The Making of Friedrich Nietzsche: The Quest for Identity, 1844-1869

By Daniel Blue

Winner, 2017 Choice Outstanding Academic Title 

"It would be difficult to imagine a better account of Nietzsche's early life. Blue's research—exemplary in scope and meticulous in rigor—is matched only by the fluidity of his prose. This will quickly become a standard resource for Nietzsche scholars."—Anthony K. Jensen, Providence College

"Blue’s writing is immensely readable and animates even the driest moments of the young man’s life. He’s careful to account for the human inclination to rewrite history and uses each of the successive autobiographies Nietzsche wrote (along with his letters) to show a man organically coming to terms both with his own spiritual and intellectual evolution and the climate of the mid-19th century German states."—Matthew Snider, PopMatters

How did Nietzsche the philosopher come into being? The Nietzsche known today did not develop 'naturally', through the gradual maturation of some inborn character. Instead, from an early age he engaged in a self-conscious campaign to follow his own guidance, thereby cultivating the critical capacities and personal vision which figure in his books. As a result, his published works are steeped in values that he discovered long before he mobilized their results. Indeed, one could argue that the first work which he authored was not a book at all, but his own persona. Based on scholarship previously available only in German, this book examines Nietzsche's unstable childhood, his determination to advance through self-formation, and the ways in which his environment, notably the Prussian education system, alternately influenced and impeded his efforts to find his own way. It will be essential reading for all who are interested in Nietzsche.

Paperback
352 pages
Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition, 2019
6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
ISBN 9781316500958
Biography, Philosophy