Of the seven recurrences of the term gypsy (Zigeuner) in Nietzsche’s works, only two possess deep philosophical implications: a short statement in RWB and the poem Yorick als Zigeuner. In this article, I suggest that the gypsy figure in... more
Of the seven recurrences of the term gypsy (Zigeuner) in Nietzsche’s works, only two possess deep philosophical implications: a short statement in RWB and the poem Yorick als Zigeuner. In this article, I suggest that the gypsy figure in Nietzsche should be read in close inter-dependence with the problem of liberation, and that it shares three features in common with the figure of the "free spirit": i) the nomadic condition and the absolute freedom it entails; ii) the struggle for surviving, essential to everyone in order to "become who he is"; and iii) pure laughter, the surest sign of a fully enacted Dionysian condition that is capable to "dance on the abyss".
