Ayn Rand’s ‘never-before-seen’ novel Ideal now in print

The Russian-American writer who authored famous works like "Atlas Shrugged" (1957) and "Fountainhead" (1943) and who is considered the inventor of the philosophical system of Objectivism, wrote "Ideal" as a novel in 1934 when she was in her 20s.

According to publisher Penguin Random House, Rand "thought the theme of the piece would be better realised as a play and put the novel aside."

"Now, both versions of 'Ideal' are available for the first time ever to the millions of Ayn Rand fans around the world, giving them a unique opportunity to explore the creative process of Rand as she wrote first a book, then a play, and the differences between the two," publishers said in a statement today.

This will be Rand's first work to be published since her most famous fiction "Atlas Shrugged" in 1957.

The new novel is a narrative of the life of beautiful but tormented actress Kay Gonda.

"Accused of murder, she is on the run, and she turns for help to six fans who have written letters to her, each telling her that she represents their ideal - a respectable family man, a far-left activist, a cynical artist, an evangelist, a playboy, and a lost soul.

"Each reacts to her plight in his own way, their reactions a glimpse into their secret selves and their true values. In the end their responses to her pleas give Kay the answers she has been seeking," the publisher said.

The fiction that Rand rewrote in a polished drama was first staged in 1989.

Born in 1905 in Russia, Rand published her first novel, "We the Living," in 1936. Rand died in 1982 in New York.