Erika Holzer was an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and essayist who was a close associate of Ayn Rand. Her novel ''Eye for an Eye'' was the basis for a major motion picture of the same name. She also co-authored two nonfiction books with her husband, professor of law Henry Mark "Hank" Holzer.

Career

Erika and her husband, both lawyers, were students of Rand's philosophy of

Objectivism Objectivism is a philosophical system developed by Russian-American writer and philosopher Ayn Rand. She described it as "the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievemen ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

during the 1960s. In 1966 Erika and Rand, who was a best-selling novelist, began what would become a series of discussions about the art of writing. Henry Mark Holzer became Rand's personal attorney. In the late 1960s, the Holzers managed to track down an original negative, thought to have been destroyed, of a 1942 Italian two-part film which had been adapted from Rand's first novel ''

We the Living ''We the Living'' is the debut novel of the Russian American novelist Ayn Rand. It is a story of life in post-revolutionary Russia and was Rand's first statement against communism. Rand observes in the foreword that ''We the Living'' was the cl ...

''. Erika Holzer helped Duncan Scott restore the film, edit it under Rand's guidance, and write English subtitles for the 1986 re-release of the film. Encouraged by Rand, Holzer embarked upon a new career as a writer; her first novel, ''Double Crossing'', received critical acclaim and was a finalist for the 1984 Prometheus Award for Best Novel. The plot revolves around the conflict between two brothers born in the Soviet Union, one becoming a powerful official in the Soviet police and the other secretly planning his escape from the Communist regime. Her second novel, ''Eye for an Eye'', was published in 1993. Its plot centers on a mother who joins a

vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante (from Spanish, Italian and Portuguese “vigilante”, which means "sentinel" or "watcher") is a person who ...

group after the criminal justice system releases her daughter's murderer. In 1996 Paramount Pictures released a film adaptation (also titled '' Eye for an Eye''), directed by

John Schlesinger John Richard Schlesinger (; 16 February 1926 – 25 July 2003) was an English film and stage director. He won the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Midnight Cowboy'', and was nominated for the same award for two other films ('' Darling'' an ...

and starring Sally Field and Kiefer Sutherland; Holzer was not involved with the film production. She gave interviews and written numerous essays for Objectivist, libertarian, and

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

websites.

Human rights

As lawyers, the Holzers were involved in several '' pro bono'' cases, most notably the struggle of the 12-year-old defector Walter Polovchak to avoid being forcibly returned to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. Another case resulted in

political asylum The right of asylum (sometimes called right of political asylum; ) is an ancient juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, like a second country or another ent ...

being granted to two defectors from a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

n circus.

Published works

Articles

* Book review. * Anti-intellectualism in Hollywood, illustrated by the movies ''

Bullitt ''Bullitt'' is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. The screenplay by Alan R. Trustman and Harry Kleine ...

'', ''

Charly ''Charly'' (marketed and stylized as ''CHAЯLY'') is a 1968 American drama film directed and produced by Ralph Nelson and written by Stirling Silliphant. It is based on ''Flowers for Algernon'', a science-fiction short story (1958) and subseque ...

'', and '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''.

Novels

* A Soviet doctor tries to escape to the West by exchanging identities with an American. * A woman turns to a vigilante group for justice after the legal system fails her.

Nonfiction books

* Argues that Jane Fonda's activities in

North Vietnam North Vietnam, officially the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV; vi, Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa), was a socialist state supported by the Soviet Union (USSR) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia that existed f ...

would support indictment and conviction for

treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

. * Subtitled "Identifying, Exposing, and Punishing Those Who Falsify Their Military Service", specifically concerning the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam a ...

. * Insight into Ayn Rand's ideas about fiction writing; includes Holzer's short stories and writing exercises.

References

External links

Erika Holzer''We the Living'' movie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holzer, Erika American mystery writers American women novelists Objectivists 2019 deaths 20th-century American novelists Women mystery writers 20th-century American women writers Year of birth missing