> State Press, and it should create even more controversy.  While I
> recognize the problems of recognition that Rand has in academia, I think
> she should be given a more critical reading, for better or for worse.
> 

Good, You should give it to her. For me, as far as right wing writers go,
I'll stick to Balzac and Conrad. I'm rereading The Secret Agent.

--jks