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Barbara Branden

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Born: May 13 1929

Died: 1010 12 20132013

Barbara Branden was a Canadian writer, editor, and lecturer, known for her relationship and subsequent break with novelist-philosopher Ayn Rand.

Barbara met her husband Nathaniel Branden through a shared interest in Rand's works. Barbara and Nathaniel became personal friends of Rand and her husband, Frank O'Connor, in 1950. When Barbara and Nathaniel married in 1953, Rand and O'Connor served as matron of honor and best man, respectively.

After earning her M.A. in philosophy, Barbara joined her husband as one of the founding members of the Objectivist movement, which sought to advance Rand's ideas. Rand acknowledged Barbara as one of the most important proponents of Objectivism.

In 1954, Nathaniel pursued an affair with Rand with the reluctant consent of both Barbara and O'Connor. Barbara described the affair as a "sacrifice" that caused "years of pain."

Rand broke off her relationship with the Brandens in 1968 after learning of Nathaniel's affair with actress Patrecia Scott.

Barbara's 1986 biography of Rand, The Passion of Ayn Rand, created a rift among Rand's followers because the book exposed that Rand had lied about why she broke off her relationship with the Brandens. Rand's private correspondence later confirmed what Barbara brought to light in her biography. The Passion of Ayn Rand was later made into a Emmy Award-winning motion picture in 1999.

Barbara Branden died of a lung infection in Los Angeles on December 11, 2013.

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Barbara Branden

Barbara Branden

Books from Barbara Branden

Who Is Ayn Rand?

Think as if Your Life Depends on It: Principles of Efficient Thinking and Other Lectures

Principles of Efficient Thinking/10 audio cassette series

The Passion Of Ayn Rand: Part 1 Of 2

The passion of Ayn Rand