Grete Sultan (1906–2005) was one of the most exceptional pianists of the 20th century. Born and raised in a Jewish upper-class household in Berlin, she was an acclaimed interpreter of classical and new music in the 1920s. After being banned from exercising her profession and increasing harassment, she managed to leave the country in 1941 at the last minute. In New York, she became an established pianist and piano teacher and became the friend and muse of John Cage whose 'Etudes Australes' she performed throughout the world. Moritz von Bredow tells the story of Grete Sultan's long life between trauma and success: a German-Jewish fate and a mirror of 20th-century music and contemporary history. Moritz von Bredow works as a paediatrician and writer in Hamburg. This impressive documentation of the life of an exceptional artist is based on his personal encounter with Grete Sultan and many years of research.

Vorwort von Alfred Brendel - Prolog - I 1800-1921: Ursprung. Familie. Kindheit und Jugend - II 1921- 1933: Entwicklung. Hoffnung. Ende - III 1933-1941: Entrechtung. Berufsverbot. Flucht - IV 1941-1945: Exil. Freunde. Neubeginn - V 1945-1970: Perspektiven. John Cage. Berlin - VI 1971-2005: Carnegie Hall. Etudes Australes. Abschied - Epilog und Danksagung - Anmerkungen - Zeittafel - Literatur - Diskografie - Personenregister - Bildnachweis