The Night of January 16th (Plume) (Paperback)

~ Ayn Rand (Author) "The stage represents a New York courtroom..." (more)
Key Phrases: Miss Andre, Bjorn Faulkner, Karen Andre (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Night of January 16th leaves the answers to the mystery of an international magnate's death up to the reader. The play is a gripping drama about the rise and destruction of a brilliant and ruthless man, the suspense never letting up for a moment.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Plume; First Edition edition (January 1, 1971)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452264863
• ISBN-13: 978-0452264861
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #319,053 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting play, though failing in its aim, October 19, 1998

By A Customer

Ayn Rand's play "Night of January 16th" is a courtroom drama. A young woman, secretary and mistress of a famous, wealthy businessman, is accused of the murder of her employer, whilst trying to make it look like suicide. Although the question wether or not she is guilty is what is to be decided by the trial, the focus of the play is on the souls of the main characters: the businessman, his mistress, his wife, the wife's father and a few others.

The conclusion of the play is the verdict by the jury. The main gimmick of the play is that the members of the jury are drawn from the audience, and so the play can end in either a guilty or a not guilty verdict.

Like all of Ayn Rand's works, the play opposes individualists and originators against second-handers. As the preface states, the idea was that the jury should not decide on the grounds of the evidence, since that could go either way, but wether they would feel more drawn towards the character of the mistress (the individualist) than of the wife (the second-hander), or vice versa.

As it stands, I don't think Rand succeeded. If this would happen in a real court, the story presented in defense of the mistress would be considered preposterous, and she should be either pronounced guilty on the basis of the facts, or not guilty because there is not enough evidence. Wether or not her character appeals to the jury shouldn't matter for the verdict, and I don't think it matters in the play.

The conclusion of one of Ayn Rand's masterpieces, "The Fountainhead", is also a courtroom scene. In this scene, the jury is effectively asked to choose in favor of or against the soul of the protagonist, since the nature of his soul and the way society treats such a soul is his only defense. Something like that is what Ayn Rand probably meant but failed to do with "The Night of January 16th".

However, it is certainly a captivating story with a few surprises, and I would very much like to see it performed. Of Ayn Rand's works it is probably the least interesting.

20 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For completists only, May 23, 2000

By	Tcaalaw "Tcaalaw" (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

I would like to preface this by pointing out that I am a great fan of Ayn Rand's writing and Objectivism. I'm even an ARI member. However, even with that level of fandom, I must admit that I was sorely disappointed with "NoJ16".

If this work had been the first one I came across by Ms. Rand, I am not sure that I would have ever read any of her other books. While it does feature a struggle between individualist and collectivist characters, the struggle is not as well presented as in "Anthem", "The Fountainhead", etc. Furthermore, the story is cluttered with odd bits that detract from the main subject. For example, what relevance did the platinum mesh dress have? I don't see how it showed Bjorn and Karen possessed a superior sense of life.

As a law student, I can testify (pun intended) to the inaccuracies in court procedures, but on the other hand this is intended as a fast-moving play. I don't think it would be fair to hold a 60-minute play whose primary purpose is a philosophical discussion to the same standards as a multi-hundred page novel which is intended to examine the working of a courtroom. And I thought the jury "gimmick", was quite clever; early interactive entertainment.

Overall, I would recommend this play only to people who are already interested in Objectivism and even then only to "completists" such as myself. (I.e. those who are interested in assembling a library of all of Ms. Rand's published works.) This is a non-essential work for anyone else.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Night of January 16- performing, November 26, 1999

By	Josh (US) - See all my reviews

First off I would like to state that I have not read the original Night of January 16. You see, my highschool (UG Wisconsin) performed this play just a few nights ago. I LOVED it! I played the part of Mr. Whitfield, the powerful father-in-law of the late Bjorn Faulkner. I felt that the way the jury is drawn from the audience, and the whole play is done within a courtroom brings excitement to the stage. The witnesses all add a piece to the puzzle, and in the end it is up to those viewing (or reading) to decide the outcome of the trial. It was one of the best experiences of my life, and I don't think I will ever forget it. I STRONGLY advise this script for performance, AND though I haven't read the original I DEFINATELY intend to.