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The Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols, and Other Writings
Nietzsche's late works are brilliant and uncompromising, and stand as monuments to his lucidity, rigor, and style. This volume combines, for the first time in English, five of these works: The Antichrist, Ecce Homo, Twilight of the Idols, Nietzsche contra Wagner, and The Case of Wagner. Nietzsche takes on some of his greatest adversaries in these works: traditional religion, contemporary culture, and above all, his one-time hero, Richard Wagner. His writing is simultaneously critical and creative, revealing his alternative philosophical vision, which, after more than a hundred years, still retains its audacious originality.
296 pages, Paperback
First published October 27, 2005
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About the author
Friedrich Nietzsche
4,299 books25.4k followersFriedrich 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 9, 2022
Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy is one I have had a funny relationship with - likely because I used to think it ridiculous, dangerous even. I now find that he was the first philosopher to fully attack the tradition in a, well, "reasonable" way. The irony in my word choice is that Nietzsche condemned reason, among many other things, as part of his project.
Such is the nature of 'Twilight of the Idols' - the first work in this selection I have read, where Nietzsche proclaims that all the "Idols" of Western philosophical culture are in their "Twilight" for the absurdity of their premises and convictions, and the coming death of their influence. He discusses the problem of Socrates - a very astute observation of what the Socratic tradition actually was at Plato's time, and what it has wrought. The Dialectical Mode of Plato and his master, Socrates, has in fact been almost a suppressant or opiate for Nietzsche; reason has enslaved the Passions. Nietzsche considers past philosophy to have created an "unreality" rooted in Reason's rule - contrary to, well, the whole Western philosophical and religious tradition (particularly, Christianity is Nietzsche's target).
***********
'Twilight of the Idols' may in fact be my favourite work of Nietzsche's that I have read thus far for its revealing, and often hilarious, attack on morality and truth in our cultural traditions. His insights on "The Four Great Errors," or issues caused by our belief in Reason and Christianity, basic Moral Impositions both of them, are awesome! Nietzsche wrote that our views on cause and effect have created a false belief in where responsibility lies, with morality creating our views on cause and effect as a means of controlling humans. The Chapter titled "The Improvers of Mankind" is equally incisive: he attacks religion and breeding as two systems of using morality to control and subjugate, inventing a legal fiction of morals that displaces the fact (on Nietzsche's view) that moral facts and systems don't exist but are rather interpretations.
'Beyond Good & Evil' is likely a better, more cogent work of philosophy, as Nietzsche tries to set out his philosophy in systematic terms while remaining pithy, polemical, and punny. Most scholars point to 'The Genealogy of Morals' as Nietzsche's masterpiece because it contains the most sustained, systematic statement of his thought. But I prefer 'Twilight of the Idols' and 'Beyond Good & Evil' because they are highly entertaining explorations of his views that contain most of his great ideas, but which you must pay close attention to and read very, very carefully so as not to be thrown off by his bravado.
The ending parts of 'Twilight of the Idols' became somewhat disorganized, however, because they more or less consisted of Nietzsche's rant on different aspects of culture. Particularly, I was fascinated by his focus on "becoming" as the key to finding Being and Freedom. He criticizes modern morals and attitudes for destroying culture and human flourishing - I agree with many of his points, though the aspects that became misinterpreted as eugenics and cultural dominance disagreed with my stomach.
The parts about What Nietzsche learned from the Ancients were great to end the thing: his focus on their lack of attention to Reality, to Plato's hatred of Life, and our need to yell a triumphant Yes to life in our to live affirmatively, was a beautiful part of the book. This is the Heart of Nietzsche's philosophy - he wants us to take life on its real and own terms, forget ideals, and live joyously.
'Twilight' was a great read, though, and it added shades of nuance to previous ideas of Nietzsche I already knew about.
*******************************
'The Antichrist' is a fascinating book thus far - very short, but fascinating for its continued attack on religion's influence on culture and society. For Nietzsche, religion as a paralytic, destructive influence on society and culture. His analysis of pity was quite convincing - arguing that Christian Pity was a form of poison that corrupted individuals and robbed society and people of their respective "wills to power."
His analysis of Kant and the religiosity of philosophy contemporary to his time was compelling for its condemnation of the "idealism" of Kant, which he viewed as nihilism because it promoted the spiritual and universal ideals without personal investment from individuals in these ethical and intellectual concerns.
The rest of 'The Anti-Christ' was quite good, though one flaw plagues it as is typical of Nietzsche's later works: his aphoristic snideness is a stylistic defect that sometimes obfuscates meaning from readers for the sake of being provocative. Nietzsche perhaps was quite aware of this fact, and drove on regardless because he knew that he needed to philosophize with a Hammer if anyone were to take his critique of Judea-Christian culture, ethics, and philosophy seriously.
Whatever his intentions were, Friedrich Nietzsche remains one of the greatest philosophers ever not only for the mere task he undertook (subversion and critique of ALL Western culturo-philosophic traditions), but more so because he concisely and hilariously did this in a way that's entertaining to the reader. Free beers on the Mother-Fuhrer of a Philosopher!
Such is the nature of 'Twilight of the Idols' - the first work in this selection I have read, where Nietzsche proclaims that all the "Idols" of Western philosophical culture are in their "Twilight" for the absurdity of their premises and convictions, and the coming death of their influence. He discusses the problem of Socrates - a very astute observation of what the Socratic tradition actually was at Plato's time, and what it has wrought. The Dialectical Mode of Plato and his master, Socrates, has in fact been almost a suppressant or opiate for Nietzsche; reason has enslaved the Passions. Nietzsche considers past philosophy to have created an "unreality" rooted in Reason's rule - contrary to, well, the whole Western philosophical and religious tradition (particularly, Christianity is Nietzsche's target).
***********
'Twilight of the Idols' may in fact be my favourite work of Nietzsche's that I have read thus far for its revealing, and often hilarious, attack on morality and truth in our cultural traditions. His insights on "The Four Great Errors," or issues caused by our belief in Reason and Christianity, basic Moral Impositions both of them, are awesome! Nietzsche wrote that our views on cause and effect have created a false belief in where responsibility lies, with morality creating our views on cause and effect as a means of controlling humans. The Chapter titled "The Improvers of Mankind" is equally incisive: he attacks religion and breeding as two systems of using morality to control and subjugate, inventing a legal fiction of morals that displaces the fact (on Nietzsche's view) that moral facts and systems don't exist but are rather interpretations.
'Beyond Good & Evil' is likely a better, more cogent work of philosophy, as Nietzsche tries to set out his philosophy in systematic terms while remaining pithy, polemical, and punny. Most scholars point to 'The Genealogy of Morals' as Nietzsche's masterpiece because it contains the most sustained, systematic statement of his thought. But I prefer 'Twilight of the Idols' and 'Beyond Good & Evil' because they are highly entertaining explorations of his views that contain most of his great ideas, but which you must pay close attention to and read very, very carefully so as not to be thrown off by his bravado.
The ending parts of 'Twilight of the Idols' became somewhat disorganized, however, because they more or less consisted of Nietzsche's rant on different aspects of culture. Particularly, I was fascinated by his focus on "becoming" as the key to finding Being and Freedom. He criticizes modern morals and attitudes for destroying culture and human flourishing - I agree with many of his points, though the aspects that became misinterpreted as eugenics and cultural dominance disagreed with my stomach.
The parts about What Nietzsche learned from the Ancients were great to end the thing: his focus on their lack of attention to Reality, to Plato's hatred of Life, and our need to yell a triumphant Yes to life in our to live affirmatively, was a beautiful part of the book. This is the Heart of Nietzsche's philosophy - he wants us to take life on its real and own terms, forget ideals, and live joyously.
'Twilight' was a great read, though, and it added shades of nuance to previous ideas of Nietzsche I already knew about.
*******************************
'The Antichrist' is a fascinating book thus far - very short, but fascinating for its continued attack on religion's influence on culture and society. For Nietzsche, religion as a paralytic, destructive influence on society and culture. His analysis of pity was quite convincing - arguing that Christian Pity was a form of poison that corrupted individuals and robbed society and people of their respective "wills to power."
His analysis of Kant and the religiosity of philosophy contemporary to his time was compelling for its condemnation of the "idealism" of Kant, which he viewed as nihilism because it promoted the spiritual and universal ideals without personal investment from individuals in these ethical and intellectual concerns.
The rest of 'The Anti-Christ' was quite good, though one flaw plagues it as is typical of Nietzsche's later works: his aphoristic snideness is a stylistic defect that sometimes obfuscates meaning from readers for the sake of being provocative. Nietzsche perhaps was quite aware of this fact, and drove on regardless because he knew that he needed to philosophize with a Hammer if anyone were to take his critique of Judea-Christian culture, ethics, and philosophy seriously.
Whatever his intentions were, Friedrich Nietzsche remains one of the greatest philosophers ever not only for the mere task he undertook (subversion and critique of ALL Western culturo-philosophic traditions), but more so because he concisely and hilariously did this in a way that's entertaining to the reader. Free beers on the Mother-Fuhrer of a Philosopher!
June 1, 2020
When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one's feet. This morality is by no means self-evident . . . Christianity is a system, a whole view of things thought out together. By breaking one main concept out of it, the faith in God, one breaks the whole: nothing necessary remains in one's hands. . . . When the English actually believe that they know “intuitively” what is good and evil, when they therefore suppose that they no longer require Christianity as the guarantee of morality, we merely witness the effects of the dominion of the Christian value judgment and an expression of the strength and depth of this dominion: such that the origin of English morality has been forgotten, such that the very conditional character of its right to existence is no longer felt.
July 25, 2011
An enjoyable translation of some of Nietzsche's later works. The Anti-Christ is always an eye-opener but in this reading I found the "hammers" of philosophy hiding within the depths of "Twilight of the Idols".
If Nietzsche accomplished anything it was to hammer the minds of any reader that even allowed him in for one slick moment--and this thorough beating of the reader's ideals and thoughts is always pulled off with such poetic lyricism and powerful wit that you can't just help love the man behind the words, no matter how much he tends to beat you, soil you or embarrass you.
In the end: an abusive relationship that always comes out a winner.
If Nietzsche accomplished anything it was to hammer the minds of any reader that even allowed him in for one slick moment--and this thorough beating of the reader's ideals and thoughts is always pulled off with such poetic lyricism and powerful wit that you can't just help love the man behind the words, no matter how much he tends to beat you, soil you or embarrass you.
In the end: an abusive relationship that always comes out a winner.
May 24, 2007
I truly enjoyed Ecce Homo and in fact, I never truly understood what Nietzsche was trying to say until I read it. I think the message of "How to become what you are" is what he was always grasping for.
March 11, 2025
This collection of Nietzsche’s later works is an accessible English translation with helpful footnotes explaining his references and foreign phrases. The text font is small and slender, making italicized phrases (of which there are many) hard to read (I’m legally blind). I find many of his ideas intriguing, incisive, and a needed critique of Christianity and Western culture. Yet there are aspects I disagree with. I’ll also admit his hyperbolic and satirical style makes it hard for me to sometimes fully grasp his points.
I certainly agree that Judeo-Christianity has warped our way of life so that we base our behavior on morals that have no basis in facts. Coupled with the religious tendency to silence critical thought, especially about religious authority and tradition, religion becomes a tool to control through obedience. Christianity condemns worldliness, creating hostility towards nature, towards life, towards the real, and towards the flourishing of individual identity.
Where I disagree with Nietzsche is his dismissal of the concept of equality and what we would today call social justice, anti-oppression movements such as feminism and Marxism. He seems to view these movements as forms of decadent revenge, hostility for the weak against the strong. Fighting against oppression isn’t a sign of weakness but rather strength. Daring to stand up against people more powerful (socially) than you takes courage, persistence, and grace. Sure, if you’re driven purely by anger, although anger also has its place, then you may lack depth of thought.
But attacking social bias and the conformist forces of various forms of oppression seems on par with Nietzsche’s attack on the conformist and subjugating elements of Christian thought. Was Nietzsche promoting elitism? He seems to believe in a dichotomy of strong and weak, with the weak being women, revolutionaries, slaves, and sick people. But he also believes profound suffering makes one noble..
I certainly agree that Judeo-Christianity has warped our way of life so that we base our behavior on morals that have no basis in facts. Coupled with the religious tendency to silence critical thought, especially about religious authority and tradition, religion becomes a tool to control through obedience. Christianity condemns worldliness, creating hostility towards nature, towards life, towards the real, and towards the flourishing of individual identity.
Where I disagree with Nietzsche is his dismissal of the concept of equality and what we would today call social justice, anti-oppression movements such as feminism and Marxism. He seems to view these movements as forms of decadent revenge, hostility for the weak against the strong. Fighting against oppression isn’t a sign of weakness but rather strength. Daring to stand up against people more powerful (socially) than you takes courage, persistence, and grace. Sure, if you’re driven purely by anger, although anger also has its place, then you may lack depth of thought.
But attacking social bias and the conformist forces of various forms of oppression seems on par with Nietzsche’s attack on the conformist and subjugating elements of Christian thought. Was Nietzsche promoting elitism? He seems to believe in a dichotomy of strong and weak, with the weak being women, revolutionaries, slaves, and sick people. But he also believes profound suffering makes one noble..
September 9, 2023
Awesome edition of Nietzsche’s late works. Nietzsche’s aristocratic radicalism finds its fullest expression in the Anti-Christ, Ecce Homo is a witty reflection on his works (with some interesting asides on the link between physiology and philosophy), Twilight of the Idols is one of the best overall primers on his thought he’d ever written, and the Case of Wagner expands his cultural criticism of (late 19th century) modernity. An edition to return to.
July 23, 2025
я эту книгу очень много раз читала просто открывая с рандомной страницы, лучшая книга в моей жизни (даже не 5 звезд). ну ницше тупо я
July 4, 2016
After a nearly 3-year journey, I've decided that this wasn't worth the struggle any long. AC was phenomenal once I got into it. EH was a real chore for me; I couldn't help but feel that Nietzsche was taking the piss at the expense of his reader and found very little redeeming in it. TI was going passably well. There were some absolutely brilliant insights yet I know I was missing 4 for every 1 I grokked.
April 2, 2014
Twilight of the Idols:
Ya gotta love Nietzsche, you really do; he is so unlike other philosophers. That said, Twilight was written four months before he totally went loony. Is this the rantings of a man consumed with syphiliis? Or is it the pinnacle of sound reasoning? Um, lol. Anyways, as usual, Nietzsche is worth a read.
Ya gotta love Nietzsche, you really do; he is so unlike other philosophers. That said, Twilight was written four months before he totally went loony. Is this the rantings of a man consumed with syphiliis? Or is it the pinnacle of sound reasoning? Um, lol. Anyways, as usual, Nietzsche is worth a read.
February 28, 2008
I always enjoy the fact that Nietzche can say in one paragraph what many other "lessers" need an entire book to write. There's a reason he's still read, and I enjoy it all.
never-finished
December 6, 2010Never finished...
January 24, 2013
Nietzsche's late period is captured in this book demonstrating some of his most mature views on Morality and the Christian Faith.
August 2, 2014
Hmph. I expected more rationale than blunt statements.
March 28, 2012
Perspicacious, brilliant, and beautifully critical.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews