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Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Saul Reichlin, known for their roles in War and Peace and Miss Marple. This definitive recording includes an introduction by R.J. Hollingdale, also read by Saul Reichlin.

Nietzsche was one of the most revolutionary thinkers in Western philosophy, and Thus Spoke Zarathustra remains his most influential work. It describes how the ancient Persian prophet Zarathustra descends from his solitude in the mountains to tell the world that God is dead and that the Superman, the human embodiment of divinity, is his successor. With blazing intensity, Nietzsche argues that the meaning of existence is not to be found in religious pieties or meek submission, but in an all-powerful life force: passionate, chaotic and free.

© R.J. Hollingdale 1961, 1969 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

About the author

Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was born near Leipzig. When he was twenty-four he was appointed to the chair of classical philology at Basel University. He published many works, including The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil. In 1889, Nietzsche collapsed and was subsequently institutionalized, spending the rest of his life in a condition of mental and physical paralysis. Works published after his death include Will to Power and his autobiography, Ecce Homo.
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