Dear Friend of Philip,
I’m flattered that you thought the title referred to me. It is in fact a chapter in Nietzsche’s autobibliography, Nietzsche’s glorious autobibliography Ecce Homo, written in the final autumn of his sanity, source of the line “I’m not a man, I am dynamite.” The chapter “Why I Am So Clever” is lodged between “Why I Am So Wise” and “Why I Write Such Good Books.” Now, given the jocular nature of this newsletter—they sometimes call me the Playful Philip—you might think that’s one of my little jokes, but I assure you this is for real.
Please ignore the translation errors. Reading Nietzsche in English is like sex with a condom
The whole chapter is one uninterrupted flow of personal growth diamonds. Nietzsche is especially insightful on hot beverages: “No coffee; coffee murkens. Tea in the morning only. Small amounts, but strong; tea sickens the whole day when it is just one degree too weak.” So true. Sometimes my spiritual teacher makes me a cup of cacao in the morning that is a bit watery, and I say to myself, “That’s this day ruined,” and I go back to bed, sleeping, reading and cursing into the afternoon. Sometimes I’ll go out for a walk later, and it will just be such a mediocre walk.
“I have never mastered the art of being disliked.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, Ecce Homo
The chapter continues: diet, climate and relaxation are the keys to cleverness. Let’s see… I’ve been doing the keto diet, running for 70% on olive oil, and that does seem to clever me up. In terms of climate, you need dry air (Florence, Athens, Jeruzalem); damp air creates damp souls—Delft: not good. As for relaxation, I know one pleasure Nietzsche didn’t, though it’s not obvious that that makes me cleverer. I might have to look into bouldering.
But what you need most of all is a certain art of selfishness. Friend of Philip, this is hard. I’m just so eager to please! I’m a real giver. Nevertheless, listen to this and see if it doesn’t remind you of me: “The healthy selfishness that flows from powerful souls: —from powerful souls, to which the high body belongs, the fine, victorious, uplifting body, around which everything becomes a mirror: —the supple, compelling body, the dancer, whose reflection and essence is the self-loving soul.”
That’s why I’m so clever.
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The Monthly Interview
Your fiction reminds me of Saul Bellow at the peak of his ability, say in Henderson the Rain King or Humboldt’s Gift. Would you say he’s an influence on your writing?
Yes.
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Your Opinion Counts
A hotly contested poll in last month’s Philip!
The correct answer was E: Why is it an email? In my wisdom, I have decided that it won’t be an email after all. If you feel strongly that it should be an email, let me know.
Obviously, Undeliverable would be a stupid title for a novel that is not an email. Which means we need a new title. This is actually an important question, and I thought the wisdom of the crowd might be helpful here. The crowd: yes, that’s you! If you’ve ever wondered why you are so clever, it’s because of your numbers. Francis Galton famously described a game at a Plymouth country fair (1906) where people had to estimate the weight of an ox; the average was within 1% of the correct answer. That’s because error is random, so it averages out (half the people will estimate too high, half too low kinda thing). In a similar vein, crowds are excellent at estimating the number of jelly beans in a glass jar. Amazingly, this effect even holds for crowds of stupid people, such as you might find at a 1900s country fair in rural England. Imagine what a crowd of Friends of Philip could accomplish!
So it’s time to drop the jocular tone and ask you, in utmost seriousness, what you think of the title Nietzsche Boy.
A. One star: Would unfriend anyone whose bookshelves feature this title.
B. Two stars: Unlikely to pick this up in a bookshop. I’m not so into Nietzsche, and the phrase “Nietzsche Boy” doesn’t evoke much for me.
C. Three stars: Meh. I suppose if someone gifted me this book, I’d read the first five pages. If it were recommended to me three times, I’d remember the title. But it doesn’t actively make me want to read the book.
D. Four stars: Let me check this out.
E. Five stars: It’s a book about Nietzsche and about idiotic menchildren who think they are superior to the rest of humankind? I’ll take two!
Note: alternative title suggestions may be submitted through the known channels. If yours is used, you will receive 1% of royalties.
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I’m afraid that’s all we have time for. Thank you for listening, and if you enjoyed the vibe, please subscribe:
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