Existentialism and Human Misinterpretation?

The more I read about Existentialism (I read ABOUT Existentialism more than I read the source materials), the more I'm confused about the stereotype of the black turtlenecked smoker, world wearily counting their grey days before the welcome annihilation of death. The way I interpret every interpretation of Existentialism that I hear, the more life-affirming and wonderful it seems. I don't get the criticism of Sarte, Camus, and others. I also find what I've learned about Nitsche in the last few years points to him being a genius and misunderstood in the popular imagination. I don't get that he was a Nazi forerunner. He was appalled by the anti-semitism in his one-time hero, Wagner. Or so I'm led to believe.
I'm reacting to some recent reading I've been doing in Sarah Bakewell's fascinating book: At the Existential Cafe. I highly recommend it.
It occurs to me that this is not a blog post. This is a man musing on his couch at ten o'clock at night. Why share?
I'm sharing this in an effort to practice posting blogs. I figure if I practice getting words down on PAPER, I'll get better at it. That and I figure I can always take it down after I realize I've done a terrible thing.

Best,
Terry

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