Ayn Rand's book The Art of Fiction is a course on the art of fiction, which she read in her own living room in 1958, when she was at the peak of her creative activity and was already widely known. Listeners Ayn Rand were two types of "students" - ambitious young writers seeking to learn the secrets of the craft, and readers who want to learn to penetrate deeper into the "writer's kitchen" and get real pleasure from reading. It is to such people that this book is addressed first of all, where in a living and accessible form, but quite deeply, the basics of fiction are set forth. Everyone who tries himself in literature, or considers himself an advanced reader, opening the book, learns about the nature of inspiration, about the role of imagination, about how the author's style is developed, how a work of art appears. Although the book primarily addresses the problems of literature, it is closely related to the philosophical works of Ayn Rand and develops her basic ideas about the fundamental role of reason in human life, including in creativity.