This first comprehensive examination of Emmy Hennings' contribution to the literature of the avant-garde sheds new light on the history of the Dada movement. Emmy Hennings was at the center of the literary avant-gardes before and during World War I: she performed as a Danish futurist in Berlin cabarets, was a colorful figure in the expressionist literary scene, and co-founded the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich in 1916 with Hugo Ball, the birthplace of the Dada movement. Her poems and prose texts depict human boundary experiences such as drug addiction, sexual subjugation, imprisonment, and prostitution. Nicola Behrmann explores Hennings' early prose sketches, her novel "Das Brandmal," and her story "Das ewige Lied," intertwining biographical research and deconstructive readings with a critical reflection on literary historiography.