On Nietzsche

An Explanation of His Literary and Philosophical Activity

Words pierce my heart,
A shudder, tears come to my eyes.
Music, please, more music!

Along with Freud and Marx Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) is undoubtedly one of the most influential thinkers and among the few brilliant writers who left an indelible mark on subsequent generations of writers, poets, and thinkers all over the world. Reading him can be a sobering as well as a maddening experience. It is as if one wakes up from a long dream, one begins reading him thoroughly and those who wrote about him very critically. Consequently, one begins to laugh like never before, indeed, one learns to laugh. Reader, it is therefore imperative that you read Nietzsche while and after reading this book because such a practice will lead to a greater understanding, appreciation, and fascination with everything he wrote and with philosophy in general. In all seriousness, a caveat to Nietzsche readers is absolutely essential here. The whole process may have adverse effects on your health and wellbeing.

The most important of Nietzsche’s published works and equally the most esoteric piece is Also Sprach Zarathustra. It is the key to understanding Nietzsche while his other works mostly play an explanatory and supplementary role. It is also, as I will show, the most exciting and challenging book he wrote. With Morgenröte begins the offensive that will culminate in the awe-inspiring and revolutionary Gesetz wider das Christenthum. My intention in this book is to make Nietzsche shockingly intelligible and to that end I will be very concise.

 

About the Author

Dušan Todorovič Zarač is a Croatian-born Australian philosopher, poet, translator and polyglot. He studied philosophy and history at Murdoch University, The University of Zagreb and Malmö University. Currently, he is studying French and German at the University of Western Australia.