On Diary of Exile

Those who were in the habit of following my blog Diary of Exile will have been either disappointed or relieved to find that it has been withdrawn from public access. It has not been closed or deleted; it has been switched from “public” to “invitation-only”. I have volunteered invitations to a few key people. Others can request access by emailing agustin@agustinfernandez.com.

The paucity of requests received so far, in contrast with the unsettlingly high readership stats Diary of Exile was returning before the switch, suggests a number of explanations, any of which I am happy with. The most likely is that the majority of erstwhile readers used to come to the blog out of simple curiosity, and that once the blog was out of easy reach they directed their interest elsewhere. I know there were some who were genuinely concerned about my case; I know that because they contacted me through the blog’s private-comment facility. I can only conjecture that these readers may have had second thoughts about sending me a request lest their contact or their access, once given, may become known to others. I doubt whether reputable blogging platforms would allow that kind of snooping, but I would understand that concern.

I am also aware of another contingent of readers, those who read hastily and selectively to extract passages they can use to further undermine my position. Some of them even egged me on to write more of the kind of thing, I was later to learn, they wanted me to say to fit the story they were wanting to tell. I am glad I resisted their urgings, even though, without the need for them, I did unwittingly give them some material to twist and distort. Whatever is lost by foregoing a platform on which to bring my plight to public attention, much is gained by not exposing myself to that kind of tendentious prurience.

In any case, Diary of Exile is not gone for good. It is up and running, and in due course I may make it public again. For the moment, a more targeted and discreet approach is called for. My battle is far from over.