A Pitaval is a collection of causes célèbres. The name derived from the French

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. Different countries' legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a barrister or a solicitor. However, ...

François Gayot de Pitaval (1673–1743), who published several volumes of ''causes célèbres et intéressantes'' between 1734 and 1743. Early works were mainly written for legal professionals but later Pitavals also became popular amongst other readers. In the 19th and early 20th century the idea of publishing criminal cases quickly spread in Europe. Pitavals became a well-known literary genre, which was often imitated. Examples for Pitavals are ''Merkwürdige Rechtsfälle'' (1808/11) by

Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach Paul Johann Anselm Ritter von Feuerbach (14 November 177529 May 1833) was a German legal scholar. His major achievement was a reform of the Bavarian penal code which led to the abolition of torture and became a model for several other countries. ...

, ''Der neue Pitaval'' (1842–1890) by

Julius Eduard Hitzig Julius Eduard Hitzig (born ''Isaac Elias Itzig''; 26 March 1780 in Berlin – 26 November 1849 in Berlin) was a German author and civil servant. Born into the wealthy and influential Jewish Itzig family, he was between 1799 and 1806 a Prussian c ...

and

Willibald Alexis Willibald Alexis, the pseudonym of Georg Wilhelm Heinrich Häring (29 June 179816 December 1871), was a German historical novelist, considered part of the Young Germany movement. Life Alexis was born in Breslau, Silesia. His father, who came ...

, the ''Prager Pitaval'' (1931) by

Egon Erwin Kisch Egon Erwin Kisch (29 April 1885 – 31 March 1948) was an Austrian and Czechoslovak writer and journalist, who wrote in German. He styled himself ''Der Rasende Reporter'' (The Raging Reporter) for his countless travels to the far corners of the g ...

, ''Der neue Pitaval'' (1963) by Herrmann Mostars and

Robert Adolf Stemmle Robert Adolf Stemmle (10 June 1903 – 24 February 1974) was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 80 films between 1932 and 1967. He also directed 46 films between 1934 and 1970. His 1959 film '' Die unvollkommene ...

, ''Berühmte Strafprozesse'' by Maximilian Jactas, ''Prozesse, die unsere Welt bewegten'' by Curt Riess and '' Summa Iniuria: Ein Pitaval der Justizirrtümer'' by Hans M. Sutermeister (1976). Many notable authors drew their plots from Pitaval's editions. For example,

E. T. A. Hoffmann Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann (born Ernst Theodor Wilhelm Hoffmann; 24 January 1776 – 25 June 1822) was a German Romantic author of fantasy and Gothic horror, a jurist, composer, music critic and artist. Penrith Goff, "E.T.A. Hoffmann" in E ...

's short story '' The Marquise de la Pivardiere'' (1820) is based on a real criminal case from 1697 (as described by François Richer). From 1957 to 1978 the

East German East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

TV series '' Fernsehpitaval'' depicted German true crime cases. In 1982 and 1986, the

Czechoslovak Czechoslovak may refer to: *A demonym or adjective pertaining to Czechoslovakia (1918–93) **First Czechoslovak Republic (1918–38) **Second Czechoslovak Republic (1938–39) **Third Czechoslovak Republic (1948–60) **Fourth Czechoslovak Repub ...

TV aired the series '' A Small Pitaval From A Large City'' based on true crime cases in Prague, too.A Small Pitaval From a Large City
at imdb.com

External links

''Causes célèbres et intéressantes, avec les jugemens qui les ont décidées''
by François Gayot de Pitaval

References

{{reflist Non-fiction crime books Non-fiction literature