In August 2011 – shortly after the publication of my third novel Fast genial – a Sunday newspaper wrote that I was born with the name Benedict von Schirach and was the brother of the philosopher Ariadne von Schirach and the nephew of the writer Ferdinand von Schirach. That is only partly correct; he is actually my cousin. The article also said I had changed my surname. That is correct.
My German grandfather Baldur von Schirach was Reich youth leader during the Nazi era; a convinced anti-Semite who, as Gauleiter of Vienna, was later responsible for the deportation of the Jewish population there to concentration camps. He died ten years before I was born. His words make me angry and fill me with shame; I condemn his horrific deeds with all that I am. The suffering he caused continues to this day and pains me deeply. I did not want to bear the name of a person who committed such crimes and showed no remorse I consider worthy of the term. And I did not want to be judged by what my ancestors did but only as my own person, and show that I stand for something else. So I did something that seemed stronger to me than words.
After leaving school, I went to the registry office and had my name changed. That means ‘Wells’ is neither a pen name nor a pseudonym; it is my official surname. I went on to publish my books under that name, I pay my taxes under it, and if I have children one day, they could also be called Wells. My family has been very supportive of this decision, including my parents, my sister Ariadne and my cousin Ferdinand. My chosen name is an homage to John Irving, who inspired me to write, and his character Homer Wells from the novel The Cider House Rules.
After my birth name was made public I was asked for numerous interviews on the subject. I declined them all, I wanted to remain independent as a writer – and not promote any books with this additional attention. I’m very grateful that most reviews and articles refrain from mentioning my family or the writers among my relatives, and respect my wish for autonomy. However, having been asked about it a number of times abroad after my last novel was translated into various languages, I have realized I’d like to make my motivations clear in a short statement in German.
Changing my name is merely the tip of the iceberg, merely the visible element of my lifelong responsibility and confrontation with this family guilt. To this day, that confrontation is one of anger and shame, and above all of grief and condolence for the victims and their families. And of the constant endeavour to put oneself in another person’s shoes, and a deep sense that we human individuals – no matter where we are from, no matter what faith or skin color we might have – are unique and yet all the same. That is what is found in many of my stories. And that is what I stand for.
Benedict Wells, October 2017
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Addendum: Years later, I went into more detail about my family background in a longer podcast interview (around 2 hours 26 minutes, in German). If you want, you can listen to it here.