The prize-winning books of 1983
In 1983, the prizes ReadingRate follows named 13 winners. The most approachable is The Color Purple by Alice Walker (difficulty 49/100, about 4.6 hours); the hardest is Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee (59/100).
- Nobel Prize in Literature: William Golding — difficulty 65/100
- Booker Prize: Life & Times of Michael K by J. M. Coetzee — difficulty 59/100, about 5.2 hours
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: The Color Purple by Alice Walker — difficulty 49/100, about 4.6 hours
- National Book Award for Fiction: The Color Purple by Alice Walker — difficulty 49/100, about 4.6 hours, hardcover
- National Book Award for Fiction: The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty — paperback
- Hugo Award for Best Novel: Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
- Nebula Award for Best Novel: No Enemy But Time by Michael Bishop
- Prix Goncourt: The Lost Ones by Frédérick Tristan
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction: Seaview by Toby Olson — difficulty 53/100, about 4.3 hours
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: China: Alive in the Bitter Sea by Fox Butterfield — hardcover
- National Book Award for Nonfiction: National Defense by James Fallows — paperback
- Costa Novel Award: Fools of Fortune by William Trevor — difficulty 53/100, about 4.8 hours
- Albert J. Beveridge Award: Booker T. Washington: The Wizard of Tuskegee, 1901–1915 by Louis R. Harlan
Earlier: 1982 · Every year · Later: 1984
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.