Is “My sister and I” a Work of Nietzsche?

Abstract

Among the works attributed to Frederick Nietzsche, there are, at least, two translations into Castillian Spanish of the one titled My sister and I. It is believed to be Nietzsche’s last work, written in the Jena clinic against his mother and his sister. In it, Nietzsche examines his life starting in his youth, showing us unknown events that could have conditioned the human and philosophical trajectories of this brilliant thinker. Nonetheless, this work is not considered in the several studies conducted in the twentieth century that aimed at determining the critical edition of the Nietzschean corpus. Thus, in spite of its frequent presence in the divulging arena, My Sister and I is far from being accepted by all experts. We seem to be witnessing a situation of silence and affirmation. Some do not even refer to it in discussions; others acknowledge it without a critical view. What arguments do exist in favour or against its authorship? What aspects in Nietzsche’s doctrine and life would be modified if we were to acknowledge his authorship? Could we shine some light on these questions?