"The Trouble with Being Born" is a philosophy book by Romanian author Emil Cioran, originally written in French and published in 1973. The English translation by Richard Howard was published in 1976 and won the PEN Translation Prize. In 2020, it was included as a Penguin Modern Classic. The book consists of a series of aphorisms meditating on the painful nature of existence and its connection to themes like God, metaphysical exile, and decay. Cioran chose to write in aphorisms because he found explaining things tiresome and considered the aphorism "fire without flames". Editions vary, but the book is around 192-224 pages in length.
A 2020 Austrian-German science fiction drama film with the same title, directed by Sandra Wollner, shares the book's thought-provoking nature. The film explores artificial intelligence, memory, and identity through the story of an android girl named Elli who lives with a man who calls her father. The film premiered at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival, where it received the Special Jury Award in the Encounters section. It also won several other awards, including the Austrian Film Award for Best Feature Film and Best Director in 2021. The film generated controversy for its depiction of the relationship between a man and an android resembling a young girl.
