The fear of death and the quest for immortality are two of the themes that have appeared the most in universal literature, and genre stories are no exception. In fact, the non-realistic genres enjoy even wider berth for reflecting on it through impossible fictions that speak to us about rejuvenation, transhumanism and artificial intelligence. Ricard Solé, Salvador Macip, Carme Torras and Francisco Martorell, prestigious writers with solid careers in the world of research, will talk with the author and scientist Muntsa Mimó on the real and fictitious possibilities of immortality. They have all addressed this topic in their texts, albeit from different perspectives. In the excellent essay Todas las muertes (Crítica), this year Solé has offered an examination of different ideas on extinction, from the death of the universe and the oceans to the mind and robots. Carme Torras, a storyteller and CSIC researcher, constantly gives immortality new meanings through her literary and scientific work on artificial intelligence, while the Valencian essayist and researcher Francisco Martorell has addressed the topic of transhumanism and immortality in his studies on utopias and possible futures. Finally, the PhD and storyteller Salvador Macip, by now a veteran of the Festival, is an expert in cell ageing and is currently working on a new book on the topic. There is no doubt about it: this is sure to be one of the most immortal roundtables at Festival 42.

* Activity held in conjunction with the Festival Empíric de Cerdanyola