Shamit Khemka

Written by Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead is a bestseller 1943 novel. The book was rejected by some 12 publishers before Archibald Ogden (a young editor with Bobbs Merrill Company) stressed on its publishing and got it done eventually. While most considered it too intellectual and controversial, the negative word of mouth too added to the publicity of the book of which thousands of copies were sold soon after it was published. Later a Hollywood movie was also made of The Fountainhead, starring Gray Cooper as Howard Roark.

This timeless essay depicting the struggle of an individual vs. society is a literary work that actually provokes thoughtfulness among the common individuals. Even if spanning across over 752 pages, the novel also epitomizes the best of creative and lucid writing that does not let its reader feel bored for a single moment! With every page, the story gets more interesting than before, leaving you spellbound and wanting to finish it at one go.

The protagonist of the story Howard Roark is a young architect with an individualistic approach towards life. Howard, despite being a brilliant young student, is expelled from Stanton Institute of Technology as he refuses to follow the same outdated traditions other architects of the time followed. Though many professors defended him and even headmaster of the school wanted him to continue studying at Stanton, Howard prefers to quit. Roark then meets Henry Cameron in New York City. The once modernistic hero of architecture, Cameron was suffering disgrace due to the fickle demands that society made and to some extent because of his own caustic personality. Howard becomes his disciple, and his ardent lover of Cameron’s work marks the beginning of the tough yet victorious journey of Roark. He finds love in a girl called Dominique and loses it; in competition he seems to be failing altogether; but in the end everything even Dominique returns to him.

And as they say, ‘all is well that ends well’. The Fountainhead is a story of a man who has the courage to challenge common conviction and to do what he feels is right – rather than just following what others say.

The Fountainhead is a story of power, society, and following your will, no matter what others think of you! Even if written in way back 1943, it’s amazing to see how the subject matter of the story holds true in today’s context.

Advised for a sumptuous reading!