1983 in literature
See also: 1982 in literature, other events of 1983, 1984 in literature, list of years in literature.
Events
- Ironweed by William Kennedy is published.
- Salvage for the Saint by Peter Bloxsom and John Kruse is published. This is the final book in a series of novels, novellas and short stories featuring the Leslie Charteris creation The Saint that started in 1928. An unsuccessful attempt at restarting the series would occur in 1997.
New books
- Isaac Asimov - The Robots of Dawn
- Greg Bear - The Wind from a Burning Woman
- Samuel Beckett - Worstward Ho
- Thomas Berger - The Feud
- Thomas Bernhard - The Loser
- Marion Zimmer Bradley - The Mists of Avalon
- Morley Callaghan - A Time for Judas
- Hugo Claus - Het verdriet van België
- J. M. Coetzee - Life and Times of Michael K
- Jackie Collins - Hollywood Wives
- Basil Copper - The House of the Wolf
- L. Sprague de Camp
- Stephen R. Donaldson - White Gold Wielder: Book Three of the Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
- Allan W. Eckert - The Dark Green Tunnel
- Ken Follett - On Wings of Eagles
- Ernest J. Gaines - A Gathering of Old Men
- John Gardner - Icebreaker
- Gery Greer and Bob Ruddick - Max and Me and the Time Machine
- Mark Helprin - Winter's Tale
- Elfriede Jelinek - The Piano Teacher
- William Kennedy -Ironweed
- Stephen King
- Dean R. Koontz - Phantoms
- Louis L'Amour - The Lonesome Gods
- John le Carré - The Little Drummer Girl
- Mary Mackey - The Last Warrior Queen
- James A. Michener - Poland
- Anita Brian Moore - Cold Heaven
- R. K. Narayan - A Tiger for Malgudi
- Robert B. Parker - The Widening Gyre
- Tim Powers - The Anubis Gates
- Terry Pratchett - The Colour of Magic
- Salman Rushdie - Shame
- Joanna Russ - The Zanzibar Cat
- Danielle Steel - Changes (Danielle Steel novel)
- Fay Weldon - The Life and Loves of a She-Devil
- A. N. Wilson - Scandal
- Robert Anton Wilson - Prometheus Rising
- Roger Zelazny - Unicorn Variations
New drama
- Tom Murphy - The Gigli Concert
- Larry Shue - The Foreigner
- Neil Simon - Brighton Beach Memoirs
Poetry
- Grace Nichols - i is a long memoried woman
- Paul Durcan - Jumping the Train Tracks with Angela
Non-fiction
- L. Sprague deCamp - The Fringe of the Unknown
- L. Sprague deCamp, Catherine Crook de Camp and Jane Whittington Griffin - Dark Valley Destiny: the Life of Robert E. Howard
- Susan Oliver - Odyssey: A Daring Transatlantic Journey
- Anna Rosmus - Resistance and Persecution in Passau from 1933 to 1939
Births
Deaths
- January 5 - Chapman Grant, historian and publisher
- February 25 - Tennessee Williams, playwright
- March 3 - Hergé, Belgian comics creator
- April 12 - Desmond Bagley, novelist
- June 19 - Vilmundur Gylfason, Icelandic historian and poer
- September 16 - Roy Andries De Groot, food writer
Awards
- Nobel Prize for Literature: William Golding
- Hugo Award for Best Novel: Foundation's Edge by Isaac Asimov
Australia
- The Australian/Vogel Literary Award: Jenny Summerville, Shields Of Trell
- Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: Vivian Smith, Tide Country
Canada
- See 1983 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
France
- Prix Goncourt: Frédérick Tristan, Les égarés
- Prix Médicis French: Jean Echenoz, Cherokee
- Prix Médicis International: Kenneth White, La route bleue
United Kingdom
- Booker Prize: J. M. Coetzee -Life and Times of Michael K
- Cholmondeley Award: John Fuller, Craig Raine, Anthony Thwaite
- Eric Gregory Award: Martin Stokes, Hilary Davies, Michael O’Neill, Lisa St Aubin De Teran, Deidre Shanahan
- Newdigate prize: Peter McDonald
- Whitbread Best Book Award: John Fuller, Flying to Nowhere
United States
- Agnes Lynch Starrett Poetry Prize: Kate Daniels, The White Wave
- Nebula Award: David Brin, Startide Rising
- Newbery Medal for children's literature: Cynthia Voight, Dicey's Song
- Pulitzer Prize for Drama: Marsha Norman, 'Night, Mother
- Pulitzer Prize for Fiction: Alice Walker - The Color Purple
- Pulitzer Prize for Poetry: Galway Kinnell - Selected Poems
Elsewhere
- Premio Nadal: Salvador García Aguilar, Regocijo en el hombre