Early Years
A younger Don DeLillo.
Don DeLillo was born on November 20, 1936 in an Italian-American neighborhood in the Bronx, New York. His parents were both Catholic, Italian immigrants, and there were eleven people in the house DeLillo grew up in. DeLillo became interested in literature when he got a summer job as a parking attendant, where he had free time to read while watching over cars. He cites Faulkner, Joyce, and Hemingway as influences in his early writings in his teens, as well as jazz music. DeLillo graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School and Fordham University, with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts. He got a job in advertising, but soon quit because he did not want to work. His first novel, Americana, was published in 1971, and he wrote five other novels in the '70's. In 1975, DeLillo married Barbara Bennett, and they live quietly together in New York City.
Later Years and Success
Don DeLillo in 1997.
After moving back from Greece, DeLillo wrote White Noise in 1985, which won the National Book Award and brought him and his works into the public eye. Other popular novels include Libra, Wao II, and Underworld, and the latter two were finalist for Pulitzer Prizes for Fiction. DeLillo's writing style is described as postmodern, and he is considered one of the central figures of that literary movement.
"The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence. The writer is the man or woman who automatically takes a stance against his or her government."-Don DeLillo
"The writer is the person who stands outside society, independent of affiliation and independent of influence. The writer is the man or woman who automatically takes a stance against his or her government."-Don DeLillo