An oldie but goodie

A lot of the books in my library are quite old. A good friend of mine in London England gave me this one years ago and despite this, we are still friends.  I've recently re-read it because, since my trip to Germany, I've descovered a taste for Deutsch Kultur. This is by Friedrich Nietzsche,  published in German between 1883 and 1885  and  was the masterpiece of his career. It received little attention during his lifetime but its influence since his death has been considerable, in the arts as well as philosophy. Written in the form of a prose narrative, Thus Spake Zarathustra offers the philosophy of its author through the voice of Zarathustra (based on the Persian prophet Zoroaster) who, after years of meditation, has come down from a mountain to offer his wisdom to the world. It is this work in which Nietzsche made his famous (and much misconstrued) statement that "God is dead" and in which he presented some of the most influential and well-known (and likewise misunderstood) ideas of his philosophy, including those of the Ubermensch ("overman" or "superman") and the "will to power." Though this is essentially a work of philosophy, it is also a masterpiece of literature. The book is a combination of prose and poetry, and is a little hard to grasp at times but its well worth the effort. Anyway its an essential read for anyone who has a love for philosophy, and there is no down thumbing Nietzsche...so  enjoy!

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