Friedrich Nietzsche was born this day in 1844 in the small town of Röcken, near Leipzig, Saxony, in the Kingdom of Prussia. He died in August 25, 1900, in Weimar, Saxony, in the Second German Reich. The outlines of Nietzsche’s life are readily available online.
Nietzsche is one of the most important philosophers of the North American New Right because of his contributions to the philosophy of history, culture, and religion.
If you are thinking of reading Nietzsche’s works, the best introductions are The Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ, preferably in the R. J. Hollingdale translations. The next volume should be Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future
, which Nietzsche described as the prose presentation of his entire worldview. I recommend the Judith Norman translation from Cambridge University Press.
Thus Spake Zarathustra is Nietzsche’s poetic presentation of his philosophy, but it should be saved for later. It is the worst possible introduction to Nietzsche. It has been many people’s first Nietzsche book, and for all too many it has been their last.
Such Nietzsche books as On the Genealogy of Morals, The Birth of Tragedy
, Untimely Meditations
, and The Gay Science
are highly valuable, but should be saved till later. Daybreak: Thoughts on the Prejudices of Morality
and Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits
are products of a brief flirtation with certain Enlightenment ideas and are thus quite misleading as introductions. Ecce Homo
, The Case of Wagner
, and Nietzsche Contra Wagner
should be saved for last. As a rule, the Cambridge University Press translations of Nietzsche should be preferred.
The introductory books on Nietzsche are mostly disappointing. I do recommend H. L. Mencken’s The Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. Julian Young’s Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Art and Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Religion
are very clear and exciting books that examine the development of Nietzsche’s ideas throughout his career. Because of the importance of art and religion to Nietzsche, they serve as excellent overviews of his philosophy. Young has also published an important biography, Friedrich Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography
, which combines overviews of Nietzsche’s life and works in a single volume. Although it is a long book, it is well worth the investment of time.
Nietzsche is probably the author most often tagged on this website.
Here are the main works we have published by and about Nietzsche:
By Nietzsche:
- “Nietzsche on the Code of Manu”
- “Nietzsche on Freedom”
- “Nietzsche’s Critique of Modernity”
- “Nietzsche on Conservatism”
About Nietzsche:
- Alain de Benoist, “Jünger, Heidegger, and Nihilism”
- Kerry Bolton, “Nietzsche and Spengler”
- Jonathan Bowden, “Credo: A Nietzschean Testament” (Swedish translation here)
- Jonathan Bowden,”Theseus’ Minotaur: An Examination of Friedrich Nietzsche’s Thought”
- Mark Dyal, “Nietzsche, Physiology, and Transvaluation”
- Mark Dyal, “Nietzsche’s Loneliness”
- Guillaume Faye, “Guillaume Faye on Nietzsche” (Czech translation here)
- Julius Evola, “Nietzsche for Today” (Translations: Czech, Portuguese)
- Julius Evola, “Nihilism and the Meaning of Life in Nietzsche”
- Julius Evola, “The Overcoming of the Superman”
- Kurwenal, “Wagner, Nietzsche, and the New Suprahumanist Myth,” Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
- Anthony M. Ludovici, “Hitler and Nietzsche”
- James J. O’Meara, Review of Julian Young, Nietzsche’s Philosophy of Religion, Part One and Two
- Michael O’Meara, “Only a God Can Save Us” (French translation here)
- Sir Oswald Mosley, “Christ, Nietzsche, and Caesar” (Translations: French, Russian, Ukrainian)
- Oswald Spengler, “Nietzsche and His Century “
4 Comments
Every Culture has a Calendar. Shouldn’t Counter Currents create a Calendar with such Art and Dates of our secular and/or pagan heroes? Perhaps later we could create a real Spiritual Calendar with our own Dating system, etc. But second things first. As Buddha said, knots must be untied in the reverse order they were tied. Money is needed and people need a calendar that allows them to function in this dying world while reminding them of a better one.
Some sort of an esthetically pleasing New Right calendar sounds like a good idea. It might even be a money-maker for Counter-Currents.
I would buy one, put all the greats birthdays on it: Hitler, Goebbels, Rockwell, Matthews, Pierce, Oliver, Yockey, Spengler, Nietzsche, Devi, and so on.
I think it would sell – maybe even in stores. Calendars are big business and there all kinds of specialty ones now – but nothing like this. And a great way of spreading awareness. Of course any racial quotes would have to be inside on the months and not on the cover, and even then not too explicit. Positive racism about loving our own and nothing negative or comparative.