Max Moor

At the end of World War II, Gerti loses everything: her father, who disappears; her mother, who dies; and her two sisters, who are sent to a children’s home. She is left alone with her grandparents. All she has left are three buttons, torn from an old vest from her time in the BDM, intended as good-luck charms for her sisters. In an Austria still in ruins, the girl must learn early on to survive on her own and to maintain her dignity in the face of all the social prejudices of the time. Yet she never gives up the search for her sisters.
In 2010, Gerti finally looks back on her life: on her work, her children, love, and loss. She thinks: It wasn’t a beautiful life. But it was mine.

Max Moor is an actor, host, and author. He became widely known for hosting the award-winning media magazine *Canale Grande* on VOX and the ARD cultural magazine *titel, thesen, temperamente*. He lives near Berlin.

A collaboration between Literaturherbst Heidelberg and DAI

As part of the Heidelberg Literature Festival 2026