Objectivism in Argentina

I have moved this thread from the French joke thread since the growth of Objectivism in Argentina is particularly interesting.

I should draw attention to one gentleman - Dr Ricardo Rojas who probably deserves a mention. When I was living in Colombia we corresponded by email a couple of times and a friend was taking a course in Objectivism through his website http://www.liceo.org/nuevo/index2.htm

The reason I mention him is that he has been a prolific advocate of the ideas of Ayn Rand in Argentina (and in the Spanish speaking world). He is also a member of the judiciary in Argentina. Some of the credit for the spread of Objectivism in Argentina is probably due to his efforts. Maybe those closer to the Argentine movement can provide an update as to his past and current role.

As to why Objectivism has gained ground in Argentina, I have to admit that I am a little mystified. However, we can probably look to the NZ experience for some answers. 25 years ago the number of NZ Objectivists was rather small. Then a small number of extremely talented, motivated and persuasive individuals managed to take Rand's ideas and create what is now a thriving movement.

Maybe the same is happening in Argentina but with a few defining differences. I have always thought that many Latin Americans are closet Objectivists - not politically or religiously - but as a consequence of their Sense of Life. Salsa, Tango & Samba, talk about music which makes one happy to be alive. The free (black) market thrives and is the way many Latin American sustain themselves. Additionally, many have grown up in a Catholic culture where morality/ideas are important, and where they are accustomed to believe "in something"ť. When these people experience gross government incompetence over a sustained period of time and then personal financial ruin as a result, then fertile ground is established. Enter, a group of motivated and intelligent Objectivists advocating better ideas.

Again, I would be interested in hearing accounts from those closer to the Argentine movement.

Julian

(Edited by Julian Darby
on 4/01, 10:55am)

Post 1

Friday, April 1, 2005 - 11:29am

Will Objectivism spread overseas faster than in America - at least in some cases?

(I've moved this post from the French joke thread.)

Argentina now is far ahead of the U.S. in having Atlas as one of the ten most popular books in the country.

I would express gratitude to Manfred (and others) for wonderful work in starting the ball rolling and to thefoundation he mentions (are they libertarian or Objectivist?) But in the U.S., the work has been of a different order of magnitude. The pump-priming and fertilization of the soil is approaching fifty years in duration: there have been two foundations since the eighties (ARI and TOC), a long-standing libertarian party in fifty states running national campaigns, a chain of think tanks across fifty states, decades-old taped courses, lectures at colleges across the country first by Ayn Rand herself...and now by Objectivists like Peikoff and many others. Enormous effort and decades have been spent to get the return we've seen here.

Perhaps the major factor David hints at in his first point - "Argentinians have seen first hand the evils of government. In the same way, I think East European countries are more fertile breeding ground".

The spread of ideas is about timing as much as about the rationality of the ideas.

Bad ideas spread despite their lack of rationality.

To a very large extent throughout history radical ideas have spread the most rapidly in places which have been the most hungry and desperate...and the least complacent and self-satisfied.

Here is what I have gleaned from newspaper and journal articles (Manfred can correct me on any of these points) Argentinians once rivalled Europeans in terms of prosperity. But now their average personal wealth is a -fraction- of that of Americans. Argentina's political and particularly economic state has been at the -bottom- of the Latin and Central American countries, its economy in free fall, it's once prosperous people angry and desperate. It's system and rulers more corrupt than most.

Who is more likely to feel the need to pick up and read a book that radically challenges all their beliefs and their whole system, prosperous middle class Americans whose system basically works...or those in parts of the world where it doesn't?

How many of us have experienced how much it is like pulling teeth to get a complacent, busy American to pick up a thousand page book ... or to be motivated to seriously stick to the years-long process of mastering and integrating a whole new way of looking at the world.

This also helps illuminate why Objectivism and Rand's works are making essentially no ripple in places like Britain, France, Germany.... compared to India where Rand is well-known, available in all the booksellers, and biographical sketches of enthusiasts are printed in many newspapers.

And why Christian missionaries are most successful in the most backward or dissatisfied or transitioning parts of the world - Africa, the "third world", communist or former communist countries, not the staid, moderate, largely safe and successful "center".

If I had a million dollars, I would go seek out new untapped frontiers to spread Objectivism.

And many of them are overseas. Frontiers are where change happens.
(Edited by Philip Coates
on 4/01, 11:35am)

(Edited by Philip Coates
on 4/01, 11:44am)

Post 2

Sunday, April 3, 2005 - 7:45am

First of all I want to place in this thread what I entered in the “Jokes” section when Mike Erickson called my attention to the interest that had emerged for Objectivism in Argentina at the SOLO Forum, to keep the related messages “in line”:

“I must thank Mike Erickson for calling the attention of the Soloists to what I accomplished by introducing Objectivism in Argentina in the 80's. Unashamedly I must say that it is a good example of what One Man can accomplish by promoting a worthwhile idea.

Let me add a few additional details to what I mention in my description for the SOLO "People" section. "Grito Sagrado", the publishing house in Argentina, has, in the meantime, published also "The Fountainhead" ("El Manantial") with just as great a success story underscoring its importance and is now planning a new issue (all in de luxe editions) of "The Virtue of Selfishness" ("La Virtud del Egoismo") which I published in 1985 in Argentina with a few Objectivist friends and which constituted, to my knowledge, the first foreign language edition of a non-fiction work by Ayn Rand.

All this triggered a strong Objectivist movement in Argentina, embodied in the "Fundación Atlas" (www.atlas.org.ar), a Foundation which recently received the 2005 "Templeton Freedom Award Grant for Institute Excellence" price of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. The Foundation is in a steady danger of being prohibited since the present Argentine Chancellor Bielsa (a former terrorist of the Montonero group) looks at it with great dislike (the present Argentine government is composed of left-wingers which, of course, gave Fidel Castro the honor of "Illustrious Citizen") though the Foundation has its defense in being too well known all over South America and incorporating among its distinguished members the former leftist writer Mario Vargas Llosa (by the way, has any of the Soloists read that marvelous book written by former leftists called "Guide to the Perfect Latin American Idiot"? It is a perfect argument against leftwingers all over the world).

Further information: "Grito Sagrado" published for 2005 a "Filofax" notebook celebrating Ayn Rand in the "Year of Liberty" (look at it under www.gritosagrado.com, where you can also have a feast of Objectivism by just looking - their in Spanish - at the many positive newspaper comments for "La Rebelión" in Argentina). Besides containing my introduction to Rand's life - also in English as you can read on the webpage mentioned - I think that this is the only daily notebook worldwide celebrating the centennial of Rand's date of birth. Hence, I think it will be a very valuable collector's item for the years to come. The text is both in Spanish and English.

I must also add what is happening in the German area around Ayn Rand. Beside having published "Atlas Shrugged" in German (under the title "Wer ist John Galt?") the Gewis publishing house also issued "The Fountainhead" ("Der Ursprung") and "Anthem" ("Hymne") (www.gewis.de) so far and plans to publish, as far as I know, "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal".

SO: KEEP ON GOING, OBJECTIVISTS! THINGS ARE DEFINITIVELY ON THE MOVE!”

David Bertelsen, Ed Thompson, Julian Darby and Philip Coates’ comments all touch on several parts that make up an explanation of what is, from an objective viewpoint, happening in Argentina, India and some other parts of the world that are in dire need of a change to better their situation.

It is true that the desire to obtain a better environment to solve the problem of poverty on the one hand and, on the other, the desire to keep any wealth one has obtained in life (particularly when it is a result of one’s own productive efforts) are strong incentives to learn good ideas that could push the bad or well-intentioned but wrong ones out, thus turning Say’s law around. This need ranges lower in well-to-do-countries such as the United States or the westernized part of Europe where the existence of wealth or, at least, well-being helps to keep a shroud of silence on all else that is wrong in these countries.

But on top of this there is a particularly Argentine tradition or “passion” that I never encountered in other countries: I would call it “The Culture of Talking about Politics”. It’s almost impossible to meet someone in Argentina – even a total stranger and in any circumstance, even a business meeting – where national and international politics wouldn’t be THE theme at some time during the conversation. It’s just a “drug-like” propensity such as talking about soccer. It’s a must among Argentines, the natural companion to a cup of coffee (the ever present “cafecito” cup). I have nowhere seen or heard as many daily political round-tables as in Argentina. This has always existed, even during the times of dictatorship, sometimes in a hushed voice but always omnipresent, and this in itself provides a fertile ground for new ideas to be heard.

While still living in Argentina and giving lectures on Objectivism I was invited by the most unlikely organizations, such as the Rotary Club, which is a business meeting society with socialist tendencies and activities (though, perhaps, they don’t even notice it) and once I was invited by an association closely related to the Catholic diocese (Can you imagine an atheist speaking about Rand’s philosophy among Christian believers?). This should suffice to show the deeply intellectual culture existing in Argentina. It contains, in more than just a superficial way, what Mr. Perigo speaks about in his recent article: “The Pope, Objectivism ... and "The Best Within"”.

Hence, under these circumstances, Objectivism has, at least, a fair chance to make its "small voice" heard.

(By the way, some time ago I suggested the Foundation to contact SOLO, but don't know if they have done so. Perhaps it would be a good idea for SOLO's executives to contact it directly - see the webpage address above).

Post 3

Sunday, April 3, 2005 - 12:30pm

Manfred F. Schieder wrote:

I must also add what is happening in the German area around Ayn Rand. Beside having published "Atlas Shrugged" in German (under the title "Wer ist John Galt?") the Gewis publishing house also issued "The Fountainhead" ("Der Ursprung") and "Anthem" ("Hymne") (www.gewis.de) so far and plans to publish, as far as I know, "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal".

Yes, I agree, there definitely is some progress in Germany. I have been working on a translation of "The Virtue of Selfishness" for some time now and it is almost finished by now (there are approximately only 28 pages still left to be translated). I also got in contact with GEWIS once last year, but unfortunately it broke off and I wasn't able to reestablish it after that. But I am quite optimistic that this will work out as well, sooner or later.

Post 4

Sunday, April 3, 2005 - 3:39pm

Sascha,

Thank you for doing this wonderful, important work.

A question: Do you find that it is sometimes difficult to translate Ayn Rand's concepts into German, that she uses a word in a way that has no literal counterpart? (I am also wondering whether the solution is to translate a single word into something longer but more clear, such as a phrase or a couple sentences.)

This question may apply to many languages, not merely German, so I hope others familiar with Ayn Rand-in-translation will comment as well.

--Philip Coates

Post 5

Monday, April 4, 2005 - 1:37am

Mr. Settegast:
I do hope - and so very, very much - that you meet with success to be able to find a publisher for your translation of "The Virtue of Selfishness" into German. If it is not Gewis perhaps it could be any of the following (though I never had any contact with them):

There is an Orbis Verlag für Publizistik in Munich that published Robert Ringer's "Becoming No. 1" ("Werde Nr. 1") - Ringer is an adherent to Rand's philosophy.

Then, also:

Rowohlt Verlage
Hamburger Straße 17
21465 Reinbek, Germany

Tel.:
Fax:
E-Mail:

+49-40-72 72-0
+49-40-72 72-319
info@rowohlt.de

that published Nathaniel Branden's "How to Raise your Self-Esteem" ("Ich liebe mich auch") and "The Psychology of Romantic Love" ("Liebe für ein ganzes Leben"). Since Branden mentions Rand several times in his books it might be that Rowohl, a very large German publishing house, could be interested in your translation. Just try it out.

Another book by Branden, "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem" was published under the title "Die 6 Säulen des Selbstwertgefühls" by two publishers in a row:

Piper Verlag GmbH (A very big publishing house)
Georgenstraße 4
80799 München
Deutschland
Tel. +49 (89) 381801-0
Fax. +49 (89) 338704
E-Mail: info@piper.de
Internet: www.piper.de

and:

mvgVerlag
Lurgiallee 6 - 8

60439 Frankfurt am Main, Germany

Telefon
Telefax +49 / 69 / 58 09 05- 60
+49 / 69 / 58 09 05 - 10

E-Mail info@mvg-verlag.de

Internet www.mvg-verlag.de

Manager Angelika Meys

Their readers could also want to know more about Rand.

I wish you best luck!

Manfred

Post 6

Monday, April 4, 2005 - 2:38am

Mr. Coates:

As Dante said: "Traduttore, traditore" (The translator is a traitor). Well, perhaps not always, but often. Translating from one language to another has always been and will always be a very difficult task. This is particularly so with the works of Ayn Rand, for Objectivists look at them with almost holy devotion. They are so important to us!

As in every language, there are words that cannot be translated with just one word. In some other cases a word that in translation looks just the same as in the original means something completely different (I am still getting caught in such mistakes: recently I used "condecorate" for the Spanish word "condecorar". The word doesn't even exist in English - all this after way over 50 years of still learning English, besides my native German and the Spanish with which I grew up in a Spanish speaking country! "Condecorar" can only be translated as "decorating": a cake, for example, in the worst case. But "condecorar" in Spanish is clearly defined. It means to honor someone, to bestow a medal, etc. on someone, but you don't need to give anybody a medal in Spanish to "condecorate" him. You can just name him "Illustrious Citizen" ). There are so many shades involved: did the writer mean what the translator thinks he meant or did he mean something at least slightly different.

Then there are words that cannot be translated into certain languages. Take "driving" for instance. It means "to transport in an automobile" among many other things. This is easy for German (English being an old type of an old German dialect). So its "Fahren". Ah, but now you come to Spanish. There is no word diretly translating "to drive". So you would have to use several words to explain what is meant. The first that comes to mind would be "Pasear en coche", but "Pasear" means "to walk around" (but you're not walking) or to "idly loaf around" or "take a day off" (but you do neither of these when you drive your car to a business meeting or use it for a trip to the supermarket). So, you see, things get easily very difficult.

When I and my wife translated "The Virtue of Selfishness" into Spanish we had several MONTHS of heated debate. My wife, of Spanish-Italian descent, is obssesed with the meaning of words and with grammar, so you can imagine how often we quarreled over just one word ("No, she didn't mean that. She meant...", "Its very clear that she said...", "No, she didn't...", etc. and so forth). She is now inspecting with her eagle eyes, a some 70 to 80 pages long writing of mine ("Ayn Rand, I and the Universe") that I prepared in English and translated into German and Spanish, so by the time she's finished I will have to redo quite a few things here and there. Just to start with: "Universe" does not mean the same in Spanish as it does in English or German. Dur to an evident religious meddling with the Spanish Royal Academy "Universo" in Spanish means "All that was created" while in English and German it has the very definite meaning of "All that exists". So, as you can see, due to a subversion, the Spanish language lacks a word for "All that exists".

"La Rebelión de Atlas" (not the 1965 version published during Franco's dictatorship in Spain but the new, 2003 version published by Grito Sagrado) had three translators in a row (Hernán Alberro, Luis Kofman and Fredy Kofman, with Rosa Galperín Kofman, Luis' wife and Fredy's mother, heavily mixing in) and finally they added a Note indicating that they took the very best care to translate not just the words but the meaning of Rand's text. They went even further for "El Manantial" ("The Fountainhead"). By now they added Lucila Galay, a well known style corrector. By the time "La Virtud del Egoismo" comes out (No, they won't - at least not completely - use my and my wife's translation of "The Virtue of Selfishness") I think that the staff of translators, editors and style correctors will have become really large indeed...

Translating Rand is, thus, a very, very complex enterprise.

I hope this replies your query.

Manfred F. Schieder

Post 7

Monday, April 4, 2005 - 12:40pm

Mr. Schieder:

Thank you for your help. I really appreciate it. :-)
The only problem is that, as far as I know, GEWIS holds the rights to a future German edition of VOS. At least that is what Andre Lichtschlag, who publishes the German libertarian magazine "eigentuemlich frei" and knows GEWIS's Werner Habermehl, told me. I guess I'll have to do some research corcerning this.

Mr. Coates:

Of course any translation, and especially of the works of Ayn Rand, has to be done very carefully. I started translating the book last summer and have worked a lot on it since. But, personally, I think that Ayn Rand is much easier to translate than e.g. Nathaniel Branden (who, as you might know, also published some essays of his in VOS); at least her sentence structure is (in most of the cases).

I started by translating the raw text and tried to achieve a translation as exact and understandable as possible. I am going to work on improving the language style after finishing the translation of what one might call the "raw text", just to polish it. I guess the "raw text" translation will be finished in about two months (unfortunately I will have to do my exams, the German Abitur, now which slows down the whole thing a lot), and then I am going to have it cross-read by one or two people, just to ensure that everything is perfect.

Sascha.

Post 8

Tuesday, April 5, 2005 - 3:07pm

Is there a way we can rename this forum "Objectivism in Argentina, Germany, Japan, etc."? I am just about to add the -third- of these countries to the discussion. See below:

1. It is extremely interesting how one country has an aspect of its culture which makes it more hospitable to some aspect of Ayn Rand's work (fiction, non-fiction in general, politics, epistemology) than another:

The passion for ideas of the Argentines. The need for a new economic and political system of the Indians. And now I see something I didn't realize about Germany, its form of intellectuality, which may make it a fruitful place for Objectivism:

2. The posts of Manfred and Sascha show a great deal of precision, care, and thoroughness. I had always heard about Germanic thoroughness, but I can see it now in their posts and the scrupulous care they are taking with the process of translation, agonizing over word choice etc.

This is something even American Objectivists could learn from Germans and augurs well for a certain subculture in Germany being capable of doing the hard work necessary to understand Objectivism.

Reinforcing this point, I stumbled on two German language websites: objektivismus.de & aynrand.de. They seem very serious, methodical, impressive compared to most American websites on the same subject.

The first has neat, clear outlines of topics and subtopics, impressive and unusual in itself.

And it methodically works through the philosophy (at least from what I a non-Greman reader can tell from the words I can pick out). It seems to have a very detailed 'chewing' of every subpoint of objectivism, apparently... a page on sex as metaphysical with mention of intrinsicism and subjectivism vs. objectivism, a relatively advanced topic that's in the Peikoff tapes but i don't know if it's fully discussed in the non-fiction books.

The second has a logical, systematic guide to which AR book to read first. Very original and very methodical and intelligent.

I have long been frustrated in the dilletantish and non-methodical approach to their own philosophy of most American Objectivists. You can't do that with Objectivism--it is too complex.

Manfred and Sascha, am I correct in seeing this positive trait in Germans?

3. Finally, I have been in email correspondence with the Japanese who has translated Fountainhead into Japanese...and just received in the mail the Japanese translations of that and Atlas into Japanese, both done within the last year.

Both Japan and Germany are energetic places with dynamic, hard working, highly intelligent people. Even a tiny foothold in those places would be a historic step!

--Philip Coates

PS, If you would like me to bring the two Japanese translations to SOLO-Newport Beach, please raise your hand...you in the back, are you raising your hand or just scratching?

PPS, Can we rename this thread, "Objectivism Overseas"? [Who do you have to screw around this place to get this done?]

Post 9

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 - 1:42am

Mr. Coates:

First of all, thanks for your laudable words.

I think that changing "Objectivism in Argentina“ to one titled “Objectivism Overseas” is a wonderful idea and I do hope that the SOLO management agrees to it soon. It would allow Objectivist from other parts of the world to participate in this specific forum. In a vein of humor I may add that the Americans will have to be on guard, else the rest of the world will take over in what refers to Objectivism (against Peikoff’s original claim that Objectivism will spread on a worldwide basis only after it has established and changed the American society! – Ha, ha, ha!)

There are some articles of mine („Ayn Rand und die Gleichschaltung des Bürgers“/“A.R. and the destruction of the citizen” and “Wohin des Weges, Unternehmer?”/”Where are you going, businessmen?”) in http://objektivismus.blogspot.com, whose main page can be found under http://www.objektivist.blogspot.com. It is directed by Wolfgang Scheide. Both websites are really very good and I recommend them herewith to Mr. Settegast (Thanks also for his words of praise in the thread of Mr. Perigo’s “The Pope, Objectivism… and the best within”.).

The articles mentioned also appear in http://www.atlas.at, an Austrian website prepared by a young student – Martin Vyderna – with whom I correspond frequently. He is new in relation with Objectivism and has asked me for a little bit of “guidance” in Rand’s philosophy, so he comes up with questions related with the general and political Austrian situation and I explain Objectivism in relation with the questions he poses. It’s a very active and interesting contact for it obliges me to be constantly on the intellectual alert.

Additional WebPages in Germany are http://objektivismus-fuer-dummies.blogspot.com and http://www.aynrand.de/.

On your question: “Manfred and Sascha, am I correct in seeing this positive trait in Germans?” in relation with “Both Japan and Germany are energetic places with dynamic, hard working, highly intelligent people. Even a tiny foothold in those places would be a historic step!” you are definitively right. This trait comes up forcefully in the German WebPages on Objectivism (By the way, there’s another one that is very positive toward Objectivism, though it is, in itself, not a fully Objectivist page: http://www.ef-magazin.de “Eigentümlich Frei”).

The news that “Atlas” is now available in Japan is excellent. Slovacs can read “Atlas” under the title “Atlas Pokrčil Plecami” (Atlas jerk the shoulders), Jiri Kinkor, a Czech student translated Peikoff’s “Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand” and the Czech president, Vaclav Klaus recently had very commendable words for Rand’s philosophy. We are on the move, Objectivists!

Again, I hope that “Objectivism Overseas” starts soon.

Post 10

Wednesday, April 6, 2005 - 12:05pm

Mr Coates:

Thank you for your words, they are quite encouraging. I think you are right concerning your ideas about Germans being very precise in intellectual matters. Unfortunately this culture of intellectuality is in a downwards movement due to our government run school system, especially because standards are falling, so that Germany has great difficulties with educating new scholars and scientists (esp. in the natural sciences) and suffers from a severe brain-drain.

Mr Schieder:

Thank you for your recommendations. I actually know Wolfang Scheide and participate in writing for his blogg at http://www.objektivist.blogspot.com every now and then. :-) I also host the title image of his blogg "Kapitalismus-Magazin" at http://kapitalismus.blogg.de/ .

Post 11

Wednesday, May 18, 2005 - 5:53pm

Hi Manfred et al.

A friend from Argentina sent me an e-mail recently in which she mentions how her teacher claims that Ayn Rand was the most intelligent woman of the century. This lead her to begin reading Atlas Shrugged - in Spanish. You can read what she says below which I would hope provides you - Manfred - with a great deal of satisfaction. :-)

"...hace poco estuve en una
conferencia sobre "herramientas conversacionales para
la acción efectiva" (qué título!) y el profe que la
dictaba mensionó a Ayn Rand como la mujer más
inteligente del siglo!
Al final de la conferencia charlé un rato con el
profesor y me alentó a leer "La rebelión de Atlas".
Así que en eso ando. No puedo parar de leer... Está
buenísimo. Es tan clara para descubrir las esencias!!!..."

Post 12

Sunday, May 22, 2005 - 4:18pm

Hi, Darby, and thank you for the message informing of your friend in Argentina reading now "Atlas" in Spanish. This is really great news! Should you contact her, please send her my warmest regards and tell her that there are also courses on Objectivism at http://www.liceo.org/. These courses are dictated by that same Ricardo Rojas you mentioned in your first message of this forum. Please also lead her to look at www.gritosagrado.com, where she can obtain "El Manantial" ("The Fountainhead") and the Agenda for 2005 (The Ayn Rand Year) which, incidentally, contains an introduction that I collaborated in Spanish and English.

Best regards from Manfred

Post 13

Thursday, June 2, 2005 - 2:30am

Manfred, you wrote "Vaclav Klaus recently had very commendable words for Rand’s philosophy". Can you specify where and when he mentioned Ayn Rand?

thanks Jiri Kinkor (kin@pb.cz)

Post 14

Thursday, June 2, 2005 - 8:54am

Hi, Jiri:

I read it as a news mentioned by a participant called Vavrinec Kryzanek at the forum http://forum.objectivismonline.net/index.php?showtopic=1042&mode=linearplus but can't give you more information. Perhaps if you contact a Czech forum related with Objectivism... there seem to be some at the Internet. Hope you're lucky.

Best regards, Manfred

Post 15

Monday, June 27, 2005 - 11:18pm

Objetivism in Argentina is spreading really quickly in Argentina. I was first introduced to Atlas Shrugged in meeting were a discussion of Alberdi’s (the father of the Argentine “liberal” constitution) ideas was held. I contacted El Grito Sagrado, Atlas’ publishing house, and bought my Spanish edition a couple of months before the started selling it in all major bookshops. Reading the book was a superb experience by itself, considering that I’m a young person who was making his first steps in politics, working in his first job just before finishing the University, in a country that was suffering one of it worst economical and political crisis. It was very easy to associate Rand’s descriptions of a rotting state trying to control the people’s welfare and lives with the actual Argentine leftist government. As soon as I finished reading the book I started promoting it everywhere. I just lend my copy to a friend, and after reading the first chapters they usually buy their own copy. Ayn Rand is starting to be a popular writer within young people. I agree that Latin America is a fertile soil for Rand’s ideas to grow; in her fiction and nonfiction books we can find a good explanation to why our societies can’t overwhelm poverty. The lack of a good and massive Spanish translation of her books was the only big impediment that held us back. I’m now living in Mexico, where objetivism is not as “popular” as in Argentina, but you can also find piles of Grito Sagrado’s Atlas edition in major bookstores. Last week I joined a Mexican “Ayn Rand readers club” that was recruiting new members via mercadolibre.com (the Latin American ebay). I believe that in a couple of years Objetivism will be well known in these southern lands…

Post 16

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 6:15am

Jose Rolandi wrote:

Objectivism in Argentina is spreading really quickly in Argentina.

If anyone has an interest in forming SOLO Argentina, please contact me via SOLO Mail.

Post 17

Tuesday, June 28, 2005 - 9:02pm