Ebba D. Drolshagen

Ebba D. Drolshagen is a German translator, author, and cultural historian born in 1948 in Büdingen, Hesse. Dividing her time between Frankfurt am Main and Oslo, Drolshagen has built a distinguished career bridging German, English, and Norwegian literary worlds.

After studying English and German literature with a specialization in linguistics at Goethe University Frankfurt and the University of Chicago, she has worked since 1985 as a literary translator and writer. Her translations bring Norwegian and English-language works to German readers, while her own writing explores cultural phenomena with scholarly depth and accessible prose.

Drolshagen is perhaps best known for her 2017 book “"Zwei rechts, zwei links. Geschichten vom Stricken"” (Two Knit, Two Purl: Stories of Knitting), a comprehensive cultural history that examines knitting's role in society, politics, economics, and personal identity across centuries and continents. The work showcases her ability to transform seemingly everyday practices into fascinating subjects of cultural inquiry.

Her self-description captures her distinctive approach to her subjects: “"Ich stricke nicht. Ich bin Strickerin"” ("I don't knit. I am a knitter") – a statement that reflects her identity-based engagement with the craft rather than treating it as mere hobby or pastime.

Through her bilingual life and multicultural perspective, Drolshagen continues to contribute unique insights into cultural practices and their deeper meanings.