{{short description|German novelist and journalist}} {{Infobox writer | name = Melanie Raabe | embed = | honorific_prefix = | honorific_suffix = | image = Buchpremiere Melanie 07.jpg | image_size = | image_upright = | alt = | caption = At the premiere of ''The Trap'' on 3 March 2015, Cologne. | native_name = | native_name_lang = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|08|01}} | birth_place = Jena, Bezirk Gera, East Germany | death_place = | resting_place = | occupation = Writer | language = German | residence = | nationality = {{hlist|Benin|German|}} | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = University of Bochum | period = | genre = Crime thriller | movement = | children = | relatives = | signature = | signature_alt = | years_active = 2011-present | module = | website = {{URL|melanieraabe.de}} | notable_works = The Trap, The Stranger | pseudonym = Melanie Vega }} '''Melanie Raabe''' (born 1 August 1981 in Jena) is a German novelist and journalist. ==Biography== Melanie Raabe was born in Jena, East Germany, and grew up in Wiehl. Her father was a visiting student from Benin.<ref name=welt>{{cite news|newspaper=Die Welt|url=https://www.welt.de/kultur/literarischewelt/article142475217/Melanie-Raabe-diese-Frau-ist-eine-Sensation.html|title=Melanie Raabe: diese Frau ist eine Sensation|date=15 June 2016|accessdate=21 December 2017|author=Elmar Krekeler|language=de}}</ref>
She studied media science and literature at the University of Bochum. She then began a career in journalism.<ref name=welt/>
In 2011, her short story ''The Tooth Fairy (dt. Die Zahnfee)'' won the top award of the ''German Short Crime Awards'' at the Tatort Eifel festival for crime literature. She self-published ''The Ugly Ones'' ''(dt. Die Hässlichen'') as an e-book.<ref name=benz>{{cite web|url=https://www.mercedes-benz.com/en/me/inspiration/she/lifestyle-she/interview-melanie-raabe/|publisher=She's Mercedes|author=Nina Rudolphi|title=The thriller read 'round the world|date=27 September 2016|accessdate=21 December 2017}}</ref>
Her novel ''The Trap'' ''(dt. Die Falle)'' was released at the Leipzig Book Fair in 2015.<ref name=welt/> The movie rights for ''The Trap'' were sold at the Berlinale to TriStar Pictures.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/tristar-pictures-nabs-melanie-raabe-803226|title=TriStar Pictures Nabs Melanie Raabe's Debut Novel 'The Trap'|date=17 June 2015|accessdate=21 December 2017|author=Tatiana Siegel}}</ref> The book won the ''Stuttgart Crime Fiction Prize'' the following year.<ref>{{cite news|newspaper=Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung|title=Knisternde Spannung im Meppener Jam|url=https://www.noz.de/lokales/meppen/artikel/979809/knisternde-spannung-im-meppener-jam|date=16 November 2017|accessdate=21 December 2017|author=Bernd Fischer|language=de}}</ref>
In 2016, her novel ''The Stranger'' ''(dt. Die Wahrheit)'' was published as a fiction book, radio play and audio book.<ref name=smh2017>{{cite news|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/the-stranger-review-melanie-raabes-novel-of-sustained-psychological-suspense-20171215-h05nki.html|title=The Stranger review: Melanie Raabe's novel of sustained psychological suspense|author=Cameron Woodhead|date=22 December 2017|accessdate=22 December 2017}}</ref>
In 2018, Raabe released her novel ''The Shadow (dt. Der Schatten)''.
In 2019, her novel ''The Forests (dt. Die Wälder)'' was published under btb Verlag. She was nominated for the Shortlist Leo-Perutz Awards in the category ''Best new publication (crime novel)'' for The Shadow ''(dt. Der Schatten''), but lost against Alex Beer (Daniela Larcher).
==Works==
=== Fiction === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Original title !English translation !ISBN !Editor !Writer !Ref. |- | rowspan="1" |2011 |''Die Zahnfee'' |''"The Tooth Fairy"'' | rowspan="1" |— |— | rowspan="2" |Melanie Vega (Pseudonym) |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Das Morden am Hellweg geht weiter: Melanie Raabe schreibt Witten-Krimi|url=https://www.witten.de/kultur-tourismus-sport/news-einzelansicht/news/das-morden-am-hellweg-geht-weiter-melanie-raabe-schreibt-witten-krimi/?tx_news_pi1%5Bcontroller%5D=News&tx_news_pi1%5Baction%5D=detail&cHash=6533833c7eb3c4c3ecbd17558e7e0e58|access-date=2020-10-07|website=www.witten.de|language=de}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2014 |''Die Hässlichen'' |''"The Ugly Ones"'' |978-3844-28019-7 |epubli GmbH |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Die Hässlichen von Melanie Vega bei LovelyBooks (Roman)|url=https://www.lovelybooks.de/autor/Melanie-Vega/Die-Hässlichen-1344403160-w/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=LovelyBooks}}</ref> |- |2015 |''Die Falle'' |''"The Trap"'' | rowspan="1" |978-3442-75491-5 | rowspan="4" |btb Verlag | rowspan="4" |Melanie Raabe |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Die Falle|url=http://melanieraabe.de/buecher/die-falle/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Melanie Raabe|language=de}}</ref> |- |2016 |''Die Wahrheit'' |''"The Stranger"'' | rowspan="1" |978-3442-71690-6 |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Die Wahrheit|url=http://melanieraabe.de/buecher/die-wahrheit/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Melanie Raabe|language=de}}</ref> |- |2018 |''Der Schatten'' |''"The Shadow"'' |978-3442-71903-7 |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Der Schatten|url=http://melanieraabe.de/buecher/der-schatten/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Melanie Raabe|language=de}}</ref> |- |2019 |''Die Wälder'' |''"The Forests"'' |978-3442-75753-4 |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Die Wälder von Melanie Raabe bei LovelyBooks (Krimi und Thriller)|url=https://www.lovelybooks.de/autor/Melanie-Raabe/Die-Wälder-2152087620-w/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=LovelyBooks}}</ref> |}
=== Radio plays === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Original title !English translation !Writer !Editor !Ref. |- | rowspan="1" |2017 |''Die Wahrheit'' |''"The Stranger"'' | rowspan="2" |Melanie Raabe | rowspan="2" |Der Hörverlag |<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Raabe|first1=Melanie|title=DIE WAHRHEIT. Das Hörspiel|last2=Stricker|first2=Sven|last3=Pflug|first3=Jan-Peter|last4=Tscharre|first4=Ulrike C.|last5=Subklew|first5=Brita|last6=Draeger|first6=Kerstin|last7=Klare|first7=Felix|last8=Hellmann|first8=Hannes|last9=Moll|first9=Anne|id={{ASIN|3844527192|country=de}} }}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2019 |''Der Abgrund'' |''"The Abysm"'' |<ref>{{Cite web|title=Alle Folgen|url=https://www.hoerverlag-serials.de/der-abgrund|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Hörverlag Serials|language=de-DE}}</ref> |}
=== Audio books === {| class="wikitable" !Year !Original title !English version !Writer !Speaker !Ref. |- | rowspan="1" |2015 |''Die Falle'' |''"The Trap"'' | rowspan="4" |Melanie Raabe | rowspan="1" |Devid Striesow, Birgit Minichmayr |<ref name="audible.com">{{Cite book|url=https://www.audible.com/|title=Audible.com {{!}} Unlock a listen for every moment|language=en}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2016 |''Die Wahrheit'' |''"The Stranger"'' |Nina Kunzendorf, Andreas Pietschmann, Devid Striesow |<ref name="audible.com"/> |- |2018 |''Der Schatten'' |''"The Shadow"'' | rowspan="1" |Katja Bürkle, Melanie Raabe |<ref name="audible.com"/> |- |2019 |''Die Wälder'' |''"The Forests"'' | rowspan="1" |Melanie Raabe, Anna Schudt |<ref name="audible.com"/> |}
== Awards and nominations == {| class="wikitable" !Year !Award !Category !Work !Result !Ref. |- | rowspan="1" |2011 |Tatort Eifel (German Short Crime Awards) |German Short Crime | rowspan="1" |''Die Zahnfee'' |rowspan=1 {{won}} |<ref>{{Cite news|date=25 September 2011|title=Morde, Männer, Maare|work=Trierischer Volksfreund|url=https://www.volksfreund.de/region/kultur/morde-maenner-maare_aid-5465032|access-date=16 October 2020}}</ref> |- | rowspan="1" |2015 |Kulturförderpreis des Oberbergischen Kreises |Fiction | rowspan="1" |Herself |Second place |<ref>{{Cite web|last=Oberbergischer Kreis|date=2020-10-07|title=Preisträger/innen des Kulturförderpreises|url=https://www.obk.de/cms200/kultur_tourismus/kfp/pt/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Content Management System|language=de}}</ref> |- |2016 |Stuttgart Crime Fiction Awards (Witwer-Debut crime price) |Best German-speaking debut crime novel |''Die Falle'' |rowspan=1 {{won}} |<ref>{{Cite web|title=DER STUTTGARTER KRIMIPREIS 2016 {{!}} Stuttgarter Kriminächte|url=https://stuttgarter-kriminaechte.de/node/140|access-date=2020-10-07|website=stuttgarter-kriminaechte.de}}</ref> |- |2019 |Shortlist Leo-Perutz-Awards |Best new publication (Genre ''crime novel'') |''Der Schatten'' |rowspan=1 {{nominated}} |<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-07-01|title=Leo-Perutz-Preis für Kriminalliteratur 2019: Fünf mal Hochspannung|url=https://www.buecher.at/leo-perutz-preis-fuer-kriminalliteratur-2019-fuenf-mal-hochspannung/|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Hauptverband des Österreichischen Buchhandels}}</ref> |}
== References == <!--- See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Footnotes on how to create references using <ref></ref> tags, these references will then appear here automatically --> {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raabe, Melanie}} <!--- Categories ---> Category:1981 births Category:Living people Category:Writers from Jena Category:People from Bezirk Gera Category:German crime fiction writers Category:21st-century German novelists Category:21st-century German journalists Category:21st-century German women journalists Category:20th-century German novelists Category:20th-century German journalists Category:20th-century German women journalists Category:Ruhr University Bochum alumni Category:20th-century German women novelists Category:21st-century German women novelists