Erika Holzer

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Erika Holzer is an American novelist and essayist[1] who was a member of Ayn Rand's inner circle. Her novel Eye for an Eye was the basis for a major motion picture of the same name. She has also co-authored two nonfiction books with her husband, professor of law Henry Mark "Hank" Holzer.


Erika and her husband, both lawyers, were students of Rand's philosophy of Objectivism in New York City during the 1960s. In 1966 Erika and Rand, who was a best-selling novelist, began[2] what would become a series of discussions about the art of writing.[3] Henry Mark Holzer became Rand's personal attorney.[4]

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. Erika helped Duncan Scott restore the film, edit it under Rand's guidance, and write English subtitles for the 1986 re-release of the film.[5]

Encouraged by Rand, Erika 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.[6]

Her second novel, Eye for an Eye, was published in 1993. Its plot centers on a mother who joins a vigilante 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 and starring Sally Field and Kiefer Sutherland; Erika was not involved with the film production.

She has also given interviews and written numerous essays for Objectivist, libertarian, and conservative web sites.

Human rights[edit]

As lawyers, the Holzers have been 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. Another case resulted in political asylum being granted to two defectors from a Rumanian circus.[7]

Published works[edit]


  • Holzer, Erika (December 1968). "Preserve and Protect by Allen Drury". The Objectivist 7 (12). . Book review.
  • Holzer, Erika; Rand, Ayn (December 1969). "The War of Liberation in Hollywood". The Objectivist 8 (6). . Anti-intellectualism in Hollywood, illustrated by the movies Bullitt, Charly, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.


  • Holzer, Erika (2001) [1983]. Double Crossing. Putnam. ISBN 0-595-17696-8.  A Soviet doctor tries to escape to the West by exchanging identities with an American.
  • Holzer, Erika (2001) [1993]. Eye for an Eye. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-595-19260-2.  A woman turns to a vigilante group for justice after the legal system fails her.

Nonfiction books[edit]

  • Holzer, Erika & Holzer, Henry Mark (2006) [2002]. "Aid and Comfort": Jane Fonda in North Vietnam (2nd ed.). McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-2729-9.  Argues that Jane Fonda's activities in North Vietnam would support indictment and conviction for treason.
  • Holzer, Erika & Holzer, Henry Mark (2003). Fake Warriors. Xlibris. ISBN 1-4010-9675-1.  Subtitled "Identifying, Exposing, and Punishing Those Who Falsify Their Military Service", specifically concerning the Vietnam War.
  • Holzer, Erika (2005). Ayn Rand: My Fiction-writing Teacher. Madison Press. ISBN 0-615-13041-0.  Insight into Ayn Rand's ideas about fiction writing; includes Erika's short stories and writing exercises.


  1. ^ "Biographies: 2004: Erika Holzer". Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  2. ^ Erika Holzer. ""Good Future:" How Ayn Rand Contributed To Mine"". Archived from the original on March 8, 2010. Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  3. ^ Holzer, Erika (2005). Ayn Rand: My Fiction Writing Teacher. Indio, California: Madison Press. ISBN 0-615-13041-0. 
  4. ^ "From Ayn Rand to Animal Rights: An Interview with Henry Mark Holzer". Retrieved February 1, 2008. 
  5. ^ Chris Hicks. "Movie review: We the Living". Deseret Morning News. Archived from the original on April 8, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008. 
  6. ^ Bettina Bien Greaves. "Book Review: Double Crossing by Erika Holzer". Foundation for Economic Education. Retrieved January 2, 2013. 
  7. ^ "Biography for Erika Holzer". Retrieved January 31, 2008. 

External links[edit]