Fordham alumnus Don DeLillo, FCRH ’58, has earned some
of the literary world’s top honors: a National Book Award, a William Dean
Howells Medal, and a PEN/Saul Bellow Award for Achievement in American Fiction,
to name a few.
Now he can add to that list the inaugural Library of Congress Prize for
American Fiction.
On April 25, the world’s largest library announced that DeLillo will receive
the new prize, which “seeks to commend
strong, unique, enduring voices that—throughout long, consistently accomplished
careers—have told us something about the American experience.”
DeLillo will be honored at the library’s 13th annual National Book
Festival, set to take place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Sept.
21 and 22.
“When I received news of this award, my first thoughts were of my mother and
father, who came to this country the hard way, as young people confronting a
new language and culture,” DeLillo said in written statement. “In a significant
sense, the Library of Congress prize is the culmination of their efforts and a
tribute to their memory.”
Born and raised in the Bronx, DeLillo graduated from Fordham University in 1958
and worked as an advertising copywriter before his first novel, Americana, was published in 1971. Since
then, he has published 14 novels, including White
Noise (1985), Libra (1988), Underworld (1997), and, most recently, Point Omega (2010); a collection of
short fiction, The Angel Esmeralda: Nine
Stories (2011); and three plays.
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington praised DeLillo’s work: “Like
Dostoyevsky, Don DeLillo probes deeply into the sociopolitical and moral life
of his country. Over a long and important career, he has inspired his readers
with the diversity of his themes and the virtuosity of his prose.”
More good news for fans of DeLillo’s work: The author, who has agreed to speak
at the National Book Festival in September, recently told The Washington Post that he is “working hard on a very challenging
novel.”
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