The prize-winning books of 1980
In 1980, the prizes ReadingRate follows named 12 winners. The most approachable is The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen (difficulty 24/100, about 3.4 hours); the hardest is Rites of Passage by William Golding (61/100).
- Nobel Prize in Literature: Czesław Miłosz — difficulty 55/100
- Booker Prize: Rites of Passage by William Golding — difficulty 61/100, about 6.3 hours
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer — difficulty 55/100, about 26 hours
- National Book Award for Fiction: Sophie's Choice by William Styron — difficulty 51/100, about 10 hours, hardcover
- National Book Award for Fiction: The World According to Garp by John Irving — difficulty 27/100, about 9.5 hours, paperback
- Hugo Award for Best Novel: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
- Nebula Award for Best Novel: The Fountains of Paradise by Arthur C. Clarke
- Prix Goncourt: Cronus' Children by Yves Navarre
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe — difficulty 33/100, about 8.2 hours, hardcover
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen — difficulty 24/100, about 3.4 hours, paperback
- Costa Novel Award: How Far Can You Go? by David Lodge — difficulty 54/100, about 4.3 hours, Book of the Year
- Albert J. Beveridge Award: Cities of the American West by John W. Reps
Earlier: 1979 · Every year · Later: 1981
Other prizes: Nobel Prize in Literature, Booker Prize, Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, International Booker Prize, National Book Award for Fiction, Women's Prize for Fiction, Hugo Award for Best Novel, Nebula Award for Best Novel, Prix Goncourt, Dublin Literary Award, PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, National Book Award for Nonfiction, Costa Novel Award, Albert J. Beveridge Award, Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction. Every literary prize; every winner of 2026.