List of German women writers

This is a list of women writers who were born in Germany or whose writings are closely associated with it.

A Maximiliane Ackers (1896–1982), lesbian actress, novelist, scriptwriter Martha Albrand (1914–1981), novelist Helene Adler (1849–1923), German Jewish poet and educator Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), German Jewish political theorist Bettina von Arnim (1785–1859), writer, novelist Ludmilla Assing (1785–1859), short story writer, biographer Anita Augspurg (1857–1943), feminist, lawyer, actress Elisabeth Augustin (1903–2001), poet, short story writer, novelist, wrote in German and Dutch Frau Ava (c.1060–1127), first woman writer in German

B Ingrid Bachér (born 1930), playwright, screenwriter Bertha Badt-Strauss (1885–1970), journalist, biographer, translator Amalie Baisch (1859–1904), writer of etiquette guide books Zsuzsa Bánk (born 1965), novelist Gertrud Bäumer (1873–1954), writer, feminist Sybille Bedford (1873–1954), German born English-language novelist, non-fiction writer, memoirist Maria Beig (1920–2018), novelist Hedwig von Beit (1896–1973), folklorist Margot Benary-Isbert (1889–1979), children's writer in German and English Augusta Bender (1846–1924), writer, poet, folklorist, activist Josefa Berens-Totenohl (1891–1969), novelist Sibylle Berg (born 1962), successful novelist, essayist, short story writer, playwright Dörthe Binkert (born 1949), novelist, non-fiction writer Charlotte Birch-Pfeiffer (c. 1800–1868), playwright, actress Anne Birk (1942–2009), novelist Ilse Blumenthal-Weiss (1899–1987), poet Helene Böhlau (1859–1940), novelist Margarete Böhme (1867–1939), novelist, author of Tagebuch einer Verlorenen Emily Bold (born 1980), novelist Nora Bossong (born 1982), poet, novelist and non-fiction writer Vera Botterbusch (born 1942), journalist, film producer Johanna Braun (1929–2008), German writer Angelika Brandt (born 1961), deep-sea biologist, non-fiction writer Lily Braun (1865–1916), feminist writer Ilse Gräfin von Bredow (1922–2014), novelist and non-fiction writer Alina Bronsky (born 1978), novelist and children's writer Christine Brückner (1921–1996), novelist, short story writer, children's writer Tissy Bruns (1951–2013), journalist Traude Bührmann (born 1942), novelist, journalist, translator Frieda von Bülow (1857–1909), writer Margarethe von Bülow (1860–1884), novelist

C Marie Calm (1832–1887), instructional book writer, novelist, poet Elisabeth Castonier (1894–1975), children's writer, journalist, writing in German and English Helmina von Chézy (1783–1856), poet, playwright, librettist Helene Christaller (1872–1953), children's novelist Zehra Çırak (born 1960), Turkish-born German poet, short story writer Alexandra Cordes (1935–1986), novelist, mainly romantic fiction Hedwig Courths-Mahler (1867–1950), novelist

D Utta Danella (1920–2015), novelist Gertrud David (1872–1936), journalist, filmmaker Henriette Davidis (1801–1876), cookbook writer Auguste von der Decken (1827-1908), :de:Auguste von der Decken, German author and writer Clara von Dincklage-Campe (1829-1919), :de:Clara von Dincklage-Campe, German writer Emmy von Dincklage (1825-1891), :de:Emmy von Dincklage, German writer Hilde Domin (1909–2006), poet Marion Dönhoff (1909–2002), acclaimed journalist, non-fiction writer Doris Dörrie (born 1955), novelist, film director Ingeborg Drewitz (1923–1986), playwright, novelist Annette von Droste-Hülshoff (1797–1848), poet Anne Duden (born 1942), prose writer and poet Karen Duve (born 1961), novelist and short story writer

E

Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine (in German: Liselotte von der Pfalz) (1652–1722), letter writer Margareta Ebner, (1291–1351), diarist, mystic Susanna Eger (1640–1713), cook and cookbook writer, author of Leipziger Kochbuch (1706) Gisela Elsner (1937–1992), novelist Helene von Engelhardt (1850–1910), Baltic German poet, writer, translator Aslı Erdoğan (born 1967), human rights activist, novelist, columnist, one novel translated into English Jenny Erpenbeck (born 1967), novelist Nataly von Eschstruth (1860–1939), novelist

F Helene von Falkenhausen (1873-1945), :de: Helene von Falkenhausen, German novelist Eva Figes (1932–2012), German-born English novelist, critic, memoirist Caroline Auguste Fischer (1764–1842), writer and women's rights activist Marieluise Fleißer (1901–1974), playwright Meta Forkel-Liebeskind (1765–1853), writer, translator Julia Franck (born 1970), novelist Louise von François (1817–1893), novelist Friederike Fless (born 1964), classical archaeologist Bella Fromm (1901–1974), journalist, diarist Cornelia Funke (born 1958), children's writer, author of The Thief Lord, Inkheart series

G Miriam Gebhardt (born 1962), historian, non-fiction writer Heike Geißler (born 1977), novelist and essayist Adine Gemberg (1858–1902) feminist novelist Doris Gercke (1937–2025), pen name Mary-Jo Morell, crime thriller novelist Karen Gershon (1923–1993), German-born English poet, novelist, non-fiction writer Rosa Gilissen-Vanmarcke (1969–2021), historian Glückel of Hameln (1646–1724), Yiddish-language diarist Helga Goetze (1922–2008), poet and artist Claire Goll (1890–1977), German-born poet, novelist, writing in German and French Natalie Grams (born 1978), German physician, writer, scientific skeptic, former homeopath Argula von Grumbach (1492–1554), poet, letter writer, first Protestant woman writer Karoline von Günderrode (1780–1806), poet

H Ida, Countess of Hahn-Hahn (1805–1880), German novelist Thea von Harbou (1888–1954), novelist, screenwriter Petra Hartmann (born 1970), journalist, novelist, children's writer Elke Hartmann-Puls (1969–2021), historian Heidi Hassenmüller (1941–2020), journalist and writer of young adult literature Uta-Maria Heim (born 1963), playwright, novelist, poet Emmy Hennings (1885–1948), poet, performer Ulrike Henschke (1830–1897), novelist and writer on educational theory Luise Hensel (1798–1876), religious writer, poet Clara Hepner (1860–1939), children's stories Judith Hermann (born 1970), short story writer Elisabeth von Heyking (1861–1925), novelist, travel writer, diarist Hildegard of Bingen (1098–1179), mystic, playwright, poet writing in Latin Wilhelmine von Hillern (1836–1916), actress, novelist, short story writer Karla Höcker (1901–1992), novelist, biographer Barbara Honigmann (born 1949), novelist Hrotsvith von Gandersheim (c.935–c.1002), dramatist, poet, writing in Latin Therese Huber (1764–1829), novelist, short story writer, essayist, translator Ricarda Huch (1864–1947), historian, novelist, poet

J Margarethe Jodl (1859–1937), writer and women's rights activist Antonie Jüngst (1843-1918), writer and poet

K Anja Kampmann (born 1983), poet, novelist Yadé Kara (born 1965), Turkish-German novelist Anna Louisa Karsch (1722–1791), poet, letter writer Marie Luise Kaschnitz (1901–1974), leading post-war poet, short story writer, essayist Judith Kerr (1923–2019), German-born children's writer in English Hedwig Kettler (1851–1937), short story writer, activist, education reformer Irmgard Keun (1905–1982), novelist Johanna Kinkel (1810–1858), novelist, non-fiction works on music, autobiographer Sarah Kirsch (1935–2013), poet, translator Karin Kiwus (born 1942), poet Ines Köhler-Zülch (1941–2019), folklorist Annette Kolb (1870–1967), novelist, pacifist, non-fiction writer Gertrud Kolmar (1894–1943), poet Clementine Krämer (1873–1942), short story writer, poet, social worker, activist Ursula Krechel (born 1947), poet, novelist, playwright, critic Brigitte Kronauer (1940–2019), novelist Isolde Kurz (1853–1944), acclaimed poet, short story writer

L Vera Lachmann (1904–1985), poet, classicist, educator Hedwig Lachmann (1865–1918), author, translator and poet Nuray Lale (born 1962), Turkish-German writer, translator Ruth Landshoff (1904–1966), German-American actress, novelist, poet, columnist, wrote in German and English Katja Lange-Müller (born 1951), novelist Elisabeth Langgässer (1899–1950), poet, novelist Sophie von La Roche (1730–1807), novelist Else Lasker-Schüler (1869–1945), poet, playwright Gertrud von Le Fort (1876–1971), novelist, poet, essayist Katerina Lemmel (1466–1533), letter-writer, nun Ellen Lenneck (1851–1880), novelist, short story writer Fanny Lewald (1811–1889), novelist, feminist Sonia Levitin (born 1934), German-born English-language children's and young adults' writer, essayist Sibylle Lewitscharoff (1954–2023), novelist Mechtilde Lichnowsky (1879–1958), poet, playwright, essayist Adda von Liliencron (1844–1913), :de:Adda von Liliencron, writer Angela Litschev (born 1978), Bulgarian-born German poet Cornelia Lüdecke (born 1954), polar researcher, historian

M Heidrun E. Mader (born 1977), German theologian Erika Mann (1905–1969), anti-Nazi writer, performer, daughter of Thomas Mann E. Marlitt (Eugenie John, 1825–1877), novelist Monika Maron (born 1941), essayist, political writer Petra Mathers (1945–2024), German-born American children's writer, illustrator Mechthild of Magdeburg (c.1207–c.1282/94), mystic, writing in Low German Mechthild of Hackeborn (1240/41–1298), religious writer in Latin Sophie Mereau (1770–1806), novelist, poet Malwida von Meysenbug (1816–1903), political writer, memoirist Agnes Miegel (1879–1964), journalist, writer, poet Jo Mihaly (1902–1989), diarist, novelist, dancer Irmtraud Morgner (1933–1990), novelist Petra Morsbach (born 1956), novelist Lisel Mueller (1924–2020), German-born American poet Luise Mühlbach (1814–1873), historical novelist, many works translated into English Inge Müller (1925–1966), poet, playwright, children's writer Herta Müller (born 1953), Romanian-born German novelist, poet, and essayist, Nobel Prize winner

N Benedikte Naubert (1752–1819), historical novelist Friederike Caroline Neuber (1697–1760), playwright, actress Hildegard Maria Nickel (born 1948), sociologist specializing in gender studies Charlotte Niese (1854–1935), non-fiction writer, poet Ingrid Noll (born 1935), novelist Helene von Nostitz (1878–1944), writer (:de:Helene von Nostitz) Helga M. Novak (1935–2013), poet, political writer

O Katja Oskamp (born 1970), novelist and short story writer Louise Otto-Peters (1819–1895), poet, journalist, feminist Angelika Overath (born 1957), author, journalist Emine Sevgi Özdamar (born 1946), Turkish-born German novelist, playwright

P Henriette Paalzow (1788–1847), historical novelist Peggy Parnass (1927–2025), actress, columnist, court reporter, short story writer, memoirist Annette Pehnt (born 1967), literary critic Marie Petersen (1816–1859), story writer, author of the fairy tale Princess Ilse Luise von Ploennies (1803–1872), poet, translator Karla Poewe (born 1941), anthropologist, non-fiction writer Luise F. Pusch (born 1944), linguist, feminist, essayist

R Elisa von der Recke (Elisabeth Recke) (1754–1833), writer, poet from Courland Eva Gabriele Reichmann (1897–1998), historian, works on anti-Semitism Ilse Reicke (1893–1989), jounrlaist, novelist and writer Brigitte Reimann (1933–1973), novelist Annemarie Reinhard (1921–1976), novelist, children's writer Christa Reinig (1926–2008), poet, novelist, non-fiction writer, playwright Gabriele Reuter (1859–1941), novelist, essayist, children's writer Jutta Richter (born 1955), children's writer Brigitte Riebe (also Laura Stern) (born 1953), novelist Luise Rinser (1911–2002), novelist, autobiographer, children's writer Ruth Margarete Roellig (1878–1969), novelist, travel writer, journalist Anna Rosmus (born 1960), non-fiction writer, works on Nazi treatment of Jews Friederike Roth (born 1948), playwright Alice Rühle-Gerstel (1894–1943), journalist, psychologist, feminist Anna Rüling, pen name of Theo Anna Sprüngli (1880–1953), journalist, LGBT activist

S Lessie Sachs (1897–1942), poet and artist Nelly Sachs (1891–1970), poet, playwright