Genius

I'm 20-odd pages into THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand. I say 20-odd because this is a novel I never thought I'd read. I'd also assumed that reading it would be a terrible chore, a terrible bore. So I'm thrilled that, 20-odd pages in, I love it, and can't wait to read more.



I assume most of us know the joy of discovering, and slipping into the embrace of a new novel. For me, it's a ritual regularly repeated: within moments of finishing a book, my heart adds a slight triple beat and my fingers flex in anticipation of breaking open the pages of another set of lives, another story, another author's vision for the world.



I tend, however, to read whatever catches my eye. And as I said, I've been avoiding Ayn Rand for almost 5 years now, since my sister dropped the heavyweight novel--said to be the more "accessible" of her classics--at my door. So why Ayn Rand, now?

My perusal of the bookshelf last night followed a reading I'd just attended at the D.C. Jewish Community Center. Shalom Auslander, a comedic tragedian of NPR-snark, spoke of writing his latest novel (FORESKIN'S LAMENT), and the works he reads for inspiration. Names like Roth, Vonnegut, and Aristotle dribbled like grating pebbles from his lips. I often find myself worrying this question: Why do I often find writers of such acclaimed genius so terribly unpleasant to actually read?

I was taken aback. I read good fiction. I have a bent toward "book club" fiction, admittedly: There's nothing like a Kingsolver novel to offer astute reporting and characters you wish you could meet. I'll put THE HOURS, HOWARD's END, and BEL CANTO into that category as well--fiction that is at once thoughtful, artfully executed, and enjoyable. Sometimes I feel guilty for desiring that last bit: enjoyable. Like that's a bad thing.

Still, I'm thrilled that I've taken the leap into Rand. I have suspicions that her reputation as a haughty genius might be deserved. And, fingers crossed, I'll be able to swim her bracing, open-water, nighttime sea.

I also wonder, will it shame me into shoving more inspiration into my own work this week?