Bio:Wendayne Ackerman

The wife of Forrest J Ackerman, born Mathilde (Malka) Wahrman, Wendayne was a translator of well over a hundred books from several languages (especially German) into English. She spoke German, French, Italian, and Hebrew. She was born in Germany, and before World War II was a pre-med student at Goethe University. She was dismissed from the University because of her Jewish ancestry, and in 1933 she went to France and practiced midwifery. She later moved to London and continued in the nursing profession until she left for Israel (then Palestine) where she married and had a son. In 1948, after a divorce, she moved to Los Angeles where she became a clerk in the book department of a department store. It was there where she met her future husband. Wendayne had a degree in Biology, taught science in high school, acquired an M.A. Magnum Cum Laude in her 40s, and was then a professor of German and French for 20 years at East Los Angeles Jr College.

Information in the this Biography was extracted primarily from a remembrance of his wife written by Forrest J Ackerman and published in the tribute fanzine "Mr. Monster", 2008. This fanzine is available as a download from eFanzines.com.