The German version of this book, published in 1894, about 108 years ago, was among the first books written about the books of Nietzsche. The photograph on the cover was taken in May, 1882 and a portion of it (as shown on p. 132) appeared in her book with the caption, "Friedrich Nietzsche, formerly professor and now a wandering fugitive" (p. ix), as Nietzsche had described himself in a letter to the third person in the picture in 1879, "referring to the severance from his ten-year position at the University of Basel." (p. ix). These people are all dead now. When she was 20, Lou wrote a poem "To Sorrow" (pp. xlviii-xlix) which praises it as "the pedestal for our soul's greatness." (p. xlix).

Lou reported a conversation about the changes in his life in which Nietzsche raised the question, "When everything has taken its course--where does one run to then?" and told her, "In any case, the circle could be more plausible than a standing still." (p. 32). She described his books as the product of "his last period of creativity, Nietzsche arrived at his mystical teaching of the eternal recurrence: the picture of a circle--eternal change in an eternal recurrence--stands like a wondrous symbol and mysterious cypher over the entrance to his work." (p. 33).

This book does not have an index, and the notes on pages 160-8 merely clarify a few things, such as the date of the letter from Nietzsche to Lou at the beginning of Part III Nietzsche's "System" on page 91 which Lou used without the final comment, "be what you must be." The possibilities might not be considered so great. "In that regard, if the sickliness of man is, so to speak, his normal condition or his specific human nature itself, and if the concepts of falling ill and of development are seen as almost identical, then we will naturally encounter again the already mentioned decadence at the culmination of a long cultural development." (p. 102). The ascetic ideal "is also a third kind of decadence which threatens to make the described illness incurable and threatens the possibility of recovery. And that form of decadence is embodied in a false interpretation of the world, an incorrect perception of life encouraged by that suffering and illness. . . . every kind of intellectualism extols thinking at the expense of life and supports the ideal of `truth' at the expense of a heightened sensation of living." (p. 103). "In respect to Nietzsche's own psychic problem, it is of less interest to determine correctly the historicity of master morality and slave morality than it is to ascertain the fact that in man's evolution he has carried these contrasts, these antitheses, within himself and that he is the consequent sufferer of this conflict of instincts, embodying double valuations." (p. 113). Ultimately, "Nietzsche's thought of the Dionysian orgy as the means for release of the emotions" (p. 127) are considered "the necessary conditions for the creative act out of which one shapes the luminous and godly." (p. 127). Nietzsche and Schopenhauer are tied to "the deeply pessimistic nature of the Greeks because their innermost life, as revealed through the orgiastic, was one of darkness, pain, and chaos." (p. 127). Art is the answer, here. "The highest or the most religious art is the tragic because within it the artist delivers beauty from the terrifying." (p. 128). Modern society can hardly be comprehended without accepting that much of what is popular is produced in the attempt to satisfy that desire for art.

To scholars and admirers of Nietzsche, Lou Andreas-Salome has always been seen as his Irene Adler, the intellectual equal who got way or was driven away, depending on one's point of view. Although their affair lasted for only a few months, it left an indelible mark on both, for it came at a turning point in Nietzsche's life where he would leave the realtively safe nests of academia and the Wagners for a peripatetic life in the Eupopean Alps.

Over the years we have heard from almost everyone who was anyone in Nietzsche's life, except Lou Salome. This makes the published reprint of her 1894 even more important for those involved in Nietzsche studies. To say that Salome brings a unique perspective to her work is a bit of an understatement, but those who simply expect this to be memoir of the man she knew will be, I think, somewhat joyfully disappointed. Instead she has written what well may be the first attempt to view the persona behind the works. After giving us an excellent analysis of Nietzsche's philosophy, she comes to the conclusion that perhaps Nietzsche's madness was the inevitable result of his philosophy. Was this, as Nietzsche's sister said, merely a fantasy of female revenge? Then simply compare the last page of her book with the events of Nietzche's last days in Turin, events which she cannot have known. Hers is a provactive and illuminating look at Nietzsche, made more powerful by the fact that she was first to the gate and that the strength of her book is the analysis, not the memories.

As with any book on Nietzsche that comes to us in a foreign language, translation is most important if we are to have not only a working understanding, but also a deeper understanding than we would ordinarily expect. That the translator should be the late Siegfried Mandel is only to the reader's advantage. His translation is crisp and clear. His excellent introduction makes it all the more clear to me that this man is, or should be at least considered, one of the formost Nietzschean scholars of his time. (For further reference, see his excellent "Nietzsche and the Jews.")

This is a book every serious student of Nietzsche should have in his or her library and a book that may contribute to a new vision of the tortured harbinger of the overman.

It is interesting to view philosophy through a woman's perspective. Indeed there lived an intellectual woman, praised for her psychological contributions to society, who still managed to devote a significant amount to writing about her personal experiences of friendship and reflection. She had a passionate love affair with poet Rainer Maria Rilke, and significant friendships with Nietzsche and Freud. Nietzsche once said that she is "by far the smartest person I ever knew." Indeed, such a woman once existed - her named was Lou Salome. Indeed the story is about Lou's life, yet intern the reader is introduced to Ree, Nietzsche, Rilke, and Freud. Reading "Looking Back" is quite a different experience than reading Nietzsche, or a nook of Rilke poems. It reminds us that these masters were human beings; they had feelings! Lou was present throughout a period of depression in both Nietzsche and Rilke. She wrote when they were mentally paralyzed. What strategies must a woman use to flirt with the some of the greatest minds of her time? Overall, how does she manage to have a successful career as well as be the subject of her lovers' poetry? Lou Salome's "Looking Back" answers some of these questions, and breaks the barrier between the words 'philosopher' and 'friend'.

An excelent book, it reminded me that historical figures such as Rilke, Nietszche and Freud were also confronted with fear and angst. I read this book in spanish and I guess some of the things I did't like from it (like the translation of Rilke's poems) had to do with the translator, not the author. Thou, I found the book quite interesting; the life or Lou Andreas-Salomé (her courage to live by her rules and believes) has to be known by every person who feels every now and then that life is some place else.

As a reader, I don't frequent the biography sections of bookstores. But I chose to buy and read this book, because Lou Salome's name was familiar to me from Irvin Yalom's book "When Nietzsce Wept". She was the infamous femme fatale who played a very signinficant role in lives of some of the most remarkable men, intellectuals of 19th-20th century Europe - Nietzsce and Rilke to name just two of them. Though she might have destroyed them emotionally, she also inspired and guided them intellectually and creatively. That's what makes this biography such a fascinating read - Lou Salome had a life filled with most exciting men and most extravagant choices. This book grabs you with its light writing style, eventful "plot", and interesting yet not overwhelming insights into the people and spirit of that era. This a book I enjoy to go back to, and re-read certain parts of it.