Kerstin F. Wolff - Mein Weg zum wirklichen Ich

2016, German, Kerstin F. Wolff,

Original title: "Mein Weg zum wirklichen Ich: Trans*gedanken in Trans*gedichten" (My Path to the Real Me: Trans Thoughts in Trans Poems) by Kerstin F. Wolff.

Kerstin F. Wolff’s Mein Weg zum wirklichen Ich: Transgedanken in Transgedichten is not just a poetry collection; it is an intimate, lyrical chronicle of self-discovery, transformation, and resilience. Every poem in this book feels like a step taken on a long and sometimes lonely road toward authenticity. The title itself, My Path to the Real Me, already suggests both vulnerability and triumph, an acknowledgment that the journey toward one’s true self is rarely smooth but always profoundly human. Through her verses, Wolff invites readers to accompany her from the shadows of invisibility into the light of self-acceptance, where love and connection flourish alongside courage and pain.

 

Born in 1958 in Göttingen, Germany, Kerstin F. Wolff grew up in a world where being a transgender woman meant living with silence and concealment. Her earlier life and work were marked by literary promise, with publications such as Schrittweise in 1976 and Stolpersteine in 1980, both reflecting a young poet’s emerging voice. These early writings already carried a sensitivity for the human condition and an eye for emotional nuance. Yet for decades, the demands of career and daily life pushed her literary ambitions into the background. What survived, however, was her enduring love of language and her need to write as a form of survival. Over the years, she continued to create small handmade booklets and lyrical postcards for friends, quiet gestures that kept her artistic flame alive even when public recognition seemed distant.

 

In Mein Weg zum wirklichen Ich, Wolff finally brings her private voice into the open, transforming her personal history into poetry that resonates far beyond her own life. The poems speak of the struggle of a woman who once lived as a “Frau im Verborgenen,” a woman hidden from the world, and her gradual transformation into a “sichtbare Frau,” a visible and authentic person. The words are gentle but unsparing, reflecting the weight of years spent yearning for freedom. They reveal not only the pain of invisibility but also the grace of emergence, the quiet joy of being able to say, at last, “this is who I am.”

 

What makes the book especially powerful is its emotional range. Wolff does not limit herself to themes of gender or identity. Her poems embrace love, partnership, trust, and shared strength. She writes of tenderness and companionship, of the simple but profound reassurance that comes from hearing someone say “I am here for you” or “we will get through this together.” In doing so, she places her transition within the larger framework of human experience. Her poetry becomes a universal language of empathy, a reminder that to be seen and loved as one truly is remains one of the deepest desires of any human being.

 

The tone of Wolff’s writing carries the maturity of someone who has lived many lives within one lifetime. Her words are infused with gratitude and reflection, often tinged with melancholy but never despair. There is always a note of hope threading through her lines, a belief that even the most difficult path can lead to connection and peace. Readers sense that every stanza was born not just from thought but from lived experience, from nights of uncertainty and mornings of quiet revelation. The book’s honesty becomes its greatest strength, allowing those who have walked similar paths to find themselves mirrored in her verses, and those who have not to understand more deeply what it means to fight for authenticity.

 

Through her poetic journey, Kerstin F. Wolff reclaims her voice as both writer and woman. After years of silence, she returns to the literary world with a message that feels both personal and universal. Her book is a celebration of courage and compassion, a reminder that authenticity does not mean perfection but presence, the willingness to exist openly, even when it hurts. In a world that still often misunderstands or marginalizes transgender people, Wolff’s poems offer not only solace but also inspiration. They tell the reader that visibility, though hard-won, is worth every step.

 

In the end, Mein Weg zum wirklichen Ich reads like a long letter to anyone struggling to be themselves. It is filled with the wisdom of someone who has lived through concealment and emerged into self-acceptance with a full heart. Wolff’s journey from the hidden woman to the visible one is not just her own story; it is a testament to the transformative power of love, trust, and poetry itself. Through her verses, she offers courage to others, showing that even the most daunting paths can be walked, together, hand in hand, toward the light of truth.

Available via amazon.de

Photo via kerstin-f-wolff.de