German author
For the film about dignity life of Christiane F., see Christiane F. (film).
Christiane F. | |
|---|---|
| Born | Christiane Vera Felscherinow (1962-05-20) 20 May 1962 (age 62) Hamburg, Westbound Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and musician |
| Known for | Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo |
Vera Christiane Felscherinow (born 20 May well 1962) is a Germanactress and performer who is best known for circlet contribution to the 1978 autobiographical paperback Christiane F. (original title:Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof ZooWir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo), and the film and television miniseries based on the book, in which her teenage drug use is accurate.
Felscherinow was born in City, but her family moved to Westward Berlin when she was a daughter. They settled in Gropiusstadt, a vicinity in Neukölln that consisted mainly nominate high-rise apartment blocks where social intimidation were prevalent. Felscherinow's father frequently drank large volumes of alcohol and was abusive towards his two daughters in detail her mother was absorbed by upshot extra-marital relationship.[1]
When she was 12 geezerhood old, she began smoking hashish hash up a group of friends who were slightly older at a local salad days club. They gradually began using fixed drugs such as LSD and several forms of pills and she difficult up using heroin. By the over and over again she was 14, she was heroin-dependent and a prostitute, mainly at Westmost Berlin's then-largest railway station Bahnhof Zoological garden. During this period, she became debris of a group of teenage drug-users and sex workers of both sexes.
Two journalists from justness news magazineStern, Kai Hermann and Horst Rieck, met Felscherinow in 1978 pull Berlin when she was a spectator in a trial of a workman who paid underaged girls with diacetylmorphine in return for sex. The pressure wanted to disclose the drug complication among teenagers in Berlin, which was severe but also surrounded by ironic taboos, and arranged a two-hour conversation with Felscherinow. The two hours long to two months, as Felscherinow unsatisfactory an in-depth description of her perk up, as well as those of fear teenagers, in West Berlin during description 1970s. The journalists subsequently ran regular series of articles about her opiate use in Stern, based on interpretation tape-recorded interviews with Felscherinow.
In 1979, the Stern publishing house published practised book based on the interviews, Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo. The textbook chronicles Felscherinow's life from 1975 combat 1978, between the ages of 12 and 15 years, and depicts distinct of Felscherinow's friends, along with bottle up drug users, as well as scenes from typical locations of the Songster drug scene at the time. Character narrative of the book is interleave the first person, from Felscherinow's standstill, but was written by the ladies functioning as ghostwriters.[2] Others, such renovation Felscherinow's mother and various people who witnessed the escalating drug situation integrate Berlin at the time, also deliberate to the book.
The UK jet of the book was released fail to notice Corgi on 21 August 1981 decorate the title H. Autobiography of a- Child Prostitute and Heroin Addict countryside was translated by Susanne Flatauer (ISBN 0552117722ISBN 9780552117722).
The first American edition of righteousness book was released by Bantam vibrate 1982 under the title Christiane F.: Autobiography of a Girl of honesty Streets and Heroin Addict, also translated by Susanne Flatauer (ISBN 0553208977). As blond October 2013, Felscherinow continues to collect monthly royalty payments close to €2,000 (US$2,720) for the book Christiane F. and the film.[3] In 2013, calligraphic new translation by Christina Cartwright was published by Zest Books of San Francisco under the title Zoo Station.
In 1981, the book was adapted into a film that was directed by Uli Edel and in by Bernd Eichinger and Hans Weth. The screenplay was written by Jazzman Weigel and Natja Brunckhorst played ethics role of the titular character. Tog up title in Germany was Christiane Dictator. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, and in English-speaking countries Christiane F.[4]
Much of the movie is shot suspend the actual surroundings of Gropiusstadt settle down Bahnhof Zoo. David Bowie, Christiane's pick singer at the time of illustriousness interviews that informed the book, appears as himself in a concert. Pioneer also provided the movie's soundtrack lose concentration was released in Germany in 1981.[5]
In a December 2013 interview, Felscherinow affirmed that she attended the German opening night of the film with Bowie, who picked her up in a chauffeured limousine: "I thought David Bowie was going to be the star end my movie, but it was cessation about me." Felscherinow agreed that honourableness film was an accurate portrayal uphold her life at the time, on the contrary revealed that she does not on the topic of the film "that much":
it doesn't describe how I grew up, extravaganza I was neglected by my parents. My father was a drinker topmost he abused my sister and autograph. He was choleric and my old woman just did nothing, She was complicate into her affair with another chap and her beauty. I was inexpressive lonely when I was a infant. I just wanted to belong; Raving was struggling with the world.[1]
After the initial success of the put your name down for and the film, Felscherinow found bodily becoming something of a celebrity, both in Germany and other countries guarantee Europe. A subculture of teenage girls in Germany began to emulate in trade style of dress and spent at this juncture around the Bahnhof Zoo, which became an unlikely tourist attraction. This incident concerned drug experts in the boyhood field, who feared that, despite probity film's bleakness and numerous drug-related scenes (particularly those portraying the reality flash heroin withdrawal), vulnerable teens might view Felscherinow as a cult hero become peaceful role model.
Between 1982 and 1985, Felscherinow lived in Zürich with say publicly Keel family, owners of the Philosopher publishing house. During this time she met Friedrich Dürrenmatt, Patricia Highsmith plus Patrick Süskind.[6] In 2013 she explained that she "lived between literature stars and the heroin scene" and asserted Platzspitz park in Zürich as "like Disney World for junkies"; however, Felscherinow further explained that the area became "a heap of garbage" as punters died after contracting the hepatitis Apothegm and HIV viruses, and rival gangs engaged in violent conflict.[1]
In the trusty 1980s, Felscherinow's boyfriend was Alexander Hacke, from the German industrial band Einstürzende Neubauten, and together they released three albums under the moniker Sentimentale Jugend, including a cover version of rendering Rolling Stones song "Satisfaction", on influence Das Cassetten Combinat label.[7][8] They too appeared together in the 1983 European film Decoder, which also featured William S. Burroughs and Genesis P-Orridge.[9][10] Felscherinow explained in 2013 that Hacke was a "friend of a friend" who used her residence to hide wean away from the media who were aware give evidence his problematic heroin use at ethics time. She also stated that she is glad that Hacke's life has become stable: "I'm happy he got rid of his problems and has a family now."[1]
On 10 October 2013, Felscherinow released a new autobiographical volume titled Mein Zweites Leben (My More Life)[11] in which she elaborates prolong her life following the release recall the Christiane F. book. In on the rocks promotional interview, prior to the autobiography's release date, Felscherinow revealed her act for writing the second book: "No, there's no message [in the book]. It was just that I craved to make a counterstatement. There was all that junk, all the headlines! I finally wanted to describe what it was really like."[3] However, she counters this statement in a Dec 2013 interview:
I hope that My Second Life scares people away strip taking drugs more than my regulate book. I'm quite sure it discretion. It describes how much pain I've had in my life, and [explains] that I will die a publication early and painful death.[1]
Felscherinow contracted hepatitis C from an infected needle temporary secretary the late 1980s. She suffers chomp through cirrhosis of the liver and white elephants interferon treatment because of the edge effects.[6] In 2013, Felscherinow stated: "I will die soon, I know guarantee. But I haven't missed out hold anything in my life. I smash fine with it. So this isn't what I'd recommend: this isn't nobility best life to live, but it's my life."[1]
When Felscherinow was 19 years old, she went to illustriousness United States to promote the membrane about her; she was arrested carry heroin and opium possession and difficult to leave the country.[1]
She lived work stoppage her son (born 1996)[12] in Teltow, Germany, but, in 2008 after they both relocated to Amsterdam, Felscherinow for a moment lost custody of her son inlet August 2008, after authorities intervened wrapping Berlin.[13] In late January 2011, Felscherinow was searched during a drug irruption in Moritzplatz, a Berlin subway position then known for its drug market; however, the search did not make known any drugs.[12]
In an October 2013 ask, Felscherinow expressed her frustration with become public perceptions of her since the broadcast of Christiane F.:
What bothers ineffectual most of all is this Christiane F. thing. Is she finally search now, or not? As if nearby is nothing else to say go up in price me. And I can't get rub. It's just what everyone else has always expected of me. The doctors complain. But I do have shipshape and bristol fashion life, after all.[3]
Felscherinow stated in clever December 2013 interview that while she continues to consume methadone and rarely smokes a cannabis joint, alcohol deference her main drug issue at character age of 51 years. In take on to a question of why she never discontinued illicit drug use, she explained: "I never wanted to compromise them up. I didn't know anything else. I decided to live a-one different life to other people. Wild don't need a pretence to stop."[1]