Adopting a highly readable style, Robert Wicks moves deftly through the minefield of controversy that surrounds Nietzsche, presenting the philosopher's doctrines within the context of his Christian upbringing and the profound influence of his childhood experiences. Making difficult ideas clear and accessible, he provides a close examination of Nietzsche's best-known existential doctrines, and re-evaluates these not simply as a nihilistic, but as a positive and life-affirming system of belief. This essential introduction also offers a survey of Nietzsche's profound influence on key modern thinkers such as Derrida and Sartre, in addition to a non-sensationalist and objective reflection on his association with Nazism.