Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a German philosopher and writer who began his career as a classical philologist. In 1869, at just 24 years old, he was appointed Professor of Classical Philology at the University of Basel, an unusually early achievement in his field. Throughout his life, Nietzsche struggled with serious health problems that eventually forced him to leave his academic position in 1879. He then lived as an independent writer, often in relative solitude and financial difficulty. During this period, he traveled extensively between Switzerland, Italy, and southern France, seeking climates that might improve his health while continuing his philosophical work. During the 1880s, despite his difficult circumstances, Nietzsche completed much of his most significant writing. However, in 1889 at age 44, he suffered a severe neurological collapse that resulted in complete loss of mental faculties, paralysis, and vascular dementia. He spent his final 11 years under the care of his mother and later his sister, until his death in 1900. Nietzsche's philosophical works and ideas have generated extensive scholarly study and remain widely read and discussed in popular culture.