Sue Prideaux

The feeling that I'm mostly left with on finishing this biography is pity for its subject, as between the death of his father at a young age, the chronic bad health, and the ever-threatening abyss of insanity, Nietzsche might as well have been walking around with a cosmic "kick me" sign stuck to his back. One might say that since conventional happiness was a low-probability reality for the man, causing trouble was the next best option.

Still, the high points were quite high, particularly when the man was most closely associated with Wagner. This is at least until that relationship went off the rails, when Wagner became a virtual god to the Pan-Germanic and anti-Jewish crowd that Nietzsche loathed. That these people came to esteem Nietzsche is another cosmic bad joke that the man could see coming.

Inevitably, this story is also stalked by the figure of Nietzsche's sister Elizabeth, and yes, she is quite the piece of work. One almost admires the woman for her implacable will and drive, even if she espoused a bad cause.

As for whether this makes me want to read more of Nietzsche's philosophy, the answer is probably not. At the end of the day his basically anti-science attitude is alien to me, though probably the start of a critique of scientism.… (mere)

Horrible title, fabulous cover, very enjoyable book. Prideaux writes well, she has a great eye for the important details and for knowing what can be left out, and a flare for narrative. Her destruction of Elisabeth Nietzsche is glorious; her writing on Friedrich is obviously even-handed, since I thought this was a solid, much-needed hatchet job, but Prideaux herself seems to think she was showing the enduring appeal and importance of his ideas. The utter absurdity of much of Nietzsche's thinking comes through clearly, as does the tremendous importance of his critical work. 'How to philosophize with a hammer'? Don't imagine that, having bludgeoned everything to bits, you can then pick up a paintbrush and create the future.… (mere)

Sue Prideaux presents an fascinating biography on one of the most controversial philosophers of the 19th Century. Rather than focusing heavily on Nietzsche's philosophy she concentrates on his life and and friends, particularly composer Robert Wagner. She also ties Nietzsche's mental breakdown to his father's mental illness rather than syphilis. Nietzsche sister, Elizabeth, is also given an important role in the formation of his fallacious public image. It was her actions that lead to his identity as an anti-Semite and forerunner the Nazis. She also had control of his papers and copyrights after his death.

Nietzsche's philosophy, when presented, plays into his life events and creates a connection between the person and the philosophy. Thus Spoke Zarathustra was mailed to the publisher the same day that Wagner's death was reported. Nietzsche saw this as the death of his "father" and the birth of his son. His personal experience with war seems to directly contradict the public's commonly believed definition of the Übermensch. Reality contradicts the common perception of the philosopher.

Prideaux shows Nietzsche as a complex man in his thoughts but in many ways very human. Although his friends tended to be rich, he lived much more simply. Prideaux writes a balanced biography of one of the most maligned and misunderstood modern philosophers and corrects some serious wrongs that have no basis in fact. A very well done and cited biography that presents a true picture of the man.… (mere)