▁ ▁Emb rac ing ▁the ▁Paris ian ▁avant - gar de , ▁Fou ca ult ▁entered ▁into ▁a ▁rom antic ▁relationship ▁with ▁the ▁serial ist ▁composer ▁Jean ▁Bar ra qué . ▁T ogether , ▁they ▁tried ▁to ▁produce ▁their ▁greatest ▁work , ▁heavily ▁used ▁recre ational ▁dru gs ▁and ▁engaged ▁in ▁s ado - mas och istic ▁sexual ▁activity . ▁In ▁August ▁ 1 9 5 3 , ▁Fou ca ult ▁and ▁Bar ra qué ▁hol iday ed ▁in ▁Italy , ▁where ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁imm ers ed ▁himself ▁in ▁U nt im ely ▁Med itations ▁( 1 8 7 3 – 7 6 ), ▁a ▁set ▁of ▁four ▁ess ays ▁by ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁Friedrich ▁N iet z sche . ▁Later ▁describing ▁N iet z sche ' s ▁work ▁as ▁" a ▁revel ation ", ▁he ▁felt ▁that ▁reading ▁the ▁book ▁deeply ▁affected ▁him , ▁being ▁a ▁waters hed ▁moment ▁in ▁his ▁life . ▁Fou ca ult ▁subsequently ▁experienced ▁another ▁ground bre aking ▁self - re vel ation ▁when ▁watching ▁a ▁Paris ian ▁performance ▁of ▁Samuel ▁Beck ett ' s ▁new ▁play , ▁Wait ing ▁for ▁God ot , ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 3 . ▁ ▁Inter ested ▁in ▁literature , ▁Fou ca ult ▁was ▁an ▁av id ▁reader ▁of ▁the ▁phil os opher ▁Maurice ▁Bl anch ot ' s ▁book ▁reviews ▁published ▁in ▁Nouvelle ▁Rev ue ▁Fran çaise . ▁En am oured ▁of ▁Bl anch ot ' s ▁literary ▁style ▁and ▁critical ▁theories , ▁in ▁later ▁works ▁he