Aufbau Verlag celebrates 80 years: a pioneer of female literature!

Aufbau Verlag celebrates 80 years: a pioneer of female literature!

On August 16, 2025, Aufbau Verlag will celebrate a very special anniversary: ​​80 years of existence! Founded in Berlin, the publishing house has distinguished itself with a remarkable development in the literary world, and Weimar is now also an important location for print production. This shows an impressive combination of tradition and innovative thinking, which is firmly anchored in the publishing history.

Aufbau Verlag specializes in female literature and counts some of today's best-known voices among its authors. These include Nobel Prize winner Han Kang, who was discovered before her international breakthrough, and the bestseller “The Pope” by Donna W. Cross. GDR authors such as Christa Wolf, Sarah Kirsch and Brigitte Reimann have also found the publishing house a valuable platform to make their voices heard.

Promoting female voices

The current publisher Heide Kloth sees it as her mission to further promote East German topics and authors. After all, women have always played an important role in literary history, as Gerti Tetzner's successes clearly show. Tetzner, who was part of Christa Wolf's “Women's Round,” celebrated in 1974 with her work “Karen W.” great successes. However, due to censorship in the GDR, her second novel could only be published in the West. Today, at the age of 88, Tetzner has rediscovered his passion for writing and shows that creative voices never fall silent.

One asks oneself: How could Aufbau Verlag become such an important address in the history of female emancipation? The answer lies in continued support and commitment to original, meaningful narratives. Over the decades, the publishing house has established itself not only as a publisher of contemporary literature, non-fiction books as well as exile and world literature, but also as a kind of cultural institution that impressively documents the historical development of women's literature.

A look into the future

Exciting future projects are already being planned, and it remains to be seen what new talent and stories the publisher will discover. The dedication with which the publisher and her team work is palpable and gives reason to hope that the next generation of female writers will soon be in the spotlight.

The history of Aufbau Verlag is not only a history of literature, but also of emancipation and cultural change. It is impressive to see how this publisher has contributed to the promotion of female voices in literature and continues to have a decisive influence on the literary landscape in Germany and beyond.

For more information about Aufbau Verlag and the anniversary events, visit the website MDR.