Poet dead for 200 years told to pay TV licence

Poet dead for 200 years told to pay TV licence

Friedrich Schiller, one of Germany's favourite poets and playwrights, has received reminders to pay his television licence - despite having been dead since 1805.

Two notices were delivered by GEZ, a licence-collecting agency, which threatened to mount legal action against the literary hero, who is best known for his poem Ode to Joy, which was put to music by Beethoven, unless he quickly settled his monthly €17 (£14) bill.

They were sent to a primary school bearing Schiller's name in Weigsdorf-Köblitz, a town in the eastern state of Saxony.

The second came despite the school's headteacher sending the agency a letter informing them that "the addressee is no longer in a position to listen to the radio or watch television".

GEZ replied saying Schiller would only be exempt if he could prove he did not own television or radio sets.

Dear Gez

Have you stopped to think and ask when was the radio invented?

For your information: "Guglielmo Marconi was one of the first to develop commercial workable radio communication. He sent and received his first radio signal in Italy in 1895".

That is 90 years after my death. What more proof do you need that I don't own a radio set?

Moreover, "TV as we know it was invented by Philio T Farnsworth in 1928".

That is 123 years after my death. Once again, proof that I don't own a TV set.

Now, if you please go away and let me rest in peace. Otherwise I will have to get in touch with the Dead Poet's Society to take up my case.

Yours sincerely,

Friedrich Schiller