Books by Don DeLillo

'America's greatest living writer.' - ObserverJack Gladney is the creator and chairman of Hitler studies at the College-on-the-Hill. This is the story of his absurd life; a life that is going well enough, until a chemical spill from a rail car releases an 'Airborne Toxic Event' and Jack is forced to confront his biggest fear - his own mortality. White Noise is an effortless combination of social satire and metaphysical dilemma in which Don DeLillo exposes our rampant consumerism, media saturation and novelty intellectualism. It captures the particular strangeness of life lived when the fear of death cannot be denied, repressed or obscured and ponders the role of the family in a time when the very meaning of our existence is under threat.

Oprettet dobbelt

Den 3. oktober 1951 sidder Toots Shor, Jackie Gleason, Frank Sinatra og J. Edgar Hoover i en af New York Polo Grounds loger for at overvære mesterskabsopgøret mellem Brooklyn Dodgers‘ og New York Giants‘. Mens Hoover får besked om, at russerne har foretaget en atomprøvesprængning, afgøres kampen ved Bobby Thomsons legendariske home run – "slaget, der gav genlyd jorden rundt", og Giants vinder mesterskabet.I "Underverden" kortlægger Don DeLillo verden i årene efter disse begivenheder, de 40 år der blev kaldt Den Kolde Krig. Med sin fokusering på både den officielle politiske historie og på individet skæbne i historiens underverden er romanen en fortælling om hverdagslivets betingelser i skyggen af den offentlige paranoia.Don DeLillo (f. 1936) er født i New York og er en af de mest anerkendte nulevende amerikanske forfattere. Han debuterede i 1971 med romanen "Americana" og har sidenhen været en fundamental del af den postmoderne litteratur. Forfattere som Brett Easton Ellis og David Foster Wallace er begge blevet inspireret af Don DeLillos værker.""Underverden" er en fremragende bog af en amerikansk mester." – Salman Rushdie

Dybt utilfreds med udfaldet af Cubakrisen beslutter nogle afdankede CIA-agenter at iscenesætte et mislykket attentat mod præsident John F. Kennedy. De planlægger at attentatforsøget efterfølgende skal tilskrives Fidel Castro for på den måde at skabe modvilje mod den amerikanske udenrigspolitik.Lee Harvey Oswald, en falleret marinesoldat, bliver udvalgt som attenetatmand. Han har længe været fascineret af Karl Marx, boet i Rusland og har derudover været aktiv i uddelingen af oplysningsmateriale til fordel for Cuba.Men Oswald er vægelsindet og trods presset fra agenterne kan han ikke beslutte sig til, om han vil være med eller ej. Og hans beslutning bliver afgørende for Amerikas skæbne: Skal Dallas blot være et endnu et stop på præsidentens rundrejse, eller skal det blive stedet, hvor alle amerikanske drømme snigmyrdes?Don DeLillo (f. 1936) er født i New York og er en af de mest anerkendte nulevende amerikanske forfattere. Han debuterede i 1971 med romanen "Americana" og har sidenhen været en fundamental del af den postmoderne litteratur. Forfattere som Brett Easton Ellis og David Foster Wallace er begge blevet inspireret af Don DeLillos værker.

Jack Gladney er leder af Institut for Hitlerstudier ved et universitet i en mindre amerikansk by. Her er hans kolleger for størstedelens vedkommende film- og mediegale newyorkere, der er kommet dertil for at studere trivialkulturen, læse tv-programmer og cornflakespakkernes tekster samt fordybe sig i den amerikanske magi og frygt. Privat lever Jack sammen med sin fjerde kone, Babette, og fire af deres sammenbragte børn i et forholdsvist almindeligt familieliv, omgivet af hvid støj fra radioudsendelser, sirener, mikrobølger, ultrasoniske apparater og fjernsynsmumlen.En dag sker der et kemisk udslip i den lille by, og Jack udsættes i nogle minutter for giftskyens stråling. Efterfølgende undersøger lægerne ham for mulige følgevirkninger, men uden at interessere sig synderligt for patienten selv. Løbende udvikler det sig til en voldsom dødsangst hos Jack, der ikke kan se sin vej ud og derfor lægger en vanvittig plan.Don DeLillo (f. 1936) er født i New York og er en af de mest anerkendte nulevende amerikanske forfattere. Han debuterede i 1971 med romanen "Americana" og har sidenhen været en fundamental del af den postmoderne litteratur. Forfattere som Brett Easton Ellis og David Foster Wallace er begge blevet inspireret af Don DeLillos værker.

Kropskunstneren Lauren Hartke er vant til at bruge kroppen til at udtrykke erfaringer og følelser, men da hendes mand pludselig dør, føler hun sig efterladt i et uvirkeligt tomrum, hvor kroppen ikke kan hjælpe hende.Efter begravelsen vender hun tilbage til deres store, isoleret beliggende hus ved havet, hvor hun forsøger at skabe sig en ny sammenhængende hverdag i tid og rum.En dag finder hun i et afsides værelse en gådefuld mand, som bliver hendes vej tilbage til kunsten og virkeligheden.Don DeLillo (f. 1936) er født i New York og er en af de mest anerkendte nulevende amerikanske forfattere. Han debuterede i 1971 med romanen "Americana" og har sidenhen været en fundamental del af den postmoderne litteratur. Forfattere som Brett Easton Ellis og David Foster Wallace er begge blevet inspireret af Don DeLillos værker.

Zero K er Don DeLillos første roman i ti år og er en mesterlig skildring af livet og kampen mod døden. Jeffrey Lockharts far, Ross, er mangemilliardær og gift med den yngre kvinde, Artis, som er uhelbredeligt syg. Ross er hovedinvestor i et afsides liggende og hemmeligt kompleks, hvor alvorligt syge mennesker fryses ned i håbet om, at de kan vende tilbage til livet den dag, hvor medicinske fremskridt ville kunne kurere dem. Jeffrey slutter sig til Ross på komplekset for at sige farvel til sin stedmor, inden hun fryses ned, da Ross fortæller, at han har i sinde at følge med hende og lade sig fryse ned. „Et af DeLillos bedste værker … DeLillo lister en hjerteskærende historie om en søn, der forsøger at genskabe forholdet til sin far, ind i en tankevækkende roman." – PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

Don DeLillo er af en af vor tids største forfattere. Hans første novellesamling indeholder ni noveller, der er skrevet mellem 1979 og 2011, og som spejler det amerikanske samfund på godt og ondt og berører emner, der har optaget det amerikanske samfund i perioden. Her møder vi amerikanske turister strandet i et bureaukratisk helvede, her er løberen i en park, der overværer en kidnapning, to nonner på barmhjertighedstogt i det socialt udsatte South Bronx. Der er også mødet i fængslet med familiefaren, der er dømt for økonomisk kriminalitet, og som dagligt ser børnetv-programmet, hvor hans 2 små døtre tager sig af finans- og børsanalysen - svidende koreograferet af børnenes mor.Den amerikanske forfatter Don DeLillo, født 1936, er især kendt for sine mesterværker 'Hvid støj' og 'Underverden'. Han er forfatter til 15 romaner, tre skuespil, et filmmanuskript og en række noveller og essays.Noveller: Englen Esmeralda; Skaberværk; Menneskelige øjeblikke i Tredje Verdenskrig; Løberen; Elfenbensakrobaten; Baader-Meinhof; Midnat hos Dostojevskij; Hammer og segl; Den forsultne"Interessante noveller fra den klarest lysende pære i amerikansk samtidslitteratur" Politiken, 4 hjerter"Første novellesamling fra den amerikanske forfatter, der indtager en ikonisk position i samtidslitteraturen (...) I denne novellesamling er man på intet tidspunkt i tvivl om kvalitet eller sproglig formåen (...) Begavet og fængslende novellesamling, hvor man efter endt læsning har tankegods at arbejde videre med. Stor litteratur i fortættet, men tilgængelig form."- Helle Winther Olsen, lektørDon DeLillo (f. 1936) har med romanerne Hvid støj (1985), Vægten (1988), Mao II (1991) og Underverden (1997), Kosmopolis () der alle udforsker den amerikanske sjæl, sikret sig en position som en af USA's mest betydende nulevende forfattere.

"Den faldende mand" er en roman om dagene efter den 11. september 2001.Vi befinder os i New York i dagene lige efter angrebet. Skolebørnene observerer med kikkerter himlen for at se, om ’Bill Lawton’ sender nye fly ind over byen.I romanen følger vi Keith, der befandt sig i et af tvillingetårnene, men overlevede; hans kone, Lianne, der både drages og skræmmes af en performance-kunstner med tilnavnet ’Den faldende mand’, der har som sit speciale at kaste sig ud fra balkoner; deres fælles søn, Justin, samt Liannes mor og hendes tyske elsker, der måske har en suspekt baggrund som Rote Armé Fraktion-sympatisør. Men vi møder også Mohammed Atta, lederen af terrorangrebet.Den faldende mand er den ultimative 9/11-roman, der med uhyggelig sproglig præcision får læseren til at genopleve den tragiske dag. Don DeLillo (f. 1936) er født i New York og er en af de mest anerkendte nulevende amerikanske forfattere. Han debuterede i 1971 med romanen "Americana" og har sidenhen været en fundamental del af den postmoderne litteratur. Forfattere som Brett Easton Ellis og David Foster Wallace er begge blevet inspireret af Don DeLillos værker.

En Super Bowl-søndag i nær fremtid skal fem mennesker mødes for at se kampen i en lejlighed på Manhattan. En pensioneret fysikprofessor og hendes mand samt en af hendes tidligere elever er der allerede. De venter på et par der er på vej med fly fra Paris – en flyrejse der viser sig at blive meget dramatisk. Pludselig bliver alle digitale forbindelser afbrudt, der er sort skærm på både TV og mobiltelefoner. Der må være sket en katastrofe, men ingen kender omfanget af den, eller ved hvad der er sket. Mens vennerne venter taler de sammen – om sorte huller og Einsteins relativitetsteori, om mærket på en yndlingswhisky og et observatorium i det nordlige Chile. I virkeligheden taler de om hvad det vil sige at være menneske.Med et nyskrevet essay om verden anno 2021: MANDEN VED VINDUET (dateret april 2021), der bringes som efterord.

Bucky Wunderlick is a rock and roll star. Dissatisfied with a life that has brought fame and fortune, he suddenly decides he no longer wants to be a commodity. He leaves his band mid-tour and holes up in a dingy, unfurnished apartment in Great Jones Street. Unfortunately, his disappearing act only succeeds in inflaming interest . . . Great Jones Street, Don DeLillo's third novel, is more than a musical satire: it probes the rights of the individual, foreshadows the struggle of the artist within a capitalist world and delivers a scathing portrait of our culture's obsession with the lives of the few.

Bill Gray, a famous, reclusive novelist, emerges from his isolation when he becomes the key figure in an event staged to force the release of a poet hostage in Beirut. As Bill enters the world of political violence, a nightscape of Semtex explosives and hostages locked in basement rooms, Bill's dangerous passage leaves two people stranded: his brilliant, fixated assistant, Scott, and the strange young woman who is Scott's lover - and Bill's.An extraordinary novel from Don DeLillo about words and images, novelists and terrorists, the mass mind and the arch-individualist, Mao II explores a world in which the novelist's power to influence the inner life of a culture now belongs to bomb-makers and gunmen. Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award, Mao II is the work of an ingenious writer at the height of his powers.

Don DeLillo's seventh novel is an exotic thriller. Set mostly in Greece, it concerns a mysterious 'language cult' seemingly behind a number of unexplained murders. Obsessed by news of this ritualistic violence, an American risk analyst is drawn to search for an explanation. We follow his progress on an obsessive journey that begins to take over his life and the lives of those closest to him. In addition to offering a series of precise character studies, The Names explores the intersection of language and culture, the perception of America from both inside and outside its borders, and the impact that narration has on the facts of a story. Meditative and probing, DeLillo wonders: how does one cope with the fact that the act of articulation is simultaneously capable of defining and circumscriptively restricting access to the self?

An epic novel combining fiction and history in a collaboration that encompasses fifty years of American history.

Ostensibly, Don DeLillo's blackly comic second novel, End Zone, is about Gary Harkness, a football player and student at Logos College, west Texas. During a season of unprecedented success, Gary becomes increasingly fixated on the threat of nuclear war. Both frightened and fascinated by the prospect, he listens to his team-mates discussing match tactics in much the same terms as generals might contemplate global conflict. But as the terminologies of football and nuclear war - the language of end zones - become interchanged, the polysemous nature of words emerges, and DeLillo forces us to see beyond the sterile reality of substitution. This clever and playful novel is a timeless and topical study of human beings' obsession with conflict and confrontation.

Don DeLillo completed The Silence just weeks before the devastating advent of Covid-19. This timely and compelling novel is the story of a different catastrophic event.

Jeffrey Lockhart has been summoned to The Convergence: a remote and secret compound where death is exquisitely, cryogenically controlled.He is there to say goodbye to his stepmother, Artis, who has chosen to surrender her dying body; preserving it until a future time when biomedical advances and new technologies can return her to a life of transcendent promise. And his healthy father, Ross, might join her.Hypnotic and seductive, Zero K is a visionary novel about the legacies we leave, the nobility of death, and the ultimate worth of 'the mingled astonishments of our time, here, on earth.'

When Billy Twillig, a genius adolescent, wins the first Nobel Prize ever to be given in mathematics, he is recruited to live and work in the company of thirty Nobel laureates in obscurity underground. There, away from the rest of the world, this panel of estranged, demented and lovable scientists work together on a secret scientific project: deciphering a mysterious transmission received from outer space, from just near Ratner's Star.Written in Don DeLillo's characteristically mesmerizing prose, Ratner's Star is a brilliantly observed, funny and deeply thought-provoking novel which explores the mysterious, mind-blowing, mathematical world of the future.

In this remarkable novel of menace and mystery, Pammy and Lyle Wynant are an attractive, modern couple who seem to have it all. Yet behind their "e;ideal"e; life is a lingering boredom and quiet desperation: their talk is mostly chatter, their sex life more a matter of obligatory "e;satisfaction"e; than pleasure. And still they remain untouched, "e;players"e; indifferent to the violence that surrounds them, and that they have helped to create.Originally published in 1977, Players is a fast-moving yet starkly drawn socially critical drama that demonstrates the razor-sharp prose and thematic density for which Don DeLillo is renowned today.

Eric Packer is a twenty-eight-year-old multi-billionaire asset manager. We join him on what will become a particularly eventful April day in turn-of-the-twenty-first-century Manhattan. He's on a personal odyssey, to get a haircut. Sitting in his stretch limousine as it moves across town, he finds the city at a virtual standstill because the President is visiting, a rapper's funeral is proceeding, and a violent protest is being staged in Times Square by anti-globalist groups. Most worryingly, Eric's bodyguards are concerned that he may be a target . . . An electrifying study in affectlessness, infused with deep cynicism and measured detachment; a harsh indictment of the life-denying tendencies of capitalism; as brutal a dissection of the American dream as Wolfe's Bonfire or Ellis's Psycho, Don DeLillo's Cosmopolis is a caustic prophecy all too quickly realized.

The Body Artist begins with normality: breakfast between a married couple, Lauren and Rey, in their ramshackle rented house on the New England coast. Recording their delicate, intimate, half-complete thoughts and words, Don DeLillo proves himself a stunningly unsentimental observer of our idiosyncratic relationships. But after breakfast, Rey makes a decision that leaves Lauren utterly alone, or seems to. As Lauren, the body artist of the title, becomes strangely detached from herself and the temporal world, the novel becomes an exploration of a highly abnormal grieving process; a fascinating expose of 'who we are when we are not rehearsing who we are'; and a rarefied study of trauma and creativity, absence and presence, isolation and communion.

Reading the fiction of Don DeLillo is an utterly original experience: powerful, prescient, perceptive. Writing in a prose that is both majestic and muscular, his unerringly accurate vision penetrates deep into the soul of America and consistently leaves readers with a fresh perspective on the world. Since the publication of his first novel, in 1971, he has been acknowledged across the world as one of the greatest writers of his generation. Richard Elster, a retired secret war adviser, has retreated to a forlorn house in a desert, 'somewhere south of nowhere'. But his planned isolation is interrupted when he is joined by a young filmmaker intent on documenting his experience in a one-take film. The two men sit on the deck, drinking and talking. Weeks go by. And then Elster's daughter Jessie visits. When a devastating event follows, all the men's talk, the accumulated meaning of conversation and isolation, is thrown into question. Written in hypnotic prose, Point Omega is both a metaphysical meditation and a deeply unsettling mystery, from which one thing emerges: loss, fierce and incomprehensible.

Prosperous, good-looking and empty inside, 28-year-old advertising executive David Bell appears on the surface to have everything. But he is a man on the brink of losing his sanity. Trapped in a Manhattan office with soulless sycophants as his only company, he makes an abrupt decision to leave New York for America's mid-west. His plan: to film the small-town lives of ordinary people and make contact with the true heart of his homeland. But as Bell puts his films together in his hotel room, he grows increasingly convinced that there is no heart to find. Modern America has become a land that has reached the end of its reel...

When "history" presents itself in the form of two disgruntled CIA operatives who decide that an unsuccessful attempt on the life of JFK will galvanize the nation against Communism, the scales are irrevocably tipped.

The play opens in a hospital; the characters are patients, doctors and nurses. It is a recognizable, predictable world. And yet, as the scenes unfold - in dialogue crackling with intelligence and insight, with incandescent bite and humour - our sense of normalcy is rocked from under us. Are these doctors and nurses really just patients from the Arno Klein Psychiatric Wing? Or are they something else entirely: people who are playing psychiatric patients playing doctors and nurses? And who, exactly, is Arno Klein? Described by the Boston Globe on its first performance as 'an unselfconscious, fizzing, inventive black comedy that is enormously funny', The Day Room displays Don DeLillo's extraordinary talents in the brightest of lights.