Episode 31: An Interview with Gerald Howard

Episode 31: An Interview with Gerald Howard

From Don DeLillo Should Win the Nobel Prize by Jeffrey Severs & Michael Streit

November 20, 2025 · 1h 13m · Episode 31

About this episode

The episode features an interview with Gerald Howard discussing his experiences with Don DeLillo and his impact on literature.

In Episode 31 DDSWTNP get the chance to talk about DeLillo with his friend, colleague, and editor Gerald Howard, whose distinguished career in publishing at Viking Penguin, Norton, and Doubleday spanned nearly 50 years and was marked by his work not only on Libra but important books by David Foster Wallace, Paul Auster, and so many others. We hear Gerry recount first reading the DeLillo of Americana and “Total Loss Weekend” in the 1970s, seeing a book titled “Panasonic” (eventually, White Noise) arrive at Viking Penguin, and having an 800-page manuscript about the JFK assassination later hit his desk. So many great stories mark this episode, including DeLillo’s funny “speech” upon receiving the National Book Award for White Noise, his reasons for seeking a new publisher after The Names, the legal reasoning behind the Author’s Note at the end of the hardcover Libra, and what Gerry for personal reasons regards as one of the funniest of DeLillo’s many funny passages: an editor’s remarks to Bill Gray about the literary marketplace in Mao II. Gerry talks as well about Catholicism, DeLillo’s massive influence on younger writers, and who, along with DeLillo, comprised his personal…

People in this episode

Hosts: Jeffrey Severs, Michael Streit

Guest: Gerald Howard

Topics covered

  • interview
  • publishing
  • literature
  • Don DeLillo
  • author influence
  • Catholicism

Keywords

  • Gerald Howard
  • Don DeLillo
  • publishing
  • literary influence
  • interview

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Americana, Total Loss Weekend, White Noise, Libra, The Names, Mao II

More episodes of Don DeLillo Should Win the Nobel Prize

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Don DeLillo Should Win the Nobel Prize podcast page.