Mo & Moritz

Moja, known as Mo, has Muslim roots and fled to Austria with his family to escape the war a few years ago. His parents never quite settled into their new home, his two siblings have their own troubles, and Mo – who constantly struggles with the trauma of his past – even gets expelled from school. But a stroke of luck lands him an apprenticeship at a high-end Viennese hair salon, plunging him into a glamorous new world. One evening, while working backstage at the Vienna Opera Ball, he falls in love – of all people, with Moritz, a boy from a seemingly harmonious, liberal Jewish family. Mo is on cloud nine but simultaneously gets cold feet: What if his family finds out? Will he ever be able to openly embrace his love for Moritz? Then, to make matters worse, Moja’s brother becomes radicalized and plots a bombing at the Taylor Swift concert in Vienna…

In her new book »Mo & Moritz« Russian-born Austrian author and interpreter Julya Rabinowich tells a modern love story — and looks forward to discussing the writing process, themes such as family expectations and social conflicts, and the dreams and hopes of young people in Berlin.