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: "Paradiset er ikke til salg: Trangen til at være begge køn" (Paradise is not for sale: The urge to be both sexes) by Preben Hertoft and Teit Ritzau.
"The book sheds light on the concept of gender identity as reflected by transvestites and transsexuals, and attempts to demystify these concepts by means of a series of 'case stories' about how it has really happened to people who have had sex reassignment surgery – among them the famous Christine Jørgensen and Lili Elbe. Preben Hertoft was for many years the head of the Department of Sexology. Teit Ritzau is a doctor and film director."
1984,
Christine Jorgensen,
Danish,
Lili Elbe,
Preben Hertoft,
Teit Ritzau,
Original title: "Kærlighedshistorier" (Love stories) by Maria Helleberg.
"The book contains 11 love stories. The fourth love story "The Gender" from page 66 to page 88 deals with the couple Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe. Our perception of love is based on history. Over time, a large number of love couples have played a major role in forming the myth on which we today base our perception of love. The love stories serve as a kind of role models or templates for us today.
Maria Helleberg takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining trip back in time and along the way gives her personal interpretation of a number of love stories from Saxo's legends over the Golden Age and up to modern times. Along the way, we hear about Signe and Hagbard, Liden Kirsten and Buris, Elsebe Gyldenstjerne and Stygge Krumpen, Marie Grubbe and Søren Møller, Caroline Mathilde and Struensee, Juliane Marie Ottesen and Nicolai Abildgaard, Regine Olsen and Søren Kierkegaard, Countess Danner and Frederik the Seventh, Elvira Madigan and Sixten Sparre, Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe, Helle Virkner and Jens Otto Krag, Tove Ditlevsen and Victor Andreasen. We have all learned from the characters in this book. Love exists and blossoms – and may fade."
2012,
Danish,
Lili Elbe,
Maria Helleberg,
Full title: "Gender Rebels: 30 Trans, Nonbinary, and Gender Expansive Heroes Past and Present" by Katherine Locke and Shanee Benjamin (Illustrator).
"This fully illustrated book celebrates the history of thirty trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary heroes throughout the world.
Explore the history of trans and nonbinary people throughout the world in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction book for young teens.
Readers will be educated and enlightened about gender-expansive people who have made a difference in our history and who continue to help raise awareness of diversity and inclusion in current society. Introductory materials give readers an insight into pronoun usage, the history of the word "transgender," and more before providing engaging and fascinating information about thirty trans, gender expansive, and nonbinary people who have helped shape our world.
2023,
Coccinelle,
English,
Georgina Beyer,
Jazz Jennings,
Katherine Locke,
Lana Wachowski,
lavern,
Lili Elbe,
Lilly Wachowski,
Lucy Hicks Anderson,
Marsha P. Johnson,
Rachel Levine,
Renée Richards,
Sylvia Rivera,
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,
"La chica danesa" is the Spanish language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Spanish,
"Daneza" is the Romanian language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Romanian,
Full title: "Marie parce que c'est joli" (Marie because it's pretty)
"Marie-Pierre's book is the authentic chronicle of a little boy who felt like a little girl, a little girl who became a woman, and a woman who, by dint of tenacity, finds success and meets love.
We follow Marie from her childhood in Algeria to the Carrousel cabaret where she becomes BAMBI, Coccinelle's friend, and the headliner of the show for twenty years.
We follow Marie because she knows how to tell us the simple and exhilarating story of a "transition" that upsets her love and triggers her interest in the university education that leads her to another profession, national education, where she obtains the academic degree and especially the recognition of her former students."
2007,
Bambi,
Christine Jorgensen,
Coccinelle,
France,
French,
Georges Burou,
Lili Elbe,
Marie-Pier Ysser,
Marie-Pierre Pruvot,
Michel Marie Poulain,
Roberta Cowell,
"Das dänische Mädchen" is the German language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
German,
Lili Elbe,
"La danese" is the Italian language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2001,
David Ebershoff,
Italian,
Lili Elbe,
"Cô gái Đan Mạch" is the Vietnamese language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Vietnamese,
"Tanskalainen tyttö" is the Finnish language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2015,
David Ebershoff,
Finnish,
Lili Elbe,
"Momicheto ot Daniya" (Момичето от Дания) is the Bulgarian language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2016,
Bulgarian,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
"Dziewczyna z portretu" is the Polish language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2012,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Polish,
"Danų mergina" is the Lithuanian language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Lithuanian,
"A Rapariga Dinamarquesa" (2010) and "A Garota Dinamarquesa" (2016) are the Portuguese language editions of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. It was published twice in the Czech language in 2011 and 2016.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2010,
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Portuguese,
Original title: "Wie Lili zu einem richtigen Mädchen wurde: Lili Elbe: Zur Konstruktion von Geschlecht und Identität zwischen Medialisierung, Regulierung und Subjektivierung" (How Lili became a real girl: Lili Elbe: On the Construction of Gender and Identity between Medialization, Regulation and Subjectivation).
"Interwoven into new narratives, the character »Lili Elbe« is currently experiencing a renaissance in popular culture. However, it already became a projection screen for public negotiations of gender and identity during the Weimar period.
Supposedly born as a man and surgically transformed, Elbe became a symbol of modern medicine in 1931: perfect hermaphrodite and the first technologically created woman at the same time. Through its media presence, it also figures as a prism for discourses regulating subjectivity. Sabine Meyer's transdisciplinary study takes a comprehensive look at the complex relationships behind the projection for the first time and opens up new and critical perspectives for the historiography of trans*."
2015,
German,
Lili Elbe,
Sabine Meyer,
"Danimarkalı Kız" is the Turkish language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2016,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Turkish,
"Dánske dievča" is the Slovak language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
2017,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Slovak,
"Dánská dívka" is the Czech language edition of The Danish Girl by David Ebershoff. It was published twice in the Czech language in 2011 and 2016.
Having gender reassignment surgery in the 1930s was an unusual and sensational affair, and the man who took the step to do so was the Danish painter Einar Mogens Andreas Wegener, who after the operation took the name of Lili Elbe.
The operation took place at the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, where the male organs were removed. The surgery was performed by Felix Abraham at the recommendation of Magnus Hirschfeld.
Einar Wegener was married to the beautiful, celebrated artist Gerda Wegener. They lived in a highly unusual marriage. Their life fate is told in this book, which is a fiction novel based on authentic events and diary entries from Einar Wegener.
The book is based on facts but there are some tiny differences. The Dane Einar, a landscape painter of Jutland, and the American Greta, a well-known portraitist, met during their studies in Copenhagen and got married. Their life together is gradually disrupted by Einar's tendencies to cross-dress.
In female disguise, she becomes the model for Gerda's recognized portraits. However, his sexual bipolarity means an enormous psychological burden in intimate coexistence. When the couple can no longer resist the condemnation of the Danish conservative society, they settle in Paris. Einar's mental and health condition intrigue many specialists, they propose various solutions, until finally a German surgeon takes up the case and in Dresden in 1931 Einar's dream comes true as she becomes a woman, she takes the name Lili Elbe, but their marriage falls apart.
2011,
2016,
Czech,
David Ebershoff,
Lili Elbe,
Full title: "Niels Hoyer - Man Into Woman: An Authentic Record of a Change of Sex" by Niels Hoyer.
This is the English language edition of "Wandlung: Eine Lebensbeichte" (Conversion: A confession of life) by Niels Hoyer. The book was published in 1053 and had numerous re-editions, including in 2004, 2016, and 2020.
In 1932, Lili Elbe published the book titled "Ein Mensch Weschselt Sein Geschlecht" (A man changes his sex), edited by Niels Hoyer (a pseudonym for Ernst Harthern).
The book is about Lili Elbe, also known as Lili Ilse Elvenes, a Danish painter and transgender woman, one of the first recipients of gender reassignment surgery in the world, an experience recounted in her posthumously published memoir, Man Into Woman, and the subject of the 2000 book and 2015 film, The Danish Girl.
In 1954, Niels Hoyer published the same book under his name and with a slightly changed title: "Wandlung: Eine Lebensbeichte" (Conversion: A confession of life).
1953,
2004,
2016,
2020,
English,
Lili Elbe,
Niels Hoyer,
