I Am Dynamite!: A Life of Nietzsche

This is a well written and engaging biography of one of the most misunderstood, and in my view overrated, philosophers of all time. For those who are fans of Nietzche, this book will be most enjoyable and informative, as the author does an excellent job of detailing the philosopher's important relationships, as well as how it was that he rose to prominence. In addition one gains a greater understanding as to how and why he views and reputation have been so distorted and detached from his own underlying philosophy. My own view is that Nietzche was a man who imprisoned himself, and sadly, to those sheepish readers who never looked beyond the witty, energetic, and "shocking" (but actually adolescent) ideas, many others. As such, perhaps in addition to everything else, this biography should be read as a cautionary tale, and inspire one to read Epictitus, Plato, Descartes and most of all, Dostoevsky.

Superb ! One is taken through the journey of Nietzsche’s life and mind vividly. The book captures the poetic style of its main protagonist and ends gloriously with his undying and unforgettable maxims, like fireworks in the sky. A re-reader.

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.

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.

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.

Prideaux's approachable biography of the 19th century German philosopher won the Hawthornden Prize in 2019. The book focuses less on Nietzsche's philosophy and more on his relationships with his mother, his sister, and his friends (especially Wagner); on his lifelong poor health (primarily severe headaches and eye problems); on his sister Elisabeth's attempts to control his life and eventually place his reputation in the hands of the Nazis, although as Prideaux argues, there is little to justify the notion that Nietzsche's ideas support those of Hitler and his followers; and on his eventual descent into madness.

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.

Honestly, I think Nietzsche, for all his influence and genius was, himself, a kinda dry guy and German in the best possible & positive way. It was nice to see him rescued from his Nazi-loving sister (he would've hated how he was used) and, on religion basically all he was saying is "You're doing it wrong." He deserves to be remembered for his originality, brilliance, and bravery - but (I think) his brilliance was in applying a poetic understanding to traditional philosophy. But this is biography of a guy who led a frequently very difficult, life (thru little fault of his own). On a similar subject I probably enjoyed "The Existentialist's Survival Guide: How to Live Authentically in an Inauthentic Age" by Gordon Marino more but maybe because I'm more of a generalist. Really good bio of Nietzsche I thought.

Really interesting exploration of Nietzsches life and philosophy. A good starting point to Nietzsche

Not Frederick, but his sister. Tragic how her anti-semitism warped the essential message of Nietzsche.

É uma biografia, recente do filósofo.

This is a fabulous biography of Nietzsche. For me it was a real page-turner. However, there are two oversights that I would like to mention. They are Nietzsche's schizophrenia and his homosexuality. His mental illness had real symptoms of schizophrenia, like delusions of grandeur and a persecution complex. His "Inspiration", in which God revealed Himself to Nietzsche, was a schizophrenic hallucination. An entire book, Zarathustras Geheimnis by Joachim Köhler (1989) is devoted to Nietzsche's homosexuality. The first person to speak in public about it was Sigmund Freud, in his 1908 speech to the Wiener Psychoanalytischen Vereinigung. Without mentioning the likelihood that Nietzsche's psychosis was caused by the repression of his homosexuality, the book is somehow incomplete. In the twenty-first century intellectuals should realise that calling someone a schizophrenic or a homosexual is not an insult, but simply the recognition of a difficulty reality.

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.