Meike Ziervogel

Ziervogel was born in 1967 in Kiel in Germany and grew up in Schleswig-Holstein and Hessen. She came to London in 1986 to study Arabic language and literature. She received Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees from The School of Oriental and African Studies. She speaks German, English, Arabic and French. Meike is married and has two children, a daughter and a son. Ziervogel's family, notably her parents and grandparents, were displaced from their home in modern-day Poland, due to the political climate at the end World War II.{{Cite news |last=Ash |first=Lucy |date=2017-07-10 |title=The Photographer by Meike Ziervogel review – poignant novel of guilt and renewal |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/jul/10/photographer-by-meike-ziervogel-review |access-date=2023-12-21 |issn=0029-7712}}{{Cite news |last=Ziervogel |first=Meike |date=2013-09-19 |title=Meike Ziervogel: 'I could only write about Magda Goebbels in English' |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/sep/19/magda-goebbels-meike-ziervogel-not-booker |access-date=2023-12-21 |issn=0261-3077}}

After graduation, Ziervogel worked as a journalist for Reuters in London and Agence France-Presse in Paris. In 2008 she founded Peirene Press, an award-winning independent UK publishing house specialising in contemporary European fiction in English translation.{{Cite web |date=2015-02-09 |title=Peirene Press |url=https://redirecter.toolforge.org/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.peirenepress.com%2Fabout_us%2Fpeirene_people |archive-date= |access-date=2023-12-21 }} In 2012 Meike was voted as one of Britain's 100 most innovative and influential people in the creative and media industries for the hClub 100 list devised by Time Out London and the Hospital Club. Following then, Ziervogel has authored 5 novels. Her work often explores family dynamics, perceptions of reality, and plot lines.

In 2020, Ziervogel co-founded Alsama Project, where she is currently CEO.{{cite web |title=A Conversation with Meike Ziervogel and Aamna Mohdin |url=https://www.stanfords.co.uk/event-a-conversation-with-meike-ziervogel-and-aamna-mohdin-1381926973779 |website=Stanfords |access-date=7 July 2025}} Under her leadership, Alsama Project runs education centres for out-of-school refugee and displaced youth in the Middle East. {{cite web |title=Palestinian refugees in Lebanon keep hope alive after the Nakba |url=https://www.newarab.com/features/palestinian-refugees-lebanon-keep-hope-alive-after-nakba |website=The New Arab |access-date=2 July 2025}}. Most of its students join Alsama Project illiterate, and within 5 months 95% of them are literate. {{cite web |title=Palestinian refugees in Lebanon keep hope alive after the Nakba |url=https://www.newarab.com/features/palestinian-refugees-lebanon-keep-hope-alive-after-nakba |website=The New Arab |access-date=2 July 2025}}

As of March, 2022, she stepped down as director of Peirene Press, following seven International Booker Prize nominations under her leadership, to focus more on her non-profit work with Alsama.{{cite web |title=Peirene Press announces new direction |url=https://www.peirenepress.com/peirene-press-announces-new-direction/ |website=Peirene Press |date=28 March 2022 |access-date=9 July 2025}}

Ziervogel published her debut novel, Magda, in 2013. She wrote this novel as a fictionalized biography of Magda Goebbels, wife of Nazi Propaganda Minister, Joseph. Magda was shortlisted for the Guardian's Not the Booker prize and nominated as a book of the year 2013 by the Irish Times, Observer and Guardian readers. The book was released in Polish translation in January 2015 and reached Number 6 in the Polish national bestseller list on the same month.{{cite web |title=International Bestsellers, January 2015 - Publishing Trends |url=http://www.publishingtrends.com/2015/01/international-bestsellers-january-2015/ |accessdate=26 September 2016 |publisher=publishingtrends.com}} Magda has also appeared in German, Catalan and Italian translation. The German version of Magda was translated by Martin Thomas Pesl and published by Atilier Éditions in Vienna.

Ziervogel's second novel Clara's Daughter was published to critical acclaim in September 2014.{{cite web |last=Vine |first=Richard |title=Clara's Daughter by Meike Ziervogel review – birdsong and betrayals in 1950s France |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/13/claras-daughter-meike-ziervogel-review |website=The Guardian |date=13 September 2014 |access-date=9 July 2025}} Her third novel, Kauthar, was released in August 2015, followed by her fourth novel, The Photographer in 2017 and her fifth love, Flotsam in April 2019. During this time, from 2009 to 2018, she hosted the Peirene literary Salon. Meike Ziervogel's books are published in the UK by Salt Publishing and have been translated into German, Italian, Polish and Catalan.

In 2025, Ziervogel published her sixth novel, Shams, which explores life in a refugee camp – focussing on female resilience in the face of exploitation, war, poverty and tragedy. The novel draws on Ziervogel’s own experience of working with displaced women and girls in Shatila through Alsama Project.{{cite web |title=A Conversation with Meike Ziervogel and Aamna Mohdin |url=https://www.stanfords.co.uk/event-a-conversation-with-meike-ziervogel-and-aamna-mohdin-1381926973779 |website=Stanfords Bookshop |access-date=8 July 2025}}

• Time Out and The Hospital Club hClub100 list 2012: The 100 most innovative and influential people in the British creative and media industries{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-h-club-100-the-winners-8|title=The Culture 100 - Winners - Time Out in association with The Hospital Club|publisher=timeout.com|accessdate=26 September 2016}}
• Irish Times Books of the Year, 2013
• Observer Books of the Year, 2013{{Cite news |last=Sittenfield |first=Curtis |date=2013-11-24 |title=The Observer's books of the year |language=en-GB |work=The Observer |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/nov/24/writers-books-of-year-2013-observer |access-date=2023-12-21 |issn=0029-7712}}
• Guardian Readers' Books of the Year, 2013{{Cite news |date=2013-12-27 |title=Readers' books of the year 2013: part 1 |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2013/dec/27/guardian-readers-books-of-year-2013 |access-date=2023-12-21 |issn=0261-3077}}
• Guardian's Not the Booker Prize, 2013 (Shortlist){{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2013/sep/30/not-booker-magda-meike-ziervogel|title=Not the Booker prize 2013: Magda by Meike Ziervogel|first=Sam|last=Jordison|date=30 September 2013|publisher=theguardian.com|accessdate=26 September 2016}}

• {{cite book| title=Magda| publisher=Salt Publishing| year=2013| isbn=978-1-907-77340-2 }}
• {{cite book| title=Clara's Daughter| publisher=Salt Publishing| year=2014| isbn=978-1-907-77379-2 }}
• {{cite book| title=Kauthar| publisher=Salt Publishing| year=2015| isbn=978-1-784-63029-4}}
• {{cite book| title=The Photographer | publisher=Salt Publishing| year=2017| isbn=978-1-784-631147}}
• {{cite book| title=Flotsam | publisher=Salt Publishing| year=2019| isbn=978-1-784-631789}}
• {{cite book |title=Shams |publisher=Salt Publishing |year=2025 |isbn=978-1-78463-348-6}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.peirenepress.com/ Peirene Press website]
• [http://www.alsamaproject.com/ Alsama Project website]

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Category:1967 births

Category:Living people

Category:English women novelists

Category:German publishers (people)

Category:Writers from London

Category:Writers from Kiel