The philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was almost wholly neglected during his sane life, which came to an abrupt end in 1889. Since then he has been appropriated as an icon by an astonishingly diverse spectrum of people, whose interpretations of his thought range from the highly irrational to the firmly analytical. Thus Spoke Zarathustra introduced the 'superman' and The Twilight of the Idols developed the 'Will to Power' concept; these term, together with 'Sklavenmoral' and 'Herrenmoral', became confused with the rise of nationalism in Germany. Idiosyncratic and aphoristic, Nietzsche is always bracing and provocative, and temptingly easy to dip into. Michael Tanner's readable introduction to the philosopher's life and work examines the numerous ambiguities inherent in his writings. It also explodes the many misconceptions fostered in the hundred years since Nietzsche wrote, prophetically: 'Do not, above all, confound me with what I am not!'

作者

迈克尔·坦纳（Michael Tanner）　哲学家、歌剧评论家，剑桥大学圣体学院终身研究员。研究领域：19世纪德国哲学，尤其是黑格尔和尼采；作为文化现象的瓦格纳；艺术哲学；批评与文化研究的当代思潮。著有《叔本华》（1999）、《尼采》（2000）、《瓦格纳》（2008）等。

序言作者

周国平　中国社会科学院哲学研究所研究员。1967年毕业于北京大学哲学系，1981年毕业于中国社会科学院研究生院哲学系。著有学术专著《尼采：在世纪的转折点上》、《尼采与形而上学》，散文集《守望的距离》、《各自的朝圣路》、《安静》等，纪实作品《妞妞：一个父亲的札记》等，随感集《人与永恒》等，诗集《忧伤的情欲》，以及《人生哲思录》等，译有《尼采美学文选》、《尼采诗集》、《偶像的黄昏》等。