Penguin has announced that it will publish a trade paperback for We the Living by Ayn Rand. The 1936 novel—Miss Rand’s first—about the evil of dictatorship, set in Soviet Russia, where she lived, has a new cover (see image) and, according to the publisher, a new introduction by Leonard Peikoff. The powerful We the Living, one of my favorite novels, is the last of Ayn Rand’s four novels to be reprinted in the larger trade paperback format. Publicity materials also make reference to a biography of Ayn Rand (1905-1982) that’s slated for sale later this year.
Not much to say about President Obama’s inauguration, except that I hope he keeps his pledges to pull troops out of Iraq, legalize stem cell research, abolish anti-abortion policies, defend absolute free speech, and favor nuclear power and offshore oil drilling. As the saying goes, don’t hold your breath. Besides his groundless opposition to seating the shamelessly opportunistic Roland Burris as his successor in the United States Senate, another Obamadrama—Caroline Kennedy (does anyone know what happened to Schlossberg?)—erupted this week when the indecisive, inarticulate, unqualified celebrity finally yanked her name from contention for Hillary Clinton’s vacant Senate seat. Early Obama supporter Kennedy, who was way out of line in her bizarre campaign, would not have even been considered without Barack Obama’s approval. Obamadrama, I have to think, is to be continued.
I posted a new interview to the Movies and Interviews indices: my recent discussion with Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Robert Osborne (I’ve also added other exchanges with the movie historian) about his exclusive interview with Ernest Borgnine, which premieres on TCM on January 26. Mr. Osborne told me that future screen legends for possible TCM interviews include Sophia Loren (El Cid, Two Women) and Olivia de Havilland (Gone with the Wind, The Snake Pit), whom he said wants to wait until her autobiography is published. Read my interview with Robert Osborne here.
