La Volonté de Puissance I

by Friedrich Nietzsche, Friedrich Würzbach (Editor), Geneviève Bianquis (Translator)

Librarian note: An alternative cover for this ISBN can be found here.

Ce livre quasi mythique, qui passe pour le couronnement de l'oeuvre de Nietzsche, a connu plusieurs versions en allemand, car son auteur n'avait fait qu'en esquisser différents plans de 1885 à 1888. La première traduction française, due à Henri Albert et fondée sur la version allemande de 1901, a paru au Mercure de France. Elle comporte seulement quelque cinq cents aphorismes. La présente version, élaborée par Friedrich Würzbach, est beaucoup plus étendue, et c'est à elle qu'on s'est référé en France, depuis 1935. Les aphorismes qui y sont rassemblés couvrent une période très large : des premières réflexions de Nietzsche sur la nature du sentiment et du désir, contemporaines d'Aurore et du Gai savoir, jusqu'aux derniers livres de la fin 1888, L'Antéchrist et Crépuscule des idoles, qui sont l'aboutissement du projet de "conversion de toutes les valeurs".

Genres: Philosophy, Religion

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1901

About the author

Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German classical scholar, philosopher, and critic of culture, who became one of the most influential of all modern thinkers. He began his career as a classical philologist before turning to philosophy. He became the youngest person to hold the Chair of Classical Philology at the University of Basel in 1869 at the age of 24, but resigned in 1879 due to health problems that plagued him most of his life; he completed much of his core writing in the following decade. In 1889, at age 44, he suffered a collapse and afterward a complete loss of his mental faculties, with paralysis and probably vascular dementia. He lived his remaining years in the care of his mother until her death in 1897 and then with his sister Elisabeth Förster-Nietzsche. Nietzsche died in 1900, after experiencing pneumonia and multiple strokes.
Nietzsche's work spans philosophical polemics, poetry, cultural criticism, and fiction while displaying a fondness for aphorism and irony. Prominent elements of his philosophy include his radical critique of truth in favour of perspectivism; a genealogical critique of religion and Christian morality and a related theory of master–slave morality; the aesthetic affirmation of life in response to both the "death of God" and the profound crisis of nihilism; the notion of Apollonian and Dionysian forces; and a characterisation of the human subject as the expression of competing wills, collectively understood as the will to power. He also developed influential concepts such as the Übermensch and his doctrine of eternal return. In his later work, he became increasingly preoccupied with the creative powers of the individual to overcome cultural and moral mores in pursuit of new values and aesthetic health. His body of work touched a wide range of topics, including art, philology, history, music, religion, tragedy, culture, and science, and drew inspiration from Greek tragedy as well as figures such as Zoroaster, Arthur Schopenhauer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Richard Wagner, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
After his death, Nietzsche's sister Elisabeth became the curator and editor of his manuscripts. She edited his unpublished writings to fit her German ultranationalist ideology, often contradicting or obfuscating Nietzsche's stated opinions, which were explicitly opposed to antisemitism and nationalism. Through her published editions, Nietzsche's work became associated with fascism and Nazism. 20th-century scholars such as Walter Kaufmann, R.J. Hollingdale, and Georges Bataille defended Nietzsche against this interpretation, and corrected editions of his writings were soon made available. Nietzsche's thought enjoyed renewed popularity in the 1960s and his ideas have since had a profound impact on 20th- and early 21st-century thinkers across philosophy—especially in schools of continental philosophy such as existentialism, postmodernism, and post-structuralism—as well as art, literature, music, poetry, politics, and popular culture.

Reviews

[Michael Kress · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I read Nietzsche for the first time in "On Truth and Untruth: Selected Writings," a short book translated by Taylor Carman, I'd been unsuccessfully searching for a longer read that elaborated on the ideas covered there with the same frequency of mind-blowing moments. This is the closest I've come to rekindling the fascination I had then. The start of the book is a critique of religion, especially Christianity. Having read Kaufmann's translation of "The Antichrist," I was familiar with these ideas, and at first I enjoyed revisiting them and jogging my memory, but it seemed to drag on with the religion bashing for too long. It really got good after that first section though. Since I'd read Schopenhauer's "The World as Will and Representation," I was familiar with what seems to be the main influence for this book, so perhaps that helped my understanding. He covers his concept of the "will to power" from many angles, including metaphysical, personal, and political, with each one shedding a new light. What a great intelligence and imagination it took to become the great contrarian he was! I didn't agree with the critique of Darwin, but am reluctant in that stance because I don't see Nietzsche as one to allow holes in his philosophy; sometimes the nuance may be beyond my comprehension. Although this review comes off as critical, the few lacking parts don't detract from the invaluable and comprehensive material in the majority of the text. I prefers Ludovici over Kaufmann as a translator and feel this book deserves a strong and solid 5 stars.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Life changing

[Calm · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still working on book 4. I'll right a review after I've done so.

[Avinash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nietzsche didnt complete this book its his unfinished work but its a must read .This book makes one to think for oneself , It opened my mind to many discoveries Nietzsche was very well known for very few key ideas like ubermensch and moral philosophy (master, slave) but there are many more ideas of his to be discovered by reading this book
unlike other philosophers he tries to explain rather than take a position and defend it , his paradoxes are thought provoking

I have to reread this book again after few days , I have discovered Nietzsche through victor frankl reference in his book(man's search for meaning) , read beyond good and evil in past (loved this book too) , after reading will to power I have decided to reread all his works again.

This is a classic timeless book , must read for everyone

[Isabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

L'usage interprétatif de certains concepts me paraît réellement suspect car ceci argumente en faveur de certaines idées qui souhaitent volontairement être généré sans qu'un travail minutieux et rigoureux soit élaborer en amont. Ceci constitue donc pour moi une raison d'être suffisamment gênée pour ne pas continuer cette lecture.

[Name · Rating 5 out of 5]

Though incomplete, this is what we have of Nietzsche's magnum opus. It is clear to anyone that reads it, that Nietzsche was nothing short of an absolute genius. If you go into this book with an open mind, it has the ability to change your life.

[Atlas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Intéressant mais entre la disposition, les interlignes, la police d'écriture impossible d'accrocher. De plus est une écriture très complexe.