Thus Spoke Zarathustra is a philosophical work by Friedrich Nietzsche, written in a poetic, biblical style in several parts between the early and mid-1880s. It follows a fictional prophet, Zarathustra, modelled on the Persian religious figure Zoroaster, who descends from his mountain to teach humanity. The book introduces some of Nietzsche's best-known ideas: the announcement that God is dead, the Ubermensch, or overman, a figure who creates his own values, and the thought of eternal recurrence. Its style is deliberately allusive and often ambiguous, so it has been interpreted in many ways. It influenced philosophy, literature and music, notably the tone poem by Richard Strauss.
Before and after
- 1885Construction of Washington Monument
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- 1885Publication of Mila Rodino
- 1885Construction of Rijksmuseum
- 1885Publication of Thus Spoke Zarathustra
- 1885Founding of Stanford University
- 1885Construction of Anfield
- from February 1885 to March 1885Panjdeh Incident
- 7 February 1885Birth of Sinclair Lewis
More in Art, literature & culture
- 10 August 1793Construction of Louvre Museum
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 1886Statue of Liberty
- 1894Radio
- c. 1900sRise of modernism
- 1907Rise of cubism
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.
