I Am Dynamite! A Life of Friedrich Nietzsche - Sue Prideaux
Written by
Sue Prideaux
Nietzsche, who lived from 1844 - 1900, was a deeply troubled, self-absorbed intellectual who was obsessed with the idea of shedding mediocrity and pursuing greatness, but all without God. He made a significant impact on the generations after him, particularly with the idea that we, humanity, have effectively killed God, and we must take His place.
I love a biography where the writer does more than just simply state the historical facts - I feel it’s important to try to understand someone, and reckon with their life a bit, person to person. Prideaux does that, and it works. She’s not approaching his life from any kind of Christian worldview, but she tries to understand him.
On the main, it’s brilliantly researched and written. I don’t have a technical critique, but more of a spiritual one: it was simply sad. Sad to consider this man who reached for something great but found only emptiness. By the time his mind unraveled and he became like an animal, he finally found the fame he had been so obsessed with, but it was too late. I felt a profound sense of loss at the futility of what he gave his life to.
It’s extremely helpful in understanding some of the schools of thought today, particularly the secular humanism around us. Many people won’t know exactly what Nietzsche wrote, but they’ll recognise his ideas.
Yes, but there are some things you should know...
It’s a deep dive into philosophical thought, so it isn’t a light beach read. But if you want to understand what has shaped much of the popular thought we see today, it’s about as accessible a biography as you’ll find.
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