The Birth of Tragedy Book download in PDF, ePub & Mobi

The Birth of Tragedy; or, Hellenism and Pessimism is a philosophy book written by Friedrich Nietzsche and originally published in 1872. It is the German philosopher's first book, published when he was 27 years old.

Nietzsche, an enthusiast of Greek tragedy, expounds his reasons why art is necessary in life. He praises the philosophy of Schopenhauer or the music of Wagner and considers the tragic theater of Ancient Greece to be the highest art form.

He exposes some of his ideas as the Apollonian, which represents beauty, rules and order. It comes from Apollo, bearer of light, self-knowledge and memory. He also speaks of the Dionysian, a primal reaction to the sublime. The combination of both concepts produces the highest forms of art.

Although the somewhat confused and disjointed writing style was not yet polished, the ideas he embodied and later developed were very important in Western philosophy.

"Whatever may lie at the bottom of this doubtful book must be a question of the first rank and attractiveness, moreover a deeply personal question,—in proof thereof observe the time in which it originated, in spite of which it originated, the exciting period of the Franco-German war of 1870-71."