Bestselling crime novelist Sebastian Fitzek "Most people die between two and five in the morning"
With his psychological thrillers such as "The Calendar Girl", Sebastian Fitzek looks deep into the human abyss. In an interview with blue News, he explains why his books are like therapy - and why he prefers to avoid true crime.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- Sebastian Fitzek, master of the psychological thriller, deals with his deepest fears through writing. In this interview, he reveals why he avoids true crime.
- The bestselling author has written over 20 books. What drives him? "Death, my own mortality," he says.
- Sebastian Fitzek's reading tour stops at the St. Jakobshalle in Basel on December 6, 2024. Information and tickets can be found here.
Mr. Fitzek, in your books you look directly into the souls of psychopaths, as in your new book "Das Kalendermädchen" (published: 23.10). How do you manage to look into these abysses? Do you go to therapy?
Supervision? No, my books are my therapy. When I hear about child abuse or see that in 90 percent of cases the perpetrators come from the immediate family, it worries me and I think about my own family. With five children, you have to suppress such fears. But when that's no longer possible, I get these worries off my chest. I used to think I'd write them away, but that's not true. I process them - they remain present. By writing, however, I give my worries structure, so I'm balanced.
I read that you were traumatized early on by the show "Aktenzeichen XY ... ungelöst". Do you now forbid your children to watch the TV show?
My children are between two weeks and 14 years old. They wouldn't be interested in "XY Files ...", at least not the older ones. They would also find it too harmless. True crime or social networks are not an issue for them either. The eldest reads a lot and would like to become an author, but in the field of new romance. The boys read manga. I would most likely be afraid that they would watch true crime documentaries on Netflix - these days they are much more disturbing than "XY Files".
Do you watch true crime documentaries?
Rarely, the last one was about Jeffrey Dahmer. After every episode, I asked myself why I was watching it at all. With fiction, I know that everything is exaggerated and altered - I don't have to worry about it being real. But a true crime documentary - let's not kid ourselves - was made for entertainment purposes. Feasting on real suffering and consuming it for entertainment, I have my problems with that.
Your last book "The Invitation" has some surprising twists at the end. Is there a danger of getting bogged down when writing?
At the beginning, I take three to four months to work on the first draft every day - regardless of whether there are birthdays or Christmas in between. I read the last ten chapters over and over again to stay deep in the story. A psychological thriller is often complex, because my aim is to make the reader feel the confusion that the main character experiences, so that you can still identify with the character. I'm aware that this can be confusing, but I don't feel that way because I'm in the middle of the story. If you're reading the thriller for the first time - and perhaps reading quickly and skimming over some of it because it's so exciting - you might miss something. But I see that as a positive sign.
Your fans know that most people die at three in the morning. Why is that?
Statistics show that most people die between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. because the circulation is at its lowest at this time. The exact time has not yet been determined, at least not documented. Fortunately, most people die in bed and not in the clutches of a psychopath. My fans may know this because I made a podcast called "3:29 - Fitzek's hour of death".
Do you read a lot of statistics when researching your books?
Not so much statistics, although I know that they are used a lot in psychology studies. I'm more of a lawyer - it's not the hard science that fascinates me, but the storytelling that lawyers also learn. My work often focuses on people, especially victims, who are unfortunately much more common than perpetrators. I'm sure everyone knows a victim in their community - whether it's through a petty crime or a burglary, which can leave psychological trauma. Abuse or domestic violence are also widespread. Mental disorders such as panic attacks or depression affect many people, and fortunately people are talking about them more and more openly. It's good that this topic is being removed from the taboo
Almost all of your books are set in Berlin. Do you need the familiar surroundings to set your stories there?
Yes and no. My very first version of "The Therapy" was set on the East Coast of the USA. My agent - when he wasn't even my agent - read the manuscript and said: "You can tell there's a lot of talent there, but also rookie mistakes. Why is the story set in the USA?" Psychological thrillers should be set where the author knows his way around. So I thought about it and moved the story to Berlin because I know my way around here.
Very interesting, thanks for the tip.
And authenticity is important, even in a fictional story. A fictional story is basically a lie - and every good lie has a kernel of truth. The foundation is the author's research and experience, and the reader can sense that. If I were to set a story in Switzerland, I would have to tell it from the perspective of a non-Swiss because I don't know my way around there. You would notice that. Berlin makes it easier for me, but Berlin is also a city where you meet all kinds of people. You have everything here - except mountains and the sea. Berlin is a city where strange things can happen without anyone being surprised.
Although you can be surprised at the bad things that sometimes happen in small towns.
One hundred percent. My next book, "The Calendar Girl", which will be published on October 23, is set in a cottage in the Franconian Forest, and "The Invitation" is set on the German border.
Your books are all bestsellers. What do you do better than the competition?
First of all, I don't see it as competition, and I don't think that's how the others perceive me either. We regularly exchange ideas, for example with Romy Hausmann, Marc Raabe or Bernhard Aichner in Austria. It's often like that: Once you've read one thriller, you immediately reach for the next one. The more bestsellers there are, the better it is for the industry - and for me too. I would never have got a contract if my publisher hadn't had the courage to print 2500 copies of my book because they had just had a bestseller.
«I had my first reading in front of five people, three of whom worked for the bookshop»
Those are interesting thoughts.
There are so many number 1 thriller authors. My luck was that my success wasn't planned. Looking back, I didn't have a big PR or marketing campaign, no hype at the beginning. My first reading was in front of five people, three of whom worked in the bookshop. Today, at the end of my reading tour, I get to speak in front of 155,000 people - that has grown over the last 20 years.
Do you feel pressure to succeed before a new book is published?
The good thing is that - unlike my brother, who is a doctor - it's not a matter of life or death. If a book flops, it's unpleasant and it scratches the ego, but it's not existential. Nobody writes just for themselves, especially if you want to tell stories. I was very lucky that I was able to succeed relatively unobserved, without anyone having any expectations of me. So I was able to write various books freely and unconstrained.
You have written over 20 books. You are a driven person. What drives you?
Death, my own mortality. I calculate in summers. I'm 52 years old now and I ask myself: how many pain-free summers do I have left? 30 would be presumptuous, I don't think so. Maybe 20 or 25 summers in which I can still travel and do everything. That's manageable. Summer is when you're most active. During this time, I won't be able to write all the books I want to and won't be able to reach all the travel destinations I have in mind. My non-existent bucket list, which would be very long, drives me on. It motivates me to live to the fullest and create as many memories as possible.
You will soon be on a reading tour and will also be stopping off in Switzerland. Is such a tour exhausting?
Yes, it is definitely physically demanding. We are touring with eight trucks and two nightliners. The show starts at 8.03 p.m. because we realized that it never starts at 8 p.m. on the dot - so we printed that time on the ticket. I'm not just reading, there's also a soundtrack performed by the seven-piece band Naturally 7, the best a cappella band in the world according to the internet. I have to keep to the timing of the show, and after the reading I often sign for several hours. I'm definitely a few kilos lighter afterwards.
Who is the best crime novelist of all time?
Good question, I've never been asked that before. For me, the best horror author of all time is definitely Stephen King. When it comes to thriller writers, Thomas Harris and Michael Crichton are right up there for me. Crichton was incredibly versatile - from historical train robberies and pirate stories to dinosaur science and eco-thrillers as well as the TV series "Emergency Room". I've always admired this versatility, coupled with a psychological depth that you often don't expect in the film adaptations.
