Dave Eggers

DAVE EGGERS presents his new novel "Contrapposto".

Cricket is talented, but growing up with a violent father and without money is not a good starting point for an artist. Fortunately, there is his older classmate Olympia, who supports him and challenges him at the same time. Olympia becomes a gallerist, Cricket a painter whose models are the Old Masters. The title alludes to this tradition: "Contrapposto" (Kiepenheuer & Witsch; translation: Andrea O'Brien) denotes a classical pose in sculpture - as Michelangelo's David also presents himself. The weight rests on the supporting leg, the free leg creates a mobile counterpoint. Similarly, the changeable relationship between Cricket and Olympia unfolds, who attract and repel each other, but always find each other again - for decades.

In his bestseller "The Circle", Dave Eggers criticized the consequences of technological dependence in the digital age. His new novel strikes quieter notes, yet it is a commentary on current developments: it portrays an artist who does not achieve great fame, but always finds meaning in his work - about the value of creativity, the direction of one's own attention, and what makes us human.

Moderation (English-German): Jan Ehlert
German reading: Devid Striesow

In cooperation with NDR Kultur and with the kind support of the Hamburg Department of Culture and Media