Awarded the Roswitha Memorial Medal for achievements in literature.
The Roswitha Memorial Medal was awarded to Elfriede Jelinek on September 25, 1978, by the city of Bad Gandersheim. Named after a pioneering medieval German playwright, this accolade honoured Jelinek's creative and critical insights through her writing. It distinguished her from her contemporaries, celebrating her profound impact on the literary world, particularly in re-invigorating feminist and social discourse through a uniquely provocative narrative style.