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Branden met her husband, Nathaniel Branden through her friendship with Rand. The two married, with Rand and her husband the bridesmaid and best man, respectively.

One of Branden's first experiments in writing came when she cowrote the book Who Is Ayn Rand? with Nathaniel. This was one of the earliest biographies of Rand and was influential in developing her philosophy.

During the 1960's, Nathaniel and Rand began a romantic affair, to the dismay of Barbara. Despite her knowledge of the affair, she endured it until 1968 when Rand expelled the Brandens from the Objectivist movement over what she termed dishonesty. Barbara and Nathaniel later divorced.

Branden remained active in objectivist circles and, in 1986, published her memoirs, 'The Passion of Ayn Rand', detailing her years with Rand and the Nathaniel Branden Institute . Her book portrayed Rand as a brilliant but tempermental woman.

Branden currently lives in Sante Fe, New Mexico, and remains active in objectivism.

1 Books

• Who Is Ayn Rand? (with Nathaniel Branden) ( 1962)
• The Passion of Ayn Rand ( 1986)

2 External Links

Barbara Branden.com -- Barbara Branden's Homepage