The Antichrist, Ecce Homo

By: Friedrich Nietzsche

Narrated by: Christopher Oxford

Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The Antichrist and Ecce Homo were two of the last works written by Friedrich Nietzsche just before his mental collapse in 1889. Though both written in 1888, they are very different in content and style.

In The Antichrist, Nietzsche expands on his view that the submissive nature of Christianity undermined Western society, depressing and sapping energy. Using a challenging, aphoristic style, he considers 'good' and 'bad', Buddhism and Christianity, and criticises the concepts of sin, faith, and pity as proposed in the Christian tradition, declaring that they undermined a zest for life.

Ecce Homo is effectively Nietzsche's autobiography. Writing in his idiosyncratic, urgent manner, he focuses on carefully chosen topics as he reviews his life and work. Among the chapter headings are: 'Why I Am so Wise' and 'Why I Am so Clever'. But like so much of Nietzsche, the effect is not quite as bombastic as might be expected - it is a fascinating document.

Public Domain (P)2015 Ukemi Productions Ltd

Good

There are no chapter titles. As a result, I tossed one perfectly good phone into the river in frustration and because of that I have to knock this review down to 4 stars.

Moving along. The narration of Ecce Homo, no easy task, was good and had an interesting style that made me laugh. The work itself imparts wisdom, almost like indirect advice. There's nothing else like it.

The narration of The Antichrist was acceptable. I won't seek out another version because this one was clear and didn't bother me.

A Extraordinary Voice for an Extraordinary Mind

The Antichrist is Nietzsche's most easily digested work, and since I am of a simple mind that needs constant massaging and regular care, it is almost certainly the case that my present bias towards this work plays a backstage role in my enjoyment of this piece. Certainly, it is not Nietzsche's best work, that much is certain, but it is certainly among them nonetheless. For those who struggle to understand the intellectual behemoth's other essays, be not afeared of this one. If you even roughly understand the trajectory of his philosophy, you likely won't struggle with this one.

As if my predilection for The Antichrist (or perhaps a more honest translation would be, The Antichristian) wasn't enough to incite from me abundant praise and delight, the vocal performance left a deep impression upon me. Christopher Oxford, in my ignorant opinion, really nails my ideal voice for a 19th century German philosopher. I was worried the voice would fall far behind the ideas and leave a shadow upon the piece in the process, but instead I was pleasantly surprised to see the intellectual and vocal elements working together in blissful Harmony, elevating each other's performance in the process. This is one of the best audiobooks I've listened to, and---though I may be bias---I wouldn't listen to Nietzsche's The Antichrist under any vocal performance. I recommend this to all Nietzsche fans that yearn for a pocket Nietzsche to take on a drive or wait in line to.

I hope Christopher Oxford has voiced some of Nietzsche's other works, because he has the voice of an Ubermensch.

Reader-Listener in Washington, DC

Excellent narration

Conveys Nietzsche quite ‘accurately’ - as vivid as can be, not compromising- Nietzsche wouldn’t have appreciated that

Thank you

Two Great Books

These two books by Nietzsche are notorious, polemical, and insightful into the authors most intimate thoughts and revealing his character. The reading is of a superior nature and excellently done. The overall performance is only 4 stars because the books are based on older translations, however the conception of thought is still clearly presented except for some small nuances. Definitely a tremendous bargain and well worth the purchase price!

Narrator is intolerable

I managed to suffer through 25 minutes. Will just purchase a different narrator so that I may enjoy this book again

alas for Nietzsche

A rendering through the nose, if you will, an english nose, smug, ‘educated’, as only an european decadent is educated, thoroughly self-aware kind of nose, belonging on the face of those modern cowards who stand sniveling while their women run things. Listening to it, finally one wishes to smash that nose for interpreting Nietzsche rather than presenting him.