Top of page

Best of the National Book Festival: Don DeLillo, 2013

Share this post:

Welcome to our ongoing celebration of the Library of Congress National Book Festival. Each weekday, we will feature a video presentation from among the thousands of authors who have appeared at the National Book Festival and as part of our new year-long series, National Book Festival Presents. Mondays will feature topical nonfiction; Tuesday: poetry or literary fiction; Wednesday: history, biography, memoir; Thursday: popular fiction; and Friday: authors who write for children and teens. Please enjoy, and make sure to explore our full National Book Festival video collection!

Don DeLillo is one of America’s most acclaimed writers. His postmodern novels such as “Mao II,” “Libra” and “Underworld” have been showered with many awards. DeLillo’s 1985 novel, “White Noise,” won the National Book Award, and in 2006 a New York Times survey of writers and literary experts named “Underworld” the No. 2 American novel of the past 25 years.

DeLillo came to the Fiction stage of the 2013 Library of Congress National Book Festival to receive the Library of Congress Prize for American Fiction. He accepted the award from former Librarian of Congress James H. Billington (at 4:45) prior to discussing his collection “The Angel Esmeralda: Nine Stories.” Marie Arana, Library of Congress literary director, interviews DeLillo (at 10:45). Q&A begins at 35:15.

The 2020 Library of Congress National Book Festival will celebrate its 20th birthday this year. You can get up-to-the-minute news, schedule updates and other important festival information by subscribing to this blog. The festival is made possible by the generosity of sponsors. You too can support the festival by making a gift now.