Anna Elisabet Weirauch

Anna Elisabet Weirauch (August 7, 1887 – December 21, 1970) was a German author. Weirauch was an important figure for lesbians in Germany in the early 1900s, as well as for lesbians in the 1970s-1980s following an English translation. Her most well-known work is Der Skorpion, which was a significant piece of lesbian literature which broke from traditional peers in the genre.

Personal life

Anna Elisabet Weirauch was born in Galati, Romania on August 7, 1887. Both of Anna's parents were Berlin writers, and her father was also the founder of the Romanian State Bank. She was the youngest of four children. Anna lived in Romania until her father's death in 1891. Then, she moved to Germany with her mother, first to Thuringia and then to Berlin in 1893. She then enrolled in Höhere Töchterschule where she was trained in acting and singing. The first part of the trilogy was published in 1919, the two subsequent parts in 1921 and 1932. Der Skorpion is one of the first German novels to depict lesbian love in a positive way. Der Skorpion portrays lesbianism not as a negative trait or an ill to be cured, but as something innate. Its role in influencing perceptions in Germany was analogous to the role of The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall in the U.S. Her work was highly influential in America as well, as the first two volumes were translated into English and then condensed into one, under the name The Scorpion, in 1932. Then, the third volume was translated and published with the title The Outcast in 1948. In 1958, the trilogy was reissued under a new, provocative title, Of Love Forbidden.

In 1926, Der Skorpion was censored in Germany on the ground that it could corrupt youth. So, it was not widely distributed, but still was able to garner popularity. This may in part be because the trilogy was published during the Weimar Republic, when Germany was more tolerant of transgressive ideas than it would later be.

In the 1930s, at the start of the Nazi reign, Weirauch had to be a member of the Reich Chamber of Literature within the Reich Culture Chamber, for her work to be published. She was never a member of the Nazi party. During this time, Weirauch wrote twenty-one novels. Her work avoided politics so as to keep herself safe during a time of intense persecution in Germany.

The Scorpion (Der Skorpion) Plot Melitta Rudloff, known as Mette, (some scholars refer to her as Myra, likely due to translation) is a lesbian raised by a strict, upper-class family from Berlin. The first sign of Mette's sexuality is when she is attracted to her nanny, but that infatuation does not have any outcome. She first pursues a true lesbian relationship with a woman 10 years older than her named Olga, who Mette is attracted to for her knowledge and charm. Their relationship is initially platonic, but takes a turn for the romantic following a passionate evening. Mette's family actively tries to dissuade her from following this path, initially hiring a private detective to shadow them, and possibly convict Olga of "the seduction of minors." This is conveyed through the main romance between Mette and Olga, the latter of whom is more masculine in their presentation. Mette is smitten by the older and mysterious Olga, who is a "scorpion". In German, a Skorpion ('scorpion'), is a more masculine-presenting lesbian; scorpions communicate their complex identities through their appearances, such as through masculine haircut or fashion. Scorpions are also more sophisticated, frequently being well-educated in various fields and disciplines.

Works Little Dagmar (1918) The Day of Artemis (1919) Ruth Meyer: Almost an Everyday Story (1922) Lotte: A Berlin Novel (1932) The Scorpion (1932) The Outcast (1933) Manuela, the Enigma (1939) Mara Holm's Marriage (1949)