The works of Don DeLillo's give a seismographic account of the cultural political situation and offer complex insights into American culture. Julia Apitzsch examines the thematic and aesthetic function of the visual representation of history and cultural reality in DeLillo's novels. DeLillo's portrayals of key events in American history are violent and traumatic. Their visualisation has burned them into the American collective memory. DeLillo critically examines the mechanisms of power and significance of images and sounds out the various possibilities of creatively reclaiming control through language, by translating the flood of images into literary motifs. Especially traumatic events such as the terrorist attacks of 11th September, which generated an overwhelming torrent of images, show that as an interpreter of images, the author is more important than ever.