What makes a human kill someone? How good can a motive be? Ferdinand von Schirach’s novel “The Collini Case” (originally “Der Fall Collini”) is about Fabrizio Collini who out of seemingly nowhere kills the successful businessmen Hans-Meyer. Caspar Leinen, Collini’s lawyer, can’t quite figure out why. So what makes a human kill someone?
Crime
Ferdinand von Schirach is a German bestselling author. The books of the berlin-based attorney were translated into more than 35 languages and publicized in over 40 countries. His work is largely based on cases he witnessed during his time as attorney. Schirach graduated from Bonn University and is the grandson of the former Hitler Youth Leader (“Reichsjugendführer”) Baldur von Schirach. This doesn’t tell you anything about his bestselling grandson, but it makes the historic background of “The Collini Case” even more interesting.
Guilt
I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. It is an absolute writing masterclass and Ferdinand von Schirach captivated me within only a couple of pages. I don’t know when I stayed up until 2 am because I wanted to keep reading a book so badly – I did for this one. And it was totally worth it.
“Der Fall Collini” is extremely well written. That’s an understatement actually. It is insane! Interesting, thrilling, and full of plot twists.
Punishment
Sometimes it is difficult to express why I enjoyed a book. The words just don’t always come to you that easily.
Usually, this is much easier with non-fiction writings. You want to get something out of them. Learn or understand a topic. Dive deeper into a problem. Writing about those learnings is easier – more concrete and tangible. But that is not the case with fiction books.
Yes, “The Collini Case” is very well written, but that is only partly why I enjoyed reading it so much. There is more to it.
I do know one more reason why I loved it: learning about criminal law after WW2 in Germany and its long-term consequences for society. One can still see its impact today and even find paragraphs from the time of the Hitler regime in the criminal justice system.
Now you don’t have do care about that – I certainly did not before I read the book – but the unique combination of a crime drama and a very easy to digest history lesson is stunning. It is worth your time!
I found an amazing article during my research for this post. It describes some of the German laws that are still in effect and go back to the NS-regime. The most famous one: §211 StGB the “Mordparagraph” (loose translation Murder paragraph). Check it out!
I have attached an English translation for you to download below.
God
My Christmas break starts on the 16th of December until January 10th. Ferdinand von Schirach has quite a few more publications. Combine the two and you know what I’m going to do!
Let’s hope these other books are as good as “The Collini Case”.
I am very hopeful!
Enjoy!
Inspiring review of this book and this author. I never read a book written by Ferdinand von Schirach. Why? Perhaps, I thought he is to famous in Germany to be a real good author. But, this review in mind I will try to find out for myself. Good to know that Christmas holidays are coming soon!
CU FvS
Glad you enjoyed the post! He is a good author indeed. Seems like your gonna find out on your own during the holiday season. Let me know how you like his books 🙂