author
Minna Wettstein-Adelt
b. 1869
A bold late-19th-century journalist and novelist, she wrote about women’s lives, labor, and same-sex love with unusual directness for her time. Publishing under names including Aimée Duc and Helvetia, she left behind work that still feels strikingly modern.
1 Audiobook
3½ Monate Fabrik-Arbeiterin
by Minna Wettstein-Adelt
About the author
Born Mina Adelt-Duc on May 1, 1869, in Strasbourg, she was raised in France and later lived in Berlin, Dresden, and Munich. She became known as a German-French journalist and writer, and she also worked as an editor and publisher, including for a women’s cycling journal and a Berlin fashion publication.
She wrote under several names, especially Aimée Duc and Helvetia. One of her best-known books, Sind es Frauen? Roman über das dritte Geschlecht (1901), is remembered for its early literary treatment of lesbian relationships. She also wrote 3½ Monate Fabrik-Arbeiterin (1893), a work shaped by her interest in the lives and working conditions of women laborers.
Although some details of her later life remain uncertain, sources agree that she was active at the turn of the 20th century and that her death date is not precisely known. Her writing stands out for its curiosity, social attention, and willingness to address subjects many writers of her era avoided.