The prize-winning books of 1981
In 1981, the prizes ReadingRate follows named 13 winners. The most approachable is Silver's City by Maurice Leitch (difficulty 51/100, about 3 hours); the hardest is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (73/100).
- Nobel Prize in Literature: Elias Canetti — difficulty 58/100
- Booker Prize: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie — difficulty 67/100, about 21 hours
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole — difficulty 73/100, about 15 hours, awarded posthumously
- National Book Award for Fiction: Plains Song by Wright Morris — difficulty 55/100, about 4.6 hours, hardcover
- National Book Award for Fiction: The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever — difficulty 61/100, about 28 hours, paperback
- Hugo Award for Best Novel: The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge
- Nebula Award for Best Novel: Timescape by Gregory Benford
- Prix Goncourt: Anne Marie by Lucien Bodard
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: How German Is It by Walter Abish — difficulty 62/100, about 5.4 hours
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston — difficulty 66/100, about 11 hours, hardcover
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: The Last Cowboy by Jane Kramer — paperback
- Costa Novel Award: Silver's City by Maurice Leitch — difficulty 51/100, about 3 hours
- Albert J. Beveridge Award: The Atlantic Economy and Colonial Maryland's Eastern Shore by Paul G. E. Clemens
Earlier: 1980 · Every year · Later: 1982
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.