From burglar to bestselling author - Henry Jaeger wrote his first novel on toilet paper
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Henry Jaeger (actually Karl-Heinz Jäger) became famous in the 1950s - not as a writer, however, but as the head of a nationwide gang of burglars. The so-called "Jaeger Gang" specialised in burglaries and robberies on order basis.
Henry Jaeger was arrested in 1955 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. The strict conditions such as solitary confinement, a ban on reading and writing as well as a silent courtyard (yard walk separated from other prisoners) took their toll on him.
In a mental crisis, he began to write - on toilet paper and with a smuggled-in pencil stub. The novel was smuggled out of the prison and published in 1962 under the title 'The Fortress' '(under the name Henry Jaeger) and became a sensational success. His petition for clemency led to his early release in 1963. His first novel was even made into a film with Martin Held and Hildegard Knef in the leading roles.
At the beginning of his career he wrote recognised novels, later only trivial literature until he finally stopped writing.
Another fun fact: Although he was a former prison inmate, he married the daughter of a district court director.
