Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche grew up in the Prussian Provence of Saxony. He attended prestigious schools, where he excelled in music and language. At the University of Bonn, Nietzsche studied theology, but he soon lost his faith in Christianity and became interested in philosophy. At the young age of 24, Nietzsche accepted an offer to become a professor of philology at the University of Basel in Switzerland. Feeling isolated at Basel, Nietzsche began to publish philosophical essays and books. In 1878, he left Basel due to declining health but continued to publish. It was not until the years after Nietzsche’s death in 1900 (age 55) that his writings began to gain a wider readership.