Birthdays in February ~ Ayn, Alice & Anaïs

This month, I am featuring three unique women writers, diverse from one another in terms of their chosen genre, but sharing such unique vision, that they each impacted on the Twentieth Century to such an extent, that their legacy is indelible.

Ayn Rand
2 February 1905
"The question isn't who is going to let me;
it's who is going to stop me."

Ayn Rand was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, on February 2, 1905. At age six she taught herself to read and two years later discovered her first fictional hero in a French magazine for children, thus capturing the heroic vision which sustained her throughout her life. [A Brief History of Ayn Rand] Her contribution to both literature and philosophy are legendary, and her magnum opus novel, Atlas Shrugged, published in 1957, contains Rand's most extensive statement of Objectivism in any of her works of fiction. It contains elements of science fiction, philosophy and the love story. She described it as a 'mystery' novel, "not about the murder of man's body, but about the murder — and rebirth — of man's spirit".

Alice Walker
9 February 1944
“No person is your friend who demands your silence,
or denies your right to grow.”

Novelist, poet and feminist Alice Malsenior Walker was born on February 9, 1944, in Eatonton, Georgia. Alice Walker is one of the most admired African-American writers working today. The youngest daughter of sharecroppers, she grew up poor. [Bio.TrueStory] Walker is an internationally acclaimed author, poet and activist, whose 1982 novel, The Color Purple, won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for Fiction (1983). She was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer, though in her opinion, not the first to deserve it. Read more on the Alice Walker Website.

Anaïs Nin

21 February 1903

“We write to taste life twice, 

in the moment and in retrospect.” 

Anais Nin was born as Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell on 21 February 1903 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France to artistic parents. Nin’s father Joaquín Nin was a Spanish artist and a composer who lived in Cuba where he met Nin’s mother Rosa Culmell of French and Danish descent who was a well-trained professional classical singer based in Cuba. As a child Nin was brought up in Spain.
Anais Nin was a renowned writer who is famous for her journals written for a period spanning six decades. Nin's works revolved around accounts of her relationships with authors, artists, psychoanalysts, and other figures. Her journals spoke of life and its balancing acts. Much of Nin's written works have been published after her death. Nin is hailed as a great erotic literature writer and one of her most notable and popular works is Delta of Venus. [TheFamousPeople]

Each of these authors has created a legacy of literary art, based on their personal philosophies of womanhood and lifestyle. Please follow the links below to read many examples of their writing on Goodreads.com.

Ayn Rand
Alice Walker
Anais Nin

The theme for this mini-challenge is INDIVIDUALISM. Individualism is belief in the primary importance of the individual and in the virtues of self-reliance and personal independence.You may choose a particular work, quote or character created by one of our featured authors, or create an entirely original piece. New poems are preferred for this challenge.

Photo credits : wikipedia.org & www,scu.edu (Fair Use)