DIALOGUE. Book talk with writer Emma Braslavsky
06/30/2026On Wednesday 8 July 2026, the writer Emma Braslavsky will be a guest at the Schelling Forum. A discussion on recoding between ecology, humanity and digital neural resonance fields.
Robots and artificial intelligence are gradually taking over tasks in our daily lives – robots vacuum the flat, watches analyse health data and language models answer our questions. But how far can this development go?
What would a world look like in which humanoid robots live alongside humans? Perhaps even forming relationships with one another? In her more recent works, Emma Braslavsky envisions a future shaped by AI and robots. In her novel *The Night Was Pale, the Lights Were Blinking*, she explores a world in which anyone can have a partner programmed to their individual specifications – with fatal consequences. Braslavsky’s short story *I Am Your Human* takes this dystopia a step further and tells of a relationship between a young woman, Alma, and the humanoid robot Tom. The story was adapted for the screen by Maria Schrader in 2021.
In this workshop discussion, Braslavsky will read excerpts from her latest novella *Dialogue* and then engage in a conversation with literary scholar Stephanie Catani on the question of humans and AI – and will be more than happy to chat with the audience as well.
Author
Emma Braslavsky is a German writer, curator and translator who fled the GDR in 1989 and has lived in Berlin since 1999. She is known for novels such as *Aus dem Sinn* (2007) and *Erdling* (2024), in which she explores themes such as AI, identity and space. Last year, in 2025, she won the Thuringian Literature Prize.
Moderator
Professor Stephanie Catani has held the Chair of Modern German Literature and Media at the University of Würzburg since 2021. Her research focuses on contemporary literature, culture and (digital) media. She is particularly interested in the relationships and interactions between AI and the arts.
Venue and time
When? Wednesday, 8 July 2026, 7.00 pm
Where? Garden pavilion of the Juliusspital, Klinikstraße 3
Registration
Attendance is free of charge. Please register for the event via the registration portal. If you have any queries, please feel free to contact us at schelling-forum@badw.de.
