A Life Between Anthem and Hell

A man under delusions, whose severe manic-depressive disorder degenerated into paranoia during the depressive phase. A man who on his euphoric days believed he could set the world on fire and thought he was the king of the world. And in fact, Christian Schenk is a king. For he was crowned king of the athletes with his Olympic victory in the decathlon in fantastic competition. With the help of Fred Sellin, he allows us an intimate and existential insight into his sick soul of the kind that we only rarely get to read. A book that tells of the deep darkness of a person who once stood in the bright lights.

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  • Publisher: Droemer HC
  • Release: 03.09.2018
  • ISBN: 978-3-426-27768-3
  • 256 Pages
  • Authors: Fred SellinChristian Schenk
A Life Between Anthem and Hell
Fred Sellin Christian Schenk A Life Between Anthem and Hell
Boris Breuer
© Boris Breuer
Fred Sellin

Fred Sellin, born in 1964, studied journalism and worked as an editor for various daily and weekly newspapers. As a freelance author he has written, among others, autobiographies of Maria Höfl-Riesch, the Klitschko brothers, Dagur Sigurdsson and Ben Becker, as well as biographies of Heinz Rühmann and Boris Becker. Most recently, “Der Riss” (The Crack) was published by Droemer.

Marc Theis
© Marc Theis
Christian Schenk

Christian Schenk, born in 1965 in Rostock, won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1988 in Seoul and took the bronze at the 1991 Tokyo World Championships. After his sporting career, he was a successful businessman. He became ill with depression and suffers from a bipolar disorder. After two failed marriages (two sons), he lives with his seriously ill mother on the island of Rügen.

Fred Sellin, born in 1964, studied journalism and worked for several daily and weekly newspapers. As a freelance author, his works have included the autobiographies of Maria Höfl-Riesch, the Klitschko brothers and Ben Becker.