Sue Prideaux's biography of Nietzsche presents a fascinating and well-researched picture of the great philosopher. Prideaux strikes the right balance of focus on both Nietzsche's life and work, and does an excellent job of humanizing Nietzsche. Nietzsche is a philosopher for whom biography is particularly important (ironically he claimed that all philosophy was biography) and this is an excellent resource for learning about his life and philosophy.
Prideaux's book provides a sketch of Nietzsche's life, and does a very good job of not focusing overly much on any particular portion of his life. Due attention is paid to both the beginning and end of his life. In particular, Nietzsche's familial relationships are explored, beginning with his childhood in which his father and younger brother both died, and ending with Nietzsche's eventual descent into madness and the assumption of caretaking duties by first his mother and subsequently his sister.
Nietzsche's life had inordinate influence over his philosophy. Nietzsche's unique, aphoristic writing style was largely the result of the deterioration of his eyesight, requiring him to write and read little. He spent great amounts of time walking and pondering life's questions, but because he was unable to write much, his thought was often distilled into short and thought-provoking aphorisms.
Nietzsche's life is also essential to understanding his philosophy because Nietzsche underwent multiple changes of mind during his life. His first successful book, The Birth of Tragedy, is primarily an homage to Wagner and his music and art. It was written when Nietzsche and Wagner were on excellent terms, with Nietzsche seemingly thinking of Wagner as a second father. However, near the end of his writing career Nietzsche produced another book, The Case of Wagner, essentially expressing his loathing and distaste for his former hero, who had since passed. Nietzsche's philosophy contains many such dramatic reversals and changes of heart, and understanding his biography and what was taking place in his life at the time is necessary for a proper understanding of his works.
Prideaux also does a good job of examining the dramatic influence of Nietzsche's sister Elizabeth on the understanding of his life and works. Nietzsche and his sister did not get along for much of their lives, as evidenced by his letters to her. Elizabeth married a vocal and prominent anti-Semite and emigrated to Paraguay, where she and her husband founded an Aryan colony. Nietzsche detested anti-Semitism and eventually cut off communication with his sister. However, after his descent into madness, his sister took over publication of Nietzsche's works and exercised her editorial power to alter some of his works to more closely represent her own views. For instance, she delayed the publication of some of his works until years after his death and published a book (The Will to Power) collected from his notes and with additions made by herself under his name. After Nietzsche's death, the site of his archive became a frequent meeting place for prominent Nazis, with Adolf Hitler even visiting and gifting Elizabeth his whip that he was frequently pictured with. In return, she gifted Nietzsche's walking stick to Hitler. Needless to say, Nietzsche's reputation abroad suffered due to his association with the Nazi party. His reputation only recovered internationally after years of scholarship and rehabilitation, primarily by the German-American translator and philosopher Walter Kaufmann.
Prideaux's book is an excellent biography for anyone interested in the life of Nietzsche, particularly in his personal and family relationships. While it does examine his works and philosophy, it is not an academic examination. However, for anyone interested in reading a book by Nietzsche, it is an excellent way to become acquainted with his biography in order to better understand his works.
Some notable books cited or mentioned are R. J. Hollingdale's biography of Nietzsche, Nietzsche, The Man and His Philosophy, Krell and Bates’ biography The Good European, Yvonne Sherratt's Hitler's Philosophers, Rüdiger Safranski's Nietzsche, A Philosophical Biography, and Jacob Burckhardt's The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy.
Finally, a couple of my favorite Nietzsche aphorisms:
We want to be poets of our life — first of all in the smallest most everday matters.
Mystical explanations are considered deep; the truth is they are not even shallow.
There is something comical in the sight of authors who enjoy the rustling folds of long and involved sentences: they are trying to cover up their feet.