Monika Bilstein

Monika Bilstein (born 16 September 1958 in Wuppertal) is a German publisher who headed the Wuppertal-based Peter Hammer Verlag from 2001 to 2022 and expanded its children’s and young adult books division.¹ ²

Education and career

Monika Bilstein grew up in Wuppertal-Ronsdorf. Her father was an authorised signatory (Prokurist) and sales manager, and her mother an office clerk.³ ⁴ After her Abitur (university entrance qualification), Bilstein trained as a bookseller at the Köndgen bookshop in Wuppertal-Barmen.⁵ After a further year in the book trade, she worked for six years in the periodicals department of the library of the Bergische Universität Wuppertal. In 1987 she took up a position as secretary to the management of Peter Hammer Verlag.⁶ ⁷

Founded in 1966, Peter Hammer Verlag initially focused on literature from and about Africa and Latin America. Its best-known authors include, for example, the two recipients of the Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels (Peace Prize of the German Book Trade), Ernesto Cardenal and Chinua Achebe, as well as the Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli.⁸ ⁹ At the end of the 1980s, a sophisticated children’s and young adult literature list was established as a further mainstay. ¹⁰ ¹¹

Work as a publisher

In 1993 Monika Bilstein became authorised signatory (Prokuristin) of the publishing house. In 2001 she succeeded Hermann Schulz, the long-standing head of the publishing house. While retaining the existing thematic focus, Bilstein steadily expanded the new children’s and young adult books division and made it the publisher’s highest-grossing segment.¹² ¹³ The publisher’s best-known title became the picture book Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat (published in English as “The Story of the Little Mole Who Knew It Was None of His Business”) by Werner Holzwarth and Wolf Erlbruch.

The successful children’s and young adult list made it possible to continue publishing African and Latin American authors whose books do not necessarily become commercial successes, but whose themes and works urgently deserve attention.¹⁴ A major concern of the publishing house is to look after its authors with appreciation and respect. Bilstein succeeded in giving authors a publishing home and in generating the attention that children’s and young adult authors and illustrators deserve.¹⁵ This is also shown by the numerous awards received by its authors, such as the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (German Youth Literature Prize) for Will Gmehling’s book Freibad in 2020, the Josef-Guggenmos-Preis für Kinderlyrik (Josef Guggenmos Prize for Children’s Poetry) in 2016 to Arne Rautenberg for Unterm Bett liegt ein Skelett. Gruselgedichte für mutige Kinder, the Hans Christian Andersen Preis 2016 for Rotraut Susanne Berner and the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the complete works of Wolf Erlbruch in 2017. Under Bilstein’s leadership, the publishing house was able to preserve its independence even in difficult times.¹⁶

In October 2022 Monika Bilstein retired and handed over the management of the publishing house to Moritz Klein.¹⁷ ¹⁸

Other activities

Alongside her work as publisher of Peter Hammer Verlag, Monika Bilstein was also involved in the literary sector, for example in the Arbeitsgemeinschaft von Jugendbuchverlagen (avj; Association of Children’s and Youth Book Publishers) and, from 2009 to 2015, together with Dietrich zu Klampen and Stefan Weidle, on the board of the Kurt Wolff Stiftung (Kurt Wolff Foundation).¹⁹ ²⁰

In addition, from 2004 to 2021 Bilstein was deputy chair of the association LitProm e. V., which promotes the dissemination of literature from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world.²¹

In summer 2022, Bilstein and Peter Hammer Verlag supported the Ukrainian licensing partner Schwarze Schafe (Black Sheep) in Chernivtsi (Czernowitz) in western Ukraine by buying 200 copies of the Ukrainian edition of Vom kleinen Maulwurf, der wissen wollte, wer ihm auf den Kopf gemacht hat, which were distributed to Ukrainian children in Wuppertal. In addition, the Wuppertal Stadtbibliothek (city library) held guided tours, a picture-book cinema and German and Ukrainian readings of the book.²² ²³

Awards and prizes

External links

Website of Peter Hammer Verlag

Monika Bilstein’s profile at WUPPERFRAUEN

Machine translation: This article was translated automatically from the German original.

1
n.a. (2022): Peter Hammer Verlag: Monika Bilstein geht in Ruhestand, Moritz Klein übernimmt. In: Buchmarkt, article of 2 August. Available online at: https://buchmarkt.de/peter-hammer-verlag-monika-bilstein-geht-in-ruhestand-moritz-klein-uebernimmt/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
2
Bald, Petra (2023): Bilstein, Monika. In: WUPPERFRAUEN. Available online at: https://wupperfrauen.de/bilstein-monika (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
3
n.a. (n.d.): Im Einklang mit der Natur leben. Ronsdorf wirkt … in seinen Köpfen: Hans Bilstein. In: Ronsdorfer Bürgerverein. Available online at: http://www.ronsdorfer-buergerverein.de/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Bilstein-Hans.pdf (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
4
Bald, Petra (2023): Bilstein, Monika. In: WUPPERFRAUEN. Available online at: https://wupperfrauen.de/bilstein-monika (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
5
n.a. (2023): Monika Bilstein: Gespräch. In: Buchhandlung Mackensen. Available online at: https://mackensen.de/veranstaltungen/monika-bilstein-gespr%C3%A4ch (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
6
Personal interview on 14 November 2023. ↩︎
7
n.a. (2023): Monika Bilstein: Gespräch. In: Buchhandlung Mackensen. Available online at: https://mackensen.de/veranstaltungen/monika-bilstein-gespr%C3%A4ch (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
8
Pham, Du (2016): Der „kleine Maulwurf“ half. Monika Bilstein leitet den 1966 gegründeten Verlag. Das originär linke Programm glänzt jetzt auch mit Kinder- und Jugendbüchern. In: die tageszeitung, article of 28 September. Available online at: https://taz.de/50-Jahre-Peter-Hammer-Verlag/!5339570/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
9
n.a. (n.d.): Verlagsporträt. In: Website of Peter Hammer Verlag. Available online at: https://peter-hammer-verlag.de/portraet (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
10
Djafari, Anita (2021): Unabhängige Verlegerin: Monika Bilstein (Peter Hammer Verlag). In: Buchmacherinnen – Der BücherFrauen-Podcast, conversation of 6 August. Available online at: https://podcast-buecherfrauen.podigee.io/26-unabhangige-verlegerin-monika-bilstein-peter-hammer-verlag (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
11
Lejsek, Vera (2016): Verlegerinnenfrühstück mit dem Peter Hammer Verlag und dem Kindermann Verlag. In: glasperlenpiel13, article of 21 February. Available online at: https://buecherliebhaberin.wordpress.com/2016/02/21/verlegerinnenfruehstueck-mit-dem-peter-hammer-verlag-und-dem-kindermannverlag/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
12
n.a. (2022): Seminarbesuch von Monika Bilstein (Geschäftsführerin und Leiterin des Peter Hammer-Verlags, Wuppertal). In: Website of the Universität Bamberg, entry of 15 November. Available online at: https://www.uni-bamberg.de/germ-lit2/news/artikel/seminarbesuch-monika-bilstein/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
13
Pham, Du (2016): Der „kleine Maulwurf“ half. Monika Bilstein leitet den 1966 gegründeten Verlag. Das originär linke Programm glänzt jetzt auch mit Kinder- und Jugendbüchern. In: die tageszeitung, article of 28 September. Available online at: https://taz.de/50-Jahre-Peter-Hammer-Verlag/!5339570/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
14
Weidle, Stefan (2018): Monika Bilstein (60). In: Buchmarkt, article of 16 September. Available online at: https://buchmarkt.de/monika-bilstein-60/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
15
Bald, Petra (2023): Bilstein, Monika. In: WUPPERFRAUEN. Available online at: https://wupperfrauen.de/bilstein-monika (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
16
n.a. (2022): Monika Bilstein hört nach 35 Jahren beim Peter Hammer Verlag auf. In: Literatur Rheinland, article of 7 September. Available online at: https://www.literatur-rheinland.de/magazin/2022-09-07/monika-bilstein-hoert-nach-35-jahren-beim-peter-hammer-verlag-auf (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
17
n.a. (2022): Monika Bilstein übergibt an Moritz Klein. In: Börsenblatt, article of 2 August. Available online at: https://www.boersenblatt.net/news/personalia/monika-bilstein-uebergibt-moritz-klein-248617 (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
18
n.a. (2022): Geschäftsführungswechsel im Peter Hammer Verlag. In: Buchreport, article of 2 August. Available online at: https://www.buchreport.de/news/geschaeftsfuehrungswechsel-im-peter-hammer-verlag/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
19
Weidle, Stefan (2018): Monika Bilstein (60). In: Buchmarkt, article of 16 September. Available online at: https://buchmarkt.de/monika-bilstein-60/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
20
n.a. (2015): Neuer KWS-Vorstand: Britta Jürgs, Leif Greinus und Jörg Sundermeier übernehmen nach der Leipziger Buchmesse von Monika Bilstein, Stefan Weidle und Dietrich zu Klampen. In: Buchmarkt, article of 4 February. Available online at: https://buchmarkt.de/neuer-kws-vorstand-britta-jurgs-leif-greinus-und-jorg-sundermeier-ubernehmen-nach-der-leipziger-buchmesse-von-monika-bilstein-stefan-weidle-und-dietrich-zu-klampen/ (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
21
Djafari, Anita (2021): Unabhängige Verlegerin: Monika Bilstein (Peter Hammer Verlag). In: Buchmacherinnen – Der BücherFrauen-Podcast, conversation of 6 August. Available online at: https://podcast-buecherfrauen.podigee.io/26-unabhangige-verlegerin-monika-bilstein-peter-hammer-verlag (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
22
Redaktion Börsenblatt (2022): So hilft die Buchbranche. In: Börsenblatt, article of 11 July. Available online at: https://www.boersenblatt.net/ukraine-hilfe (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
23
n.a. (2022): Stadtbibliothek verteilt Kinderbücher in ukrainischer Sprache. In: Wuppertal, press release of 24 May. Available online at: https://www.wuppertal.de/presse/meldungen/meldungen-2022/mai/buchspende-maulwurf.php (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
24
n.a. (n.d.): Preisträger. In: Website of the Kurt Wolff Stiftung. Available online at: https://www.kurt-wolff-stiftung.de/preistraeger/#2009 (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
25
n.a. (2009): Presseerklärung der Kurt Wolff Stiftung Leipzig. In: Website of the Kurt Wolff Stiftung, of 8 January. Available online at: https://www.kurt-wolff-stiftung.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Pressemitteilung_der_Kurt_Wolff_Stiftung_Leipzig_Preistraeger-2009.pdf (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
26
Redaktion Börsenblatt (2019): „Leuchttürme unserer vielfältigen Literaturlandschaft“. In: Börsenblatt, article of 17 September. Available online at: https://www.boersenblatt.net/archiv/1725215.html (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
27
n.a. (2020): Die Preisträger 2020. In: Website of the Deutscher Verlagspreis. Available online at: https://www.deutscher-verlagspreis.de/preistraeger-2020 (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎
28
Werner-Staude, Monika (2022): Peter Hammer Verlag aus Wuppertal mit dem Deutschen Verlagspreis ausgezeichnet. In: Westdeutsche Zeitung, article of 3 May. https://www.wz.de/nrw/wuppertal/wuppertal-peter-hammer-verlag-mit-deutschem-verlagspreis-ausgezeichnet_aid-68973303 (accessed on 18 November 2024). ↩︎

Children's books, Culture, Literature, Literature from Africa, Literature from South America, Publishing house, Women and media, Wuppertal, Young adult books

Empfohlene Zitierweise

Petra Bald, Jessica Zeltner
(2024)
: Monika Bilstein. In: Equalpedia.

Online unter:

https://www.equalpedia.org/en/monika-bilstein-2/

(Zugriff am 26. September 2026).

Erstellt am: 23. September 2026
Verfasser*in: Petra Bald, Jessica Zeltner
Zuletzt bearbeitet am: 24. September 2026
Biographies, Culture, Literature, Publishing, Publishing house
Children's books, Culture, Literature, Literature from Africa, Literature from South America, Publishing house, Women and media, Wuppertal, Young adult books