After the Warnings
Orwell and Rand Observe the American Republic
From the essay
What follows imagines an encounter rather than an argument. George Orwell and Ayn Rand appear here not as historical authorities or political emblems, but as literary minds—observing, questioning, and speaking in voices shaped by their own writings. A city at dusk. They have walked all day—newsrooms, campuses, courts, streets. Now they sit at a small table by a window. Screens glow in the background. Sirens far away. Coffee cooling. They have only done what they have always done: named what they see. Whether the republic still believes naming matters, that remains unresolved.