Agapē Agape

work by Gaddis

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July 23, 2026

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Agapē Agape is the final novel by American author William Gaddis, published posthumously in 2002. The work is a rambling, first-person narrative told by a dying man. His primary obsession is the history of the player piano. The novel explores themes of mortality and the nature of art, reflecting Gaddis's characteristic complex style and dark humor.1

The term "agape" itself, from ancient Greek, refers to a deliberate, self-sacrificing love for others, particularly central to Christian ethics and contrasted with erotic love (eros) or brotherly love (philia). While the novel is not directly about this theological concept, the title may allude to themes of enduring value or a final, profound understanding that the narrator seeks.23

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William Gaddis
Gaddis’s last work of fiction, Agapē Agape, a rambling first-person narrative of a dying man obsessed with the history of the player piano, was published posthumously in 2002, as was the collection The Rush for Second Place: Essays and Occasional Writings.
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Gaddis’s last work of fiction, Agapē Agape, a rambling first-person narrative of a dying man obsessed with the history of the player piano, was published posthumously in 2002, as was the collection The Rush for Second Place: Essays and Occasional Writings.
Read More