"This book reveals the distinctively Russian aspects of Ayn Rand's philosophy. As such, it is a major contribution to the public's knowledge and understanding of this controversial and still-popular writer."—Bernice Glatzer Rosenthal, editor of Nietzsche in Russia

"Several books have been written about Rand but none with the philosophical depth and scope of Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical. It brings to light information about Rand's philosophical education that is not available elsewhere and shows that this education was substantial. Rand's ideas will no longer be able to be dismissed as merely shallow ideology."–Tibor Machan, Auburn University

"Sciabarra shows that Rand is best understood as a postmodern thinker, for she was really concerned with creating a culture that overcame the dichotomies of modernity: empiricism/rationalism; facts/values; body/mind; and prudence/morality. This important and thoughtful work will change how the views of this deep and disturbing thinker are understood."—Douglas B. Rasmussen, St. John's University

"This is the most thorough and scholarly work ever done on Ayn Rand. It is also very engagingly written and commands attention throughout. Of all the noteworthy features of the book, the most unique is the lengthy description of Ayn Rand's early years, her education in Russia, and particularly of the teachers who influenced her and had a lasting influence on the structure of her thought." —John Hospers, University of Southern California

Author of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand (1905-1982) is one of the most widely read philosophers of the twentieth century. Yet, despite the sale of nearly thirty million copies of her works, there have been few extended scholarly examinations of her thought. Ayn Rand: The Russian Radical provides the first comprehensive analysis of the intellectual roots and philosophy of this controversial thinker.

Chris Sciabarra views Rand's "Objectivism" as a rejection—and affirmation—of key elements in the Russian tradition. Born in Russia during the Silver Age, Rand was educated at Leningrad University and studied with N. O. Lossky. She absorbed a dialectical method of inquiry that profoundly influenced her literary and philosophic project. Her distinctive libertarian synthesis is presented as a major contribution to radical social theory. Ultimately, Sciabarra challenges Rand's followers and critics to reassess her thought and its place in intellectual history.

In writing this book, the author conducted original historical research, using materials from the Leningrad archives, interviews with Lossky's descendants and other Russian contemporaries of Rand, and an astounding diversity of sources within the vast written and oral tradition of Objectivism.