Thus Spake Zarathustra
by Friedrich Nietzsche
It is his most controversial and perhaps most important work. The concepts of "God is dead" and "Eternal repetition" and their accompanying consequences are the main features of this work. Highly original and creative, partly literature, partly philosophy, parodys both with stylistic similarities to the New Testament and pre-Socratic Greek writings. Nietzsche presents a new and different version of his moral philosophy, with a fictional version of the character of zarathustra, the legendary founder of Zoroastrianism. Throughout the story presented in this ill-structured narrative, Nietzsche develops and presents a view of the exact opposite of humanity: lying somewhere between apes and the ultimate Superman or Ubermensch. From unsupported assumptions to rigorous discussions – from presentation to dialogue and poetry – Spake Zarathustra is therefore an astonishing, fascinating and thought-provoking look at the human condition. Nietzsche himself considered this his most important work. His tragic ending, in a state of complete mental collapse, ruled out the possibility that he would take his place, and raised questions about the relationship between madness and genius.
