Literature and legislature – Ferdinand von Schirach – the man who talks about guilt – culture

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From defense attorney to leading author: Ferdinand von Schirach tells stories as they are written in the courtroom.

In his very first volume of short stories, «Verbrechen» (2009), Ferdinand von Schirach told a true and disturbing story: on a hot summer day, a folk festival is held in the countryside. Alcohol flows freely. Eight men from the village band play to dance and quench their thirst. As if in delirium, they attack a young service worker together late in the evening and rape her several times behind the stands.

One of the groups anonymously alerted the police. The victim later found the victim unconscious and badly injured under a wooden shed.

“Then I lost my innocence”

It was the first case in which attorney Ferdinand von Schirach was assigned in 1994 immediately after graduation. He got an acquittal for the authors because they couldn’t really be convicted as individuals because of their uniform. If in doubt, for the accused.

“At that time I lost my innocence,” says Ferdinand von Schirach in retrospect. He is still haunted today by the image of his father in tears, who at the time had lost faith in the judiciary: why were the men who destroyed his daughter’s life simply let go?

Since then, Ferdinand von Schirach has known that justice doesn’t always prevail in court. There is a fine line between guilt and innocence.

This theme also guides him in his literary works. Whether in stories, novels, movies or comedies: he always talks to us about people who are guilty of some kind.

Ferdinand von Schirach is convinced that “it is the situation that gives rise to the crime”. How many times have you seen people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time or who, due to the combination of unfavorable circumstances, became responsible.

Most of the accused are guilty

Even as a teenager, Ferdinand von Schirach really only wanted one thing: to become a writer. But the irrational fear of hunger first prompted him to learn a job.

His literary talent was then very useful as a criminal defense attorney: “Even then, I really did nothing but tell stories.”

This is because “most of the defendants are still guilty”. This is also clear to the court.

“Most of the time, it wasn’t about proving innocence, but rather I had to make plausible why it was committed,” says von Schirach. In his long legal practice, he learned that the verdict was ultimately not interesting: “It’s the story behind it that makes life great and rich.”

This is also the nerve center of his success as a writer: Ferdinand von Schirach is thoroughly acquainted with everyday controversies and deftly diverts his legal experience into compelling literature. Play with the forms in a virtuous way. He is currently transforming the stage into a voting arena.

But he is already thinking about the next projects: a film for television, for example, which shows the perspective of the author on one channel and that of the victim on another channel. Ferdinand von Schirach will still be good for some surprises.