I have become accustomed to receiving an acknowledgment from The Economist whenever I send a letter to the editor by electronic mail. I cannot remember when this practice was introduced, but it is of some vintage already. There have been no acknowledgements as of late, though. Perplexed, several days ago I wrote to the editor’s office about it. “Am I on some sort of black list?” I asked peevishly. “Or is your feedback system failing you lately?” Not a word from the mighty newspaper, though. Neither an acknowledgment nor a response. One way or another, I have a feeling that my letters are not reaching the editor any longer. Penetrating as they are, they are going to my own website only. But this is as it should be, anyhow. Penetrating or not, my letters are going nowhere. They are written for my own entertainment, and this is how things actually stand. Hoorah! No acknowledgments, my ass.

Addendum (October 4, 2011)

This morning I was greeted by no less than two electronic-mail messages from the mighty newspaper. The first was an acknowledgment of receipt of this very piece, which I sent to them yesterday evening. “For your information,” I put into the subject box nonchalantly. And the second came from Edward Lucas, deputy editor of the International Section and Central and Eastern European correspondent. He responded to my letter about Roma or Gypsies (“Adapting the Unadaptables: A Letter to The Economist,” September 25, 2011). As usual, he liked what he read, which could mean that it would appear in the next issue. I have not heard from him for more than a year, and this has only contributed to my paranoia. What is even nicer, he asked me when I would come over to Britain next, for he would like to talk to me in person. All I could say was that I avoided travel with all my might, but that my beloved might still persuade me to visit London, where she goes often and with unabashed joy. There. Back to normal, as it were.

Addendum II (October 25, 2011)

For the record, I have not received a single acknowledgment from The Economist since the one mentioned in the previous addendum. Whatever is going on, my electronic-mail messages have a special status. It is quite likely that they are treated as spam. And they thus automatically go to the garbage bin. However this may be, it is a fact that the mighty newspaper has not published a single letter of mine for the last eleven months. Given the previous years, and so many of them, this is quite a turn. Perhaps for the better, too.