A Pitaval is a collection of

causes célèbres Causes, or causality, is the relationship between one event and another. It may also refer to: * Causes (band), an indie band based in the Netherlands * Causes (company), an online company See also * Cause (disambiguation) {{disambigua ...

. The name derived from the French

advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. List of country legal systems, Different countries and legal systems use the term with somewhat differing meanings. The broad equivalent in many English law–based jurisdictions could be a ba ...

François Gayot de Pitaval François () is a French masculine given name and surname, equivalent to the English name Francis. People with the given name * François Amoudruz (1926–2020), French resistance fighter * François-Marie Arouet (better known as Voltaire; 16 ...

(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 – 26 November 1849), was a German author and civil servant. Born into the wealthy and influential Jewish Itzig family, he was a Prussian civil servant between 1799 and 1806, bec ...

and Willibald Alexis, the ''Prager Pitaval'' (1931) by

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

, ''Der neue Pitaval'' (1963) by

Herrmann Mostar Hermann or Herrmann may refer to: * Hermann (name), list of people with this name * Arminius, chieftain of the Germanic Cherusci tribe in the 1st century, known as Hermann in the German language * Éditions Hermann, French publisher * Hermann, Mis ...

s 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 ...

'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 known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from its formation on 7 October 1949 until its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on 3 October 1990. Until 1989, it was generally vie ...

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 Repu ...

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 books about crime Non-fiction literature