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Death in the neck: copper engraving of little Heineken, made in 1726 by Christian Fritzsch after a painting by the child prodigy Catharina Elisabeth Heineken
Photo: ÖNB
SPIEGEL: In
2006 your book “Il bambino prodigio di Lubecca” was published in Italy.
How were the reactions?
Guerzoni:
The critics gave it benevolent reviews, friends were enthusiastic, it sold rather moderately
(laughs)
.
But I didn't care at all.
I wrote the book for myself.
SPIEGEL:
How did that come about?
To person
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Guido Guerzoni
(born 1967) received his doctorate in economic and social history and is a lecturer at the Università Commerciale Luigi Bocconi in Milan.
His book about Christian Heineken ("Il bambino prodigio di Lubecca") was published in 2006 by Allemandi & C. Verlag.
Guerzoni: There are
very personal reasons.
In March 2001 I was working in the Braidense library in Milan, researching the role of dwarves in European royal families.
In a bibliography I came across a bizarre copperplate engraving depicting Christian Henrich Heineken: an infant with a skeleton in its back that puts its hand on its shoulder.
"Who could this kid be?" I asked worriedly before going out.
As soon as I got to the car, my wife called me, who was pregnant at the time.
She tearfully told me that the baby we were expecting would not survive the birth because it was severely deformed.
A shock - which I immediately associated with the disturbing illustration by Heineken.
At that very moment, I vowed to write this child's story.
I worked on it for five years, dedicating the book to Isabella, the baby we lost.
Fortunately, our daughter Emma was born during the research.
SPIEGEL:
How do you explain little Christian's abilities?
Can the sources really be trusted?
Guerzoni:
It may be that some things have been exaggerated here and there.
But in principle it must have been an extraordinary talent, there is no other way to explain such astonishing knowledge.
Numerous contemporary sources testify to this, not only German.
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Title: The Wonderboy of Lübeck.
The extraordinary life of Christian Heinrich Heinecken (English Edition)
Editor: Spo-ose
Number of pages: 156
Author: guerzoni, guido
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SPIEGEL:
In addition, the child was hugely bullied by his mentor Christian von Schöneich.
Guerzoni: Definitely
.
What a dramatic, deeply moving story: Christian was the victim of an educational dream - or nightmare.
And by no means the only educational experiment, in my book I also address others.
In 1721 alone, two more children were born who were later touted as "child prodigies": Jean-Philippe Baratier from Schwabach and Claudio del Valle y Fernandez from Madrid.
But the life of these exceptional children did not last long - such a forced early education takes its toll.
SPIEGEL:
So you are advocating allowing exceptionally talented children to grow up without a care in the face of intensive support?
Guerzoni: In
my opinion, it doesn't make sense that a three-year-old has to play the piano and speak five languages.
I would also like my book about Christian's tragic life to be understood as a warning.
As an invitation to all parents to enable their children to have a childhood.
And not to be obsessed with the desire to cram the youngsters with knowledge "for their own good" - as happened to Christian three hundred years ago.
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