The issue of the use of the Nachlass material has been much debated in Nietzsche scholarship in recent decades. Some insist on the absolute interpretative priority of his published writings over those unpublished and suggest that an extensive engagement with the Nachlass is harmful because it is something Nietzsche rejected. To verify this claim, they appeal to the story of Nietzsche asking his landlord in Sils-Maria to burn some of his notes. Since the notes that were ultimately retrieved are purportedly (...) incorporated into the compilation The Will to Power, the story also leads some to conclude that Nietzsche rejected his project on the will to power. However, the reliability of this story has been questioned. In this manuscript I first present the decisive piece of evidence that will settle the controversy over the story’s authenticity. After showing that it is true that in 1888 Nietzsche wanted some of his notes burned, I address the question of what we can conclude from this story. I argue that it neither suggests the abandonment of the will to power project, nor warrants a devaluation of the Nachlass. Finally, I will discuss the methodological problem of the use of Nietzsche’s Nachlass in general. (shrink)

ABSTRACT Most commentators have assumed that the revaluation theme belongs exclusively to the late Nietzsche ; often its origin is dated to 1886 or 1884. After examining Nietzsche’s notes, I argue that its origin occurred in 1880-81. I discuss its rather complex context at this time, with no single obvious thematic textual context outweighing all the others, and consider some of the consequences of this early dating. I furthermore examine the end of the literary revaluation project, concluding that Nietzsche regarded (...) it as an unfinished four-volume project at least until shortly before his mental collapse. (shrink)