“Woman as human” between comics and society: an evening with Ulli Lust
Ulli Lust was a guest at Berliner BücherFrauen with her first major comic narrative, “Heute ist der letzte Tag vom Rest deines Lebens” (Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life), as well as part of the women's comic collective Spring. In addition to readings from her comic works, the focus was always on exploring the situation of women in the German comic scene and examining working and production conditions. This evening, we want to continue this mix of reading and discussion. With her latest work, Die Frau als Mensch (Woman as Human), published in two volumes by Reprodukt, Ulli Lust has succeeded in breaking new ground in terms of perception, not only in comics but also in feminist issues. Perhaps it is the combination of both. In any case, she is the first comic book author to win the German Non-Fiction Prize. Non-fiction comics are enjoying increasing popularity, so it seems only logical that they are now also being noticed by a scene that is not considered to be primarily comic-affine. How does such recognition affect one's own work practice? Why does feminist self-image translate so well into comics? What changes have there been in the German comic scene in recent years? We want to discuss these and other questions with Ulli Lust this evening. In between, the author will read from her two comic books “Die Frau als Mensch” (Woman as Human).
An event as part of the Feminist Book Week 2026 organized by the BücherFrauen network.
Ulli Lust
Ulli Lust, born in Vienna in 1967, is an Austrian comic artist and illustrator. Her comic “Heute ist der letzte Tag vom Rest deines Lebens” (Today is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, avant-verlag) received international attention and was awarded the Ignatz Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Award. This was followed by “Flughunde” (based on the novel by Marcel Beyer) and “Wie ich versuchte, ein guter Mensch zu sein” (both published by Suhrkamp). In 2025, her non-fiction comic “Die Frau als Mensch: Am Anfang der Geschichte” (Women as Human Beings: At the Beginning of History) was published. It is the first comic ever to win the German Non-Fiction Prize. The eagerly awaited sequel, “Die Frau als Mensch 2: Schamaninnen” (Women as Human Beings 2: Shamans), will be published in 2026. Ulli Lust is one of the most important German-language comic artists. She teaches drawing and comics at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover.
Carola Köhler, freelance editor and translator. Studied modern German literature, Italian, and art history in Heidelberg, Bari, and Berlin. Research assistant in Italian linguistics at Humboldt University Berlin. Self-employed for over fifteen years. Member of the BücherFrauen e.V. network, including as regional spokesperson for Berlin. Organization and moderation of events. Currently Chief Financial Officer. Lives in Berlin and Bari.
%20kul-ja!%20publishing.png)
