Friedrich Nietzsche

Born: 15 October 1844 Röcken (near Lützen), Germany  (Kingdom of Prussia at the time)

Died: 25 August 1900 Weimar, Saxony, German Empire

Biography: Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philologist, philosopher, cultural critic, poet and composer. He wrote several critical texts on religion, morality, contemporary culture, philosophy and science, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and aphorism. One of the key tenets of his philosophy is the concept of "life-affirmation," which embraces the realities of the world in which we live over the idea of a world beyond. Nietzsche is known for his use of poetry and prose (sometimes together in poetic prose style) in his writings. An excellent example is his iconic phrase "God is dead", in German: Gott ist tot. This, combined with the fact that he disdained any kind of system, has made several aspects of his philosophy seemingly lacking coherent meaning or being paradoxical. Because of Nietzsche´s evocative style and his often outrageous claims, his philosophy generates passionate reactions running from love to disgust. His works remain controversial, due to varying interpretations and misinterpretations of his work.