The story of teenage Christiane, who started using drugs at the age of 12, was not intended to be published as a book. The girl was persuaded to confess by two journalists from the “Stern” magazine. Kai Kermann and Horst Rieck met Felscherinow in 1978, when she participated in the trial of a man who paid underage girls for sex. However, the payment was not money, but heroin.
What happened to Christiane F.? She is the heroine of the bestseller “We, children from the Zoo Station”
The journalists wanted to prove what a huge drug problem Germany was struggling with among teenagers in the 1970s. It was a taboo topic, and the duo needed irrefutable evidence. The journalists arranged an interview with Felscherinow, which was to last two hours. However, the conversation extended to two months, during which the girl described her life and the process of falling into addiction in detail. Apart from her own story, she also touched on equally incredible and painful biographies of other young residents of West Berlin. Initially, her story was published as a series of articles.
In 1979, the now world bestseller “We, Children from the Zoo Station” was published. It is a chronicle of Felscherinow’s life, which reports events from the period 1975-1978, the story ends when the girl is only 15 years old. The moving biography was a huge hit, translated into 30 languages and selling approximately five million copies. In 1981, a film was made based on it, and in 2021 – a series. What worried the children’s parents the most was that after the book’s premiere, most of its readers were teenagers. Moreover, Christiane has become a cult figure. Children began to imitate her style, and the titular station became a tourist attraction. After reading Christiane F.’s tragic confessions, it is hard to believe that the teenager’s symbolic fascination could turn into a desire to share her fate in a child who had not previously shown any self-destructive behavior.
Christiane’s life changed dramatically after the book was published. When the girl reached the age of majority, she gained full access to her account, which, thanks to the success of the biography, had a considerable fortune. However, Christiane’s drug addiction nightmare did not end after the publication of the bestseller. At the age of 19, she went to the United States to promote a film about her life. There she also met her biggest idol – David Bowie. However, the idyll did not last long, soon the girl was detained and arrested for possession of heroin and opium. At the end of the 1980s, events took place that again had a dramatic impact on Christiane’s life. Felscherinow then became infected with the hepatitis C virus by taking drugs with a dirty needle.
“I will die a premature and painful death”
At that time, one of the authors of the memorable interview with Christiane decided to find the woman to add an ending to the world-famous story. He dropped the topic when he learned that Felscherinow had relapsed. At the age of 30, a woman makes another sudden decision. He wants to change his surroundings and gain anonymity. Felscherinow gets involved with a hippie and takes him to Greece. She leaves him, checks him into rehab and gives birth to a son. After moving to Amsterdam in 2008, Christiane returns to drugs and loses her parental rights.
In 2013, Felscherinow decided to publish another book. At the beginning, she emphasized that in “Life despite everything” she could finally describe “what it really was like.” In a later interview, she denied these words and emphasized that her main goal was for the new book to be a more effective deterrent to drug use than the previous one. “I am sure this will happen. I am describing here how much pain I have experienced in my life and that because of all this I will die a premature and painful death,” Felscherinow said in an interview with vice.com.
On the occasion of the premiere of her next biography, Felscherinow emphasized her grudge against the public that she is still perceived through the prism of her addiction. “Everyone only cares whether I’m finally clean or not again? As if there was nothing more to say about me. I can’t be clean. This is what everyone has always expected from me. Doctors are complaining, but I finally just have a life,” she declared. Christiane in an interview for “Der Spiegel”.
At the age of 51, Felscherinow admitted that she still takes methadone and smokes marijuana, but her biggest problem is alcohol. When repeatedly asked why she didn’t stop taking drugs, she replied that she never wanted to. “I didn’t know any other life. I decided to function differently from the rest. I don’t need an excuse to end it,” she said in an interview with vice.com. Today, Christiane Felscherinow is 61 years old, she is most likely still addicted, but she disappeared from the media for a long time.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
