Frau Lou: Nietzsche's Wayward Disciple

by Rudolph Binion

Foreword
Key to Reference Matter
Preface
Childhood
Youth
Womanhood
Maturity
Old Age
Beyond Frau Lou
Bibliographical Notes
Appendix A: Lou's Literary Expression
Appendix B: Miscellany
Bibliography
Index

Genres: Biography

602 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

Reviews

[Jan Goericke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I owned the biography of "Frau Lou" by R. Binion for a year and remained curious for the entire time. Lou only spend 2 years in her early 20s as 'almost-girlfriend' of Nietzsche. It made her famous for the rest of her life. Lou also had an long affair with Rilke before and after he became famous (and married), and an over 20 years mentor- and friendship with Siegmund Freud. Lou became a psychoanalyst when she was 50 (after studying under Adler and Freud) and practiced in that role until she died age 76.

Rudolph Binion, the author, is a psychoanalyst. His writing made this biography unique. Binion analyzed Lou from her childhood at the court of the Czar in Russia, her youth (she met Nietzsche when she was 21), her middle age and old age until she died in Goettingen, Germany.

Lou Salome was born into a privileged family in Petersburg Russia. Lou was a very selfish and manipulative woman who liked to "twist reality" just enough to gain access to the most exclusive circles of knowledgeable men in the late 19th and early 20th century. It was her religious piety in the beginning that allowed her to participate and co-habitat with groups of educated men. It was the only way for a woman at that time to gain knowledge.

"To memories I shall ever be true, to persons never." - Lou

Nietzsche loved Lou, a very attractive and mysterious young woman, and wanted her to be a secretary and the heir to his work. Lou harshly declined the offer because she wanted to do her own studies and not be in the shadows of one man. Although this life episode provided her status and life-long income (writing books), it did not impact her personality as the much as her friendship to Freud, the genius behind psychoanalysis.

Binion did an outstanding job describing and analyzing Lou's long life in all stages. She has written many books, letters, and kept a diary. Although this material should have been sufficient to reconstruct her life, Lou falsified her own diary and letters to match the story how she wanted it be told, rather than the reality. Lou was not nice to people that got close to her. However, she was a pioneer of women's rights by living her own truth and life as she wanted it. A very interesting and unique read with tons of sources, references, and additional information. Recommended if you like biographies, psychoanalysis, and history.

[Alan Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating--though at times not crystal clear--account of the Nietzsche, Ree, Salome "Trinity" (or as Girard would call it "triangle." One does need to see this episode through Girard's triangular desire.) Overly Freudian--smugly Freudian in fact. That's the only knock on the book thus far. A worthwhile read even if you're not interested in Nietzsche as philosopher or Salome as novelist.

In the middle of the book Binion discusses Salome's views of erotic love. This is her most interesting topic, as her analysis presents Erotic love as the place where language itself breaks down (she doesn't put it in preciesly these terms), where "getting" and "giving" are indistinguishable.