Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was born near Leipzig. When he was twenty-four he was appointed to the chair of classical philology at Basel University. He published many works, including The Gay Science, Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil. In 1889, Nietzsche collapsed and was subsequently institutionalized, spending the rest of his life in a condition of mental and physical paralysis. Works published after his death include Will to Power and his autobiography, Ecce Homo.
