The Merry Science (1882) is the key work in Friedrich Nietzsche's oeuvre, in which he manifests himself as psychologist, cultural critic, poet and sage all in one. Described by Nietzsche himself as one of his most personal works, The Merry Science is considered the capstone of his years as a "free spirit" and heralds the transition to his later work. The "gaya scienza" deals with such still topical themes as the murky distinction between art and science, the limits of our love of truth and "belief in the purpose of existence. Aforism after aphorism, Nietzsche analyzes everyday illusions in ways as profound as they are accessible - sometimes in no more than one sentence. Merry Science contains virtually all of Nietzsche's foundational ideas: eternal return, amor fati, the problem of nihilism and, of course, the death of God. This makes this book eminently suitable as an introduction to the ideas of the "philosopher with the hammer. This new translation by Hans Driessen shows us Nietzsche from his best side: stimulating, profound, clear and wonderfully balanced. Ard Posthuma took care of the poems and Paul van Tongeren provided the epilogue.