All episodes

What Writers Get Wrong About AI

What Writers Get Wrong About AI

47m 8s

In May 2026, an award-winning short story turned out to be likely written by AI, and none of the editors who published it noticed. Lauren and Tobias talk about the scandal and what most writers, even good ones, get wrong about the technology and what it takes to keep writing human.

Florian Meinel über Meinungsfreiheit in Deutschland

Florian Meinel über Meinungsfreiheit in Deutschland

50m 49s

Florian Meinel, Professor für Staatstheorie an der Universität Göttingen, erklärt, wie das strafrechtliche Regime der Bundesrepublik entstanden ist und warum es heute zu einem dysfunktionalen System geführt hat, das niemanden mehr schützt, aber viele bedroht. Im Mittelpunkt steht der Streit um „From the River to the Sea," die Verpolizeilichung des Meinungsregimes und was Walter Benjamin damit zu tun hat.

Maaza Mengiste on Photography, War, and the Stories History Forgot

Maaza Mengiste on Photography, War, and the Stories History Forgot

52m 19s

Recorded live at Chapters Bookshop in Berlin, novelist Maaza Mengiste talks with Meret Weber about photography and war, the research that reshaped The Shadow King, and her new novel set among the Black Germans and Africans living in Berlin as the Nazis came to power.

Why Are They Even Together? Two Films on Modern Relationships

Why Are They Even Together? Two Films on Modern Relationships

43m 54s

A conversation on two new films about modern love: Kristoffer Borgli’s The Drama and Anna Roller’s Allegro Pastel. Lauren Oyler and Tobias Haberkorn discuss open relationships, commitment, and the strange emotional logic of dating in an age of endless options and shrinking futures.

Collien Fernandes and Christian Ulmen and the Problem With German Humor

Collien Fernandes and Christian Ulmen and the Problem With German Humor

48m 1s

In this Berlin Review Audio episode, Tobias Haberkorn and Lauren Oyler discuss the scandal involving comedian Christian Ulmen and TV presenter Collien Fernandes, examining allegations of digital identity theft, misogyny in German comedy culture, and the blurred boundaries between autofiction, media spectacle, and real-life harm.

Zoltán Ádám on Hungary After Orbán

Zoltán Ádám on Hungary After Orbán

35m 11s

In this Berlin Review Audio episode, Tobias Haberkorn speaks with political economist Zoltán Ádám about the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election and the defeat of Viktor Orbán, examining whether Tisza Party and Péter Magyar can dismantle Orbán’s system and restore liberal democracy in Hungary.

Deborah Feldman on Germany's Strange Love for Jews

Deborah Feldman on Germany's Strange Love for Jews

60m 11s

In this Berlin Review Audio episode, Lauren Oyler speaks with Deborah Feldman, author of the memoir Unorthodox, about her essay “For the Love of Jews,” exploring German philo-Semitism, media visibility, and the complexities of Jewish identity in contemporary Germany.