 | |
| Author | Friedrich Nietzsche |
|---|---|
| Original title | Die fröhliche Wissenschaft |
| Language | German |
| Published | 1st edition: 1882, 2nd edition: 1887 |
| Publication place | Germany |
| Preceded by | Idylls from Messina (1881) |
| Followed by | Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883–1885) |
The Gay Science (German: Die fröhliche Wissenschaft; sometimes translated as The Joyful Wisdom or The Joyous Science) is a book by Friedrich Nietzsche published in 1882, and followed by a second edition in 1887 after the completion of Thus Spoke Zarathustra and Beyond Good and Evil. This substantial expansion includes the addition of a fifth book to the existing four books of The Gay Science, as well as an appendix of songs. It was described by Nietzsche as "the most personal of all my books", and contains more poems than any of his other works.