Ferdinand von Schirach
Text Publishing
Otago Daily Times, February 12th 2010
Ferdinand von Schirach is a well-known and highly respected German defence lawyer, and his short-story collection, Guilt, is the best thing I have read for a long, long time.
In it the author offers us a fascinating insight into the complexities of his both his profession and of human nature itself; crimes committed (or not) through accident and intent, in desperation and in cold blood, individuals acquitted on technicalities and imprisoned through miscarriages of justice or in acts of self-sacrifice. These vignettes would merit attention simply by their refusal to conform to the black and white portrayal of the law that predominates in today’s punitive society, but von Schirach is also a masterful writer who can pack so much emotional and philosophical punch into a few short pages that I could only read a single story at a time.
Whilst this might sound daunting, there is a lightness and a humour to many of them that leaven the mood and serve as a reminder that life is often stranger than fiction (my favourite involves a key, a mastiff, a Mercedes and a large dose of Animilax). Powerful, moving and thought provoking, Guilt reminds us that “there but for the grace of God go we.”
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