Nietzsche

No other modern philosopher has proved as influential as Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1990) & none is as poorly understood. In the first major biography in decades, Rudiger Safranski re-creates the anguished life of Nietzsche while simultaneously assessing the philosophical implications of his morality, religion, & art. Plagued by illness & profoundly shaped by his tortured sexuality, Nietzsche was a man of masks & mood swings, a thinker who called himself "dynamite" yet labored under the weight of compulsive self-consciousness. Posing apt questions & at time offering unorthodox interpretations of Nietzsche's philosophical writings, Safranski offers a brilliant portrait of a historical figure in a work that is as groundbreaking as it will be long-lasting.