Dear Nikola,

As I reread my answer to your recent letter, I would like to make amends for the obvious inadequacy of my reply. You asked for a conventional paraphrase of "Protokollischersprach". Terms such as "Protokollsprache" (protocoll-speech) or "Protokollstil" (protocoll-style) sound authetic to me, though I can find neither of them on the Internet.

Aside from any details of Nathaniel's plans for the future, I find significant that he confides them to you. Whether or to what extent he confides them also to others, I don't know, and choose not to speculate. But his need for a dog suggests to me a measure of social isolation. It is plausible that Nathaniel has found in you his agent to communicate with the outside.  I don't know.

While searching for other books in my disordered library, I came upon a thin - by his standards - 204 page book by Thomas Mann, "Die Entstehung des Dr. Faustus" (The Genesis of Dr. Faustus). The few pages that I read suggested to me that the distinction between journalism and art is not so unconditional as I had propounded to you.

In this context I have started to reread volumes 7 and 8 in my series of novels as well as the 302 pages of poetry, mostly sonnets, that I have written, with a view to their possible publication. Much of what I have recently put together is so personal and intimate, that although its passion - the degree to which it was, - in Nietzsche's terms - written with blood rather than red ink, makes it subjectively valuable, I am intimidated by Matthew 7:6.  

I hope your stay in Portsmouth continues to be propitious. Please give my regards to your parents.

EJM