Miriam Margolyes reads Ayn Rand's very stern letter to her niece

In 1949, with a burning desire to buy a new dress but no money to her name, a young girl named Connie Papurt wrote to her famous aunt and asked to borrow $25.

Her aunt was novelist Ayn Rand, and Miriam Margoyles joined us at London's Royal Albert Hall in October 2022 to read Rand's reply.

Letter: “Ayn Rand to Connie Papurt, 22nd May 1949” by Ayn Rand. Used by permission of Curtis Brown, Ltd. Copyright © 1997 All Rights reserved.

[karenburrows]

Ms. Margolyes was wonderful in this reading. Her accent and cadence were magical.

[geminil]

Miriam Margolyes is a woman of many talents.She is wonderful to listen to.

[suzymatwetwe]

Wow, this lady never ceases to amaze me at her incredible talent and versatility 👏.

[tracesprite]

That reminds me of very good advice someone gave to me years ago. If someone who is poor asks to borrow some money, just give it to them but don't lend it to them. If they can, they may pay it back but if they can't pay it back, then you don't have that issue of the owed money hanging over your relationship. The relationship is far more important than the money. Of course, you shouldn't give more than you feel comfortable giving and more than you can afford to lose. I have stuck with that good advice since then.

[djjamestobin]

It takes a hell of a performer to be that engaging and convincing while sitting completely still, reading from a folder with post-it stamps on it.

❤

[reneewisch]

A tremendous reading of the letter, Ms. Margolyes transports the listener back in time. I agree to her conditions!

[jwbz]

It's a pity we can't hear the response letter or find out what happened another way.

[freyashipley]

What an absolutely brilliant performance--vocally and facially!

[rmatene]

Brilliant!! Both the letter by Ayn (typically her), and of course, the reading by Miriam! ps: $25 in 1950 is worth $307.88 today

[juliebeans]

A remarkably precise snapshot of Rand's psyche. Deep curtsy to Dame Miriam for the rendering. ❤

[flashrobbie]

I offered my nephew money. He paid it back. I considered him a grown up.

[rayjennings]

You can't help but admire an actor of Miriam Margoyles outstanding abilities! I wonder what the final outcome was though.

[FiberFiddle]

I adore Miriam Margolyes. Absolutely adore her.

[gaiagreen]

Margolyes was the perfect choice to read this letter. In her unique art, Miriam's tone sternly conveyed the fact of Rand's milk of human kindness having soured long ago...

[Tia-Marie]

Miriam was an excellent choice to read this letter. 😂

[kindnessfirst]

The letter itself is now worth more than the money requested.

[johnrandom]

Good reading! It was nice of Ayn Rand to lend what was then a lot of money to her niece for the frivolous reason of buying a dress, even though there was no guarantee that she would be paid back.

[Christobanistan]

So she sold the letter to the newspaper instead for $25.

[wellingtoncrescent]

"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings (by JRR Tolkien) and Atlas Shrugged (by Ayn Rand). One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."

John Rogers

[phil]

The love the way she vocally becomes the character