Don DeLillo is an American novelist, playwright, and essayist. He is best known for his novels, which paint detailed portraits of American life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. His works include White Noise, Libra, Mao II, and Underworld. He has won numerous awards, including the National Book Award for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He is widely considered to be one of the most important and influential writers of the past century.