# In 'Contrapposto,' the meaning of love and the meaning of art go hand-in-hand

An episode of [NPR's Book of the Day](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1587369865), 22 Jun 2026, 8:31.

Audio: https://prfx.byspotify.com/e/play.podtrac.com/npr-510364/npr.simplecastaudio.com/c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a/episodes/08b48690-dd82-4ef2-b02d-45c0df330825/audio/128/default.mp3?awCollectionId=c3f326c7-02ae-4df0-b95a-b35e58973e1a&awEpisodeId=08b48690-dd82-4ef2-b02d-45c0df330825&feed=tZrJMl4P&t=podcast&e=nx-s1-5863524&p=510364&d=511&size=8176998

Novelist Dave Eggers (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, The Circle) has a new novel out: Contrapposto. It’s a decade-spanning romance of sorts, between two devoted creatives whose careers in the art world bring them together and tear them apart — repeatedly. As Cricket and Olympia navigate their relationship, the age-old question remains: what is art, really? In today’s episode, Eggers joins NPR’s Ailsa Chang to discuss Contrapposto, the inspiration behind the book, and how Eggers himself approaches the ‘meaning’ of art. To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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