>In his first interview since 2020, reclusive novelist Don DeLillo has given a rare interview to Laura Marsh of The New York Review of Books, ostensibly to discuss his collected essays and the drone of modern life.
>When Marsh asked about the alarming new study revealing adult literacy rates in the U.S. have plummeted to an all-time low, Delillo paused, studied the table between them, and then simply pointed at the Marsh’s iPhone with a withering expression of pre-apocalyptic clairvoyance.
>“That right there,” DeLillo said, according to the piece. “That rectangle is the book now. It glows. It pings. The adult baby rattler.”
>When pressed further on the publishing industry’s role in this decline, DeLillo responded: “Publishing still believes it’s in the enlightenment business. It’s not. It’s packaging paper for people who want their shelves to look smart on Zoom.”
>In the full interview, the legendary author also laments the current state of the novel, saying most books now are “just long-form apologies disguised as self-help manuals with an MFA.” When asked if he still believes fiction can change the world, DeLillo clarified: “Fiction did change the world. This is the result.”

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>In his first interview since 2020, reclusive novelist Don DeLillo has given a rare interview to Laura Marsh of The New York Review of Books,…