1943, novel, Bobbs-Merrill
The Fountainhead
The story of Howard Roark, a modernist architect who refuses to compromise his designs, set against Peter Keating, who builds a career on others' approval. Its theme, in Rand's description, is individualism versus collectivism within a man's soul.
Rejected by twelve publishers before Bobbs-Merrill took it; it became a bestseller largely by word of mouth.
Number 2 in our suggested reading order: Rand's most approachable novel: one man's integrity, in the world of architecture.
Characters
- Howard Roark Protagonist, architect
- Peter Keating Architect, Roark's foil
- Ellsworth Toohey Antagonist, critic
- Dominique Francon Columnist, Roark's lover
- Gail Wynand Newspaper publisher
- Henry Cameron Roark's mentor
Ideas it carries
- The second-hander
A person who lives through others' opinions rather than their own judgement.
Lines from it
“Howard Roark laughed.”
Part One, Chapter 1 (the novel's opening line).
“That's not the point. The point is, who will stop me?”
Howard Roark, to the Dean. Part One, Chapter 1.