Ayn Rand once described her life as a race against time, a race that began when she decided at the age of nine to become a writer, and ended with the publication of Atlas Shrugged. This talk will cover some of the adventures that unfolded in her first period of residence in New York (1934-1943)—such as her public speeches, the productions of her plays, her correspondence with a British novelist, and her friendships with political allies—during a time when her most important writing goal was the planning and writing of The Fountainhead.

(Originally delivered only at the New York Centenary celebration.)