I Am Dynamite!: A Life of Nietzsche

This is an excellent biography for understanding the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, which is not easy to follow and is further clouded by numerous calumnies against the philosopher over the last century and a half. And it is worthwhile to understand him. Nietzsche is the most important Western philosopher since he published his first book in 1872, 150 years ago this year. Important? He is the singularly most influential thinker in Western thought and his ideas also inspired important works of art, music and literature. So yeah, important.Sue Prideaux's biography is eminently readable and entertaining, although it is also a serious work of criticism in its own right. "I Am Dynamite!" won the 2019 Hawthornden Prize, a British literary award.

The multi-award winning biographer Sue Prideaux has produced a sympathetic and easy to understand biography of a complicated man. Nietzsche knew his ideas could and would be misrepresented, and the author does great service to his legacy by carefully documenting the intent and meaning behind the formidable and forward looking ideas he espoused, as well as the evolution of his thought. She also masterfully captures a time of rapid change and the feast of ideas and revolution of thought between the 19th and 20th centuries. Nietzsche’s relationships with his family, mentors and adversaries are also covered in a fascinating way, providing the feel of a novel or thriller rather than the typical staid biography many treatments give. The love of nature and humanitarian qualities in Nietzsche shine here, as well as the ultimate personal tragedy of the man. It is a fitting biography of a giant who, through the gift of his intellect, is with us still - and a very personal tale of a human being, both tragic and sublime.

Complicated man, complicated book. Felt like I was riding down a bumpy road, sometimes lost and backtracking and wondering who was speaking. Back seat driver? Passenger? The driver?Great vocabulary, filled with data, but delivered with a somewhat jarring presentation. Several times the book appears to be ending but bounces back onto the road again.It began apparently linear but then threw in flashbacks, flash forwards flashes sideways and flashes of flash.Sometimes the book was speaking about him, other times speaking for him or speaking with him and including a multitude of his quotes in between.The author appears to have expert, In depth knowledge of Nietzsche and has probably read all his books. A lot of self-editorializing. Nietzsche’s quotes are embedded in the author's analysis and opinion of what he is attempting to communicate about Nietzsche. At times it felt like a lecture embedded in a book review and history lesson.Paraphrasing one of the author’s statements... Nietzsche was always crazy; the difference was the degree of craziness and at what times. My opinion: Like many geniuses his brain was wired differently. I’d recommend the book, but you may want to read it a couple or more times for complete digestion. I know I’ll need at least one more read.

After he declared God dead and himself the new god, he was sentenced to a living hell on earth for 11 years, 1/5 of his life.Almost like divine punishment:—he had a brilliant mind given by God, on which he founded his life, but it was taken away—he loved freedom, of movement and spirit, but lost this too and ended up confined to a couple of rooms in his family house that he tried to escape all his life, dominated by, and pitifully dependent on, his mother and sister—he wanted recognition and success and eventually had it, but was not conscious that he did because his mind has been taken away—was punished for claiming to be Dionysus by being made a barking animalIronic that he ignored hubris, despite being a scholar of ancient Greece.

Very thorough, lots of great detail. Anyone with an interest in Nietzsche’s philosophy will appreciate this. It demystifies his philosophy and shows how linked it truly is to his biography. It’s quite sad, actually. It sets a lot of the record straight from the damage done to his legacy. I was left a bit wanting on some of his Whys, but the biographer can’t always fulfill that. I feel a deeper connection to his philosophy now, despite its lack of answers we now have some grist.

A decent tracking of the events that shaped Nietzsche's life, and even a penetrating analysis as to the motivations that moved him through them. Unfortunately, the reader is given very little indication through the text as to why Nietzsche is so revered - in these pages Nietzsche's philosophy and writings are reduced to pithy one-liners and couple-sentence minimizations. As I read it I thought, a person with no other knowledge of the man would simply roll their eyes at his influence. Useful as a supplement only.

If you have only heard of the mad nihilist Nietzsche, this book will correct your understanding of him. You will see his struggle, both physical and psychological, to address the need in humankind for a morality which will overcome modernity's destruction of all values. And it will show you how he was exploited by his sister and used for ends he abhorred. Highly recommend.

This biography is a revelation, rejecting many of the myths surrounding Nietzshe's life. It is an irony that the creator of macho ideas such as "Master Morality" and the Superman was, in real life, in very poor health during most of his life, ending in insanity. The biographer also makes it clear that though he was surrounded by proto-Nazis such as Richard Wagner and Bernard Forster, Nietzshe rejected their master-race obseesions and anti-Semitism (although he seemed to underestimate their danger for the future)My main criticism (and the reason I deduct 1 star ) is that the book does not explain what in his life led to his hostility to conventional Christianity. His objection was not the usual ones, that it was hypocritical or irrational, but his unusual notion that Chrisitianity represented decadent "slave morality" . What led him to this concept?

This book is crisp and well written. It threw new light on Nietzsche’s life. Unfortunately it did almost nothing to enhance my understanding his thought.

There is so much to like about this. I read it because I want to know more about his thought but I got a lot more: ultimately the strength of this book is the story of the tragically unfair irony of his life and legacy. No spoilers but if you are not moved by the closing of this story you need to check your pulse.I assume the story to be as authentic as any historical biography can be, it is well-researched and told with honesty and compassion. The writer is not afraid to expose some uncomfortable truths of the hero but ultimately there is more to love about Nietzsche than to question. Clearly, a flawed genius who was difficult to understand, his extreme arrogance was often laced with self-deprecating humour, his thoughts were frequently left incomplete so the reader is left to draw their own conclusions rather than receive the ready-made wisdoms other philosophers are keen to hand to their disciplines.I wanted a textbook on Nietzsche the thinker but I am so glad I read a book that is more about the person than his thoughts. This has probably given me a better understanding of the man's thinking by giving me a better understanding of the man than a mere text book could of. It also has little gems like this..."One should take a bold and dangerous line with existence: whatever happens we're bound to lose it."

Brilliantly written. Not so details about Nietzsche’s life that’s why interested is not lost while reading this. Also contains Summary of Nietzsche’s all books. Thanks to seller also for providing hardback book at such a reasonable price.

Gli accenni ai suoi pensieri mancano troppo di dignità.È un uomo che scriveva delle opere, perché non leggerle, se se ne vuol parlare ?Se manca calma e tempo, consiglio il titolo "Opinioni di una Star".Potrebbe esserci luce proprio quando faceva musica, con Cosima, da soli.

The context in which Nietzsche lived, his ideas, and why they were viewed as a threat by the ruling elite in an age of nationalist imperialism. There are striking parallels with our own socio-political environment .