The Color Purple
1982 AD published
Mel Watkins of the New York Times Book Review wrote that it is a "striking and consummately well-written novel", praising its powerful emotional impact and epistolary structure. It was also named a PBS Great American Read Top 100 Pick.
The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983, making Walker the first black woman to win the prize.
Walker also won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983.
Though the novel has garnered critical acclaim, it has also been the subject of controversy. The American Library Association placed it on the list of top hundred banned and challenged books in the United States from 1990 to 1999 (17), 2000 to 2009 (17), and 2010 to 2019 (50), as well as the top ten list for 2007 (6) and 2009 (9). Commonly cited justifications for banning the book include sexual explicitness, explicit language, violence, and homosexuality.
The book received greater scrutiny amidst controversy surrounding the release of the film adaptation in 1985. The controversy centered around the depiction of black men, which some critics saw as feeding stereotypical narratives of black male violence, while others found the representation compelling and relatable.
On November 5, 2019, the BBC News listed The Color Purple on its list of the 100 most influential novels.
Lattitude: 40.7128° N
Longitude: 74.006° W
Region: North America
Modern Day United States
Subjects Who or What published?
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Alice Walker An American novelist, sh...
Objects To Whom or What was published?
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The Color Purple An epistolary novel by A...
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