A random collection of over 1910 books and audiobooks authored by or about my transgender, intersex sisters, and gender-nonconforming persons all over the world. I read some of them, and I was inspired by some of them. I met some of the authors and heroines, some of them are my best friends, and I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing some of them. If you know of any transgender biography that I have not covered yet, please let me know.
Original title: "Charlotte. Salome. Veronika. Transvestiten" (Charlotte. Salome. Veronica. Transvestites) by Susann Hillebrand and Irmgard Johannson.
In the book, three transgender women are portrayed in photos and interviews. Charlotte was born in 1900 and was 78 years old when the book was published, Salome was 22 and Veronika was 26. In their questions, the two authors show real interest in the analysis of the transgender phenomenon and transgender community in Germany.
1978,
German,
Irmgard Johannson,
Susann Hillebrand,
Original title: "Wiebkes Tagebuch X: Teil X des Tagebuchs einer trans Frau, der vierte “angekommene” Teil (Aug.-Okt. 2023) (Wiebke werden)" (Wiebke's Life X: Part X of the diary of a trans woman, the fourth “I finally am myself”- part (Aug.-Oct. 2023) (Becoming Wiebke Book 10)) by Wiebke ter Lichten.
"In the summer of 2018, my girlfriend asked me out of the blue if I’d ever considered being completely transformed into a woman. She suggested that it might be interesting. I pushed around quite a bit, and to be honest, the thought may have crossed my mind for a split second, but I dismissed it because I was absolutely certain the result wouldn't be good. Then Christmas 2018 came and her gift was just that: a makeover. She’d spoken to the manager of a service and made all the preparations. No chance for me to back out! The styling took place on Valentine's Day 2019 and Wiebke was born."
2023,
German,
Wiebke ter Lichten,
Original title: "Psychopathia sexualismus" by Richard von Krafft-Ebing.
Psychopathia Sexualis, written by Richard Freiherr von Krafft-Ebing in 1886, is a pioneering work in the field of sexual pathology. This clinical-forensic study delves into a wide range of paraphilias and specifically focuses on male homosexuality and bisexuality—referred to as the “antipathetic sexual instinct” in the subtitle.
Crossdressing in the modern sense appeared with Karl Heinrich Ulrich as early as 1868, and Carl Westphal used the term "contrary sexual feeling" in 1870, although not yet differentiated from so-called uranism. Richard von Krafft-Ebing then published the first edition of "Psychopathia sexualismus" in 1886, which went through 17 editions. There he uses the term “Metamorphosis sexualis paranoica” (sex change madness).
1886,
German,
Richard von Krafft-Ebing,
Original title: "Wiebkes Tagebuch IX: Teil IX des Tagebuchs einer trans Frau, der dritte “angekommene” Teil (Apr. - Jul. 2023) (Wiebke werden 9)" (Wiebke’s Diary IX: Part IX of the diary of a trans woman, the third “I finally am myself”- part (Apr. - Jul. 2023) (Becoming Wiebke)) by Wiebke ter Lichten.
"In the summer of 2018 my girlfriend asked me out of the blue if I’d ever considered being completely transformed into a woman. She suggested that it might be interesting. I pushed around quite a bit, and to be honest, the thought may have crossed my mind for a split second, but I dismissed it because I was absolutely certain the result wouldn't be good. Then Christmas 2018 came and her gift was just that: a makeover. She’d spoken to the manager of a service and made all the preparations. No chance for me to back out! The styling took place on Valentine's Day 2019 and Wiebke was born."
2023,
German,
Wiebke ter Lichten,
Original title: "Frau mit Nebenwirkungen: Transgender ohne Wahlfreiheit" (Woman with side effects: transgender without freedom of choice) by Inès Adler.
"She was an engineer, she was a dominatrix. She was a man, she was a woman. Macho and girl. All avenues were open to her, but she lacked courage. For over sixty years, my gender boundaries were blurred. Like hostile countries, constantly at war with each other.
Even as a child, I wanted to wear girls' clothes and quickly had to learn to hide my true self. The parents: hopelessly overwhelmed. In Germany's economic miracle, you had to achieve something. Children had to function. Therefore, this life story turns out to be a long, adventurous roller coaster ride. Due to a lack of enlightening information, I thought I was sick at some point.
2024,
German,
Inès Adler,
Original title: "Und dennoch Ja zum Leben: Die Jugend eines Intersexuellen in den Jahren 1915–1933" (And Yet Yes to Life: The Youth of an Intersexual in the Years 1915–1933) by Erich Amborn.
"This text captivates the reader in an impressive way. The sober and restrained depiction of the consequences of such an otherness alone is hardly conceivable for the "normal person" and touches the reader intensively and lastingly.
This segregation from human society is an existential omen that is difficult to bear and to overcome. In this text, one is confronted with a fate that illuminates the human condition from an unknown and hidden side.
For those who want to listen, this is an instructive and continuing example of what life can mean. Understanding, insights, and tolerance undoubtedly make reading a win.
The human being, whose decisive years of development are described in this text, was born without a clear gender determination. In accordance with his physical and psychic disposition, nature has placed him between the definable poles of man and woman, just as if this nature wanted to say: "Here you have your strangeness of your body and your psyche, see how you can cope with it and how you can come to a life worthy of man. In any case, you are an outsider of 'normal' society.""
1981,
Erich Amborn,
German,
Intersex,
Original title: "Nichts darf sinnlos enden: Über Charlotte von Mahlsdorf und das Theaterstück »Ich bin meine eigene Frau" (Nothing should end meaninglessly: About Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and the play I am my own wife) by Peter Süß.
The book presents the story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, whose birth name was Lothar Berfelde, a German transgender woman and museum curator who gained fame for her efforts in preserving and documenting the cultural history of the GDR (German Democratic Republic) during the Cold War era.
She was born on March 18, 1928, in Berlin, Germany, and died on April 30, 2002.
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf survived the Nazi regime and later the oppressive East German regime. She openly identified as a transgender woman and became known for her unique museum, the Gründerzeit Museum, which housed a collection of everyday objects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The museum was located in Mahlsdorf, a district of Berlin.
Her life and achievements became widely known through the play "I Am My Own Wife" by Doug Wright, which premiered in 2003. The play, based on interviews with Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play in 2004. The play explores themes of identity, survival, and the impact of political regimes on individual lives.
2006,
Charlotte von Mahlsdorf,
German,
Peter Süß,
Original title: "You have never seen a dancer like Voo Doo: Das unglaubliche Leben des Willy Pape: Das unglaubliche Leben des Willi Pape" (You have never seen a dancer like Voo Doo: The Incredible Life of Willy Pape: The Incredible Life of Willi Pape) by Jens Dobler.
"Magnus Hirschfeld wrote in his study The Transvestites (1910/12): "The young transvestite Willi Pape, whose predisposition became known through a suicide attempt in women's clothes. His parents were informed by the author of his peculiar condition, and then allowed him to go to the vaudeville, where he has since performed with great success as a snake dancer."
Willy Pape (1891–1940) was the dance phenomenon of the vaudeville stages of the 1920s in Berlin, Zurich, Paris and Vienna under his stage name Voo Doo. Man or woman? That was always the question. Classic female actor or early example of trans*, queer or non-binary? Voo Doo has always been more of a stage than a tabloid, more of a top performer than a starlet, more of a diligent worker than a salon hero. Eventually, he opened a club whose guests included Klaus Mann. Escaping the Nazis with a black eye, Pape disappeared into oblivion, but was never completely forgotten. Jens Dobler tells the story of the incredible life of Willy Pape alias Voo Doo, and at the same time takes a foray into the great era of European variety culture."
2022,
German,
Jens Dobler,
Magnus Hirschfeld,
Voo Doo,
Willi Pape,
Original title: "Das Ende des Dornenwaldes: Die Lebensgeschichte einer Transsexuellen" (The end of the Thorn Forest: The life story of a transsexual) by Eva Maria Thalbach.
"The life story of a transsexual who is watched suspiciously by her fellow citizens, betrayed by parents and friends, abused and slandered by a clique of men in high society and who despite all this does not let it get her down.
An exciting book with thriller traits and a happy ending, not only for those affected by self-suffering, which shows that perseverance, courage and self-confidence can lead to success and a happy life even after a long road full of obstacles and disappointments."
2015,
Eva Maria Thalbach,
German,
Original title: "German Girl Bruno: Als Transsexueller unter dem Hakenkreuz" (German Girl Bruno: As a transsexual under the swastika) by Bruno Stephan.
"Bruno Stephan grows up in a martial world: soldiers, Aryans, masters. But he prefers to wear women's clothes. The powerful German Reich has no place for wimps. To prove to himself that he is not a weakling, he hires as a machinist and stoker on a steamer. He becomes tough and strong and lives out both sides – as a transsexual whore: a bride in every port, a steward in every bar."
2004,
Bruno Stephan,
German,
Original title: "Tragisch, aber geil 2.0" (Tragic but Horny 2.0) by Barbie Breakout.
""Tragic, but horny 2.0" is the completely revised and supplemented remake of Barbie's first autobiography from 2012. Full of unvarnished truths, touching observations and roaring comical insights into the life of a unique drag queen."
"A glimpse into Bärbel's world. I learned a lot about them. And in fact, one or two things about me. Thank you for the mirror you hold up to me, or to all of us. And thanks for the inspiration." Conchita Wurst
"A book like a best friend: sometimes wise, sometimes hilarious, when necessary, lovingly vulgar and always, always honest." Paul Schulz
2020,
Barbie Breakout,
Drag queen,
German,
Original title: "Tja, meine Lieben: Eine Diva plaudert sich um Kopf und Kragen" (Well, my dears: A diva chats her head and neck) by Lilo Wanders.
The book is a biography of Lilo Wanders, whose real name is Ernst-Johann Reinhardt. According to Wikipedia, he is a German actor, comedian, and theatre/television host. Born on September 22, 1955, in Celle, Germany, Reinhardt is known for performing almost exclusively in a female role under the stage name Lilo Wanders.
Reinhardt moved to Hamburg at the age of 18 to study library science, which he later dropped. He became a member of a gay choir and toured with a gay theater group.
In the 1980s, he performed with gay ensembles and in solo programs in Hamburg’s alternative theater scene.
In 1988, Reinhardt co-founded the Schmidt Theater on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg. It was here that the character Lilo Wanders was created, envisioned as a biting, aging theater diva with numerous quirks. The character quickly gained regional fame due to its flamboyant entertainment.
1997,
Crossdressing,
German,
Lilo Wanders,
Original title: "Den Abgrund immer vor Augen: Tagebuch einer Frau, die nicht als Frau zur Welt kam" (The abyss always in sight: Diary of a woman who was not born a woman) by Lena-Angelique Stachat.
"This book was written over a period of six years. It was never meant to be written. And yet it came about after many encouragements from friends. First and foremost, it should help me to come to terms with my difficult life path. After numerous conversations, the desire arose to tell other people a part of my biography.
I was born a boy, but for some reason I don't understand, I've always felt more connected and related to the opposite sex.
In order not to attract attention, I lived as a man without ever having communicated myself to others. It was a normative life. But it wasn't my life. And in a single moment, everything I knew until then was completely turned upside down. From now on, I became a minority of society. I was fighting for my life and for recognition as a woman. I had to assert myself against resistance from within and without. The journey is an ongoing process that has not stopped with this book."
2009,
German,
Lena-Angelique Stachat,
Original title: "Die Geschichte von Lili Elbe: Ein Mensch wechselt sein Geschlecht" (The story of Lili Elbe: A person changes their gender) by Harald Neckelmann.
In the 1920s, the Danish painter Einar Wegener and his wife Gerda, another successful artist, led an eventful life between Denmark, France, and Italy. When one day Gerda asks him to pose for her in women's clothes, she sets in motion a development whose end neither of them can imagine. For fun, Einar appears more and more often at social events as a mysterious woman named "Lili".
But the game soon turns into a serious inner conflict. Einar struggles painfully for his identity until he finally undergoes several operations in Berlin and Dresden in order to continue living as Lili Elbe. A new edition of the bestseller from 1932, "Ein Mensch Weschselt Sein Geschlecht" by Lili Elbe - With an afterword by Rainer Herrn.
Harald Neckelmann, born in 1965, was an author and correspondent for ARD radio for more than ten years. Since 2007 he has been working as a non-fiction author, lecturer and city guide. He has already published numerous books on the history and present of Berlin.
Lili Elbe, originally known as Einar Wegener, was one of the first known recipients of gender confirmation surgery. Born in Denmark in 1882, Elbe was a transgender woman and a pioneer in advocating for transgender rights and visibility.
She underwent a series of gender affirmation surgeries in the early 1930s under the care of German sexologist Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld. These procedures included orchidectomy (removal of testicles), vaginoplasty (creation of a vaginal opening), and later attempted uterus transplantation, although the latter was unsuccessful.
Elbe's life and experiences have been documented in her autobiography, "Man into Woman," which was published posthumously. Her story gained wider attention following the release of the novel "The Danish Girl" by David Ebershoff, later adapted into a film of the same name starring Eddie Redmayne as Elbe.
Lili Elbe's bravery in pursuing gender affirmation surgery during a time when the medical understanding of transgender issues was limited has made her an enduring symbol of transgender rights and visibility.
2019,
German,
Harald Neckelmann,
Lili Elbe,
Original title: "Die enttäuschte Frau: Im falschen Körper gefangen" (The Disappointed Woman: Trapped in the wrong body) by Daniela R.
"Feelings of guilt as well as feelings of love. It was written by an amateur and it could remain her only one. For it is the autobiographical story of a dramatic life crisis. And crisis here really means in the traditional sense - decision. It is about what is perhaps the most momentous decision a person can make: to be honest with himself, with all the consequences for the environment.
The person in question is transsexual. He was born and raised as a man and yet, although he is well integrated socially, he feels the ultimately overpowering urge to want to live only as a woman. At the age of forty, he puts everything on the line: a profession in which he is successful and a happy marriage to his beloved wife. In the latter, he/she fails despite years of intense struggle. She married a man and wants him to stay a man. The resulting massive feelings of guilt on the part of the author certainly played a significant role in the creation of this book. On the other hand, the newcomer experiences a lot of positive things from the rest of the environment, even in her male job in the old company."
2010,
Daniela R.,
German,
Original title: "Vom Fresko zum Straps: Ein Leben" (From fresco to suspenders: One life.) by Petra Dorén.
"I have known Petra Dorén from the stage for about fifteen years and began to work as a journalist about her in 1992. During our interviews for various journal publications, we discovered similarities. The idea for this book was born in 1993 during a visit to the theatre to see Brecht's Threepenny Opera. Helen Vita as buccaneer Jenny broke the ice: Petra told me about her cabaret colleague with whom I had an interview appointment for the next day.
"You could write a book about my life. I didn't tell you everything for your articles," Petra said to me as she drove me home in her ochre-yellow Opel. Petra, as Peter, wore a wide-brimmed Borsalino, braked at the traffic lights and turned towards me with a huge bang: "Do you want to write it?" — I wanted. An exciting time began: endless interviews in Petra's gold cave, her world's best potato pancakes at half past four at night, travel companions to Hamburg and on tour ... I became Petra's shadow for a year and a half. She has now told me almost everything about her life. Almost everything — because that's how well I know her by now: Petra Dorén still keeps a few bangers up her sleeve! - Michael Meissner"
1994,
Crossdressing,
German,
Petra Dorén,
Original title: "Mein langer Weg zur Moni B: Eine erzählte Biografie" (My long way to Moni B.: A narrated biography) by William Prides.
The authentically told biography allows the reader to look through the eyes of a person desperately trying to find their gender and sexuality. Maybe that's why they throw themselves into life. You throw up your hands over your head when they commit a series of misdeeds and constantly offend society.
One feels and suffers with them, because the inner conflict is only too understandable as a driving force. It takes an adventurous life with many exciting twists and turns to arrive at oneself.
2013,
German,
William Prides,
Original title: "Wen interessiert denn schon mein Elend: Die Welt der Männer, die Frauen sind" (Who cares about my misery?: The world of men who are women) by Andrej Reiser.
Mostly black-and-white milieu shots of transsexuals, 40 years old, plus an essay and a longer interview. The book sensitively approaches the protagonists in texts and images: transsexual people who 40 years ago had little choice but prostitution.
It includes an essay by Peter Gorsen "Sexuality in Transition. The homo mollis and the destruction of the gender role", as well as approximately 50 photographs, mostly black and white, some in large format.
1979,
Andrej Reiser,
German,
Original title: "Zwischen Klinik und Hörsaal: Ein Frauenarzt sieht sich in seiner Zeit" (Between clinic and lecture hall: A gynecologist sees himself in his time) by Helmut Kraatz.
Autobiography of a gynecologist who writes about the medical treatment of transsexual and intersex people in the GDR era. The emeritus professor leafs through old records, letters, and pictures. That's when he comes across a photograph of a little boy sent to him by grateful parents. The doctor's intervention had helped them to be able to hold their long-awaited child in their arms.
There are many testimonies of successful work and happy patients, but also memories of difficult hours of desperate struggle for a human life. Helmut Kraatz reports on how difficult it was for his parents to let their son study, and what obstacles he had to overcome before the musically gifted high school student became an internationally recognized and highly honored gynecologist.
1981,
German,
Helmut Kraatz,
Original title: "Das Geschlecht der Lüge: Ein Tagebuch" (Diary of a male bride) by Walter Homann. The first edition of the book was published in 1907. In 1919 the book was republished as "Das Geschlecht der Lüge" (The Gender of Lies). It was also reprinted in 1996 and 2010.
In his diary, the "blond Dori" describes the stages of his unusual life. For a long time, it was a mystery to him why some men tried so hard for his friendship, while others contemptuously called him a whore. In all his innocence and naivety, he does not understand that his self-evident effeminate behavior makes him suspicious in the eyes of others. After he decides to put on the clothes of the opposite sex, he experiences a rapid social rise, which, however, ends in fiasco.
The diary reflects the author Walter Homann's (1887-1918) own experiences, but also deals with the fate of the "Comtesse Dina Alma de Paradeda" (photo), which Magnus Hirschfeld cites as a prime example of the "special sexual type" of the transvestite.
1907,
1919,
1996,
2010,
German,
Walter Homann,
