Chronicle of Nietzsche 's Life 368indescribable atmosphere of peculiarity emanated from him, something
that deeply unsetded me As though he were from a country in which
no one else lives." Summer in Sils-Maria. Plan for a major work in four
volumes, to be called 'The Will to Power: Attempt at a Revaluation of
Values." Beyond Good and Evil is published. J. V. Widmann comments on
it: "The supplies of dynamite that were used in building the Gotthard
railway line displayed a black warning flag that signaled danger. Only in
this sense can we speak of the philosopher Nietzsche's new book as a
dangerous book." Rohde comments: "The actual philosophical part is
pathetic and almost childish." N. returns to his first publisher, Fritzsch.
Composes new prefaces for the books he has already published. The
result is an intellectual autobiography. Winter in Nice.
1887
Works on the fifth book of The Gay Science (for the new edition). N. reads
Dostoevsky. Works on The Will to Power. Numerous organizational drafts
and compilations of appropriate aphorisms. "I am now delighting and
refreshing myself with the coldest critique of reason, which turns your
fingers blue without your realizing it A sweeping attack on all of the
'causality' of previous philosophy" (January 21).
Earthquake in Nice: "The house in which two of my books were writ-
ten has become so thoroughly damaged and shaky that it has to be torn
down. This has the advantage for posterity that people will be required
to make one pilgrimage fewer" (March 4). Quarrel with Rohde (May).
Summer in Sils-Maria. Compiles notes about European nihilism. N.
writes On the Genealogy of Morals (published in November).
Winter in Nice. First letter from Georg Brandes (November 26). Ν.
becomes quite ill. "I now have forty-three years behind me and am just
as alone as when I was a child" (November 11).
1888
Works on The Will to Power. "The idea of 'publicity' is entirely out of the
question" (February 26). Correspondence with Cari Spitteier. "I have