The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Open Library readers: 4.18 / 5 from 90 ratings. Separate from ratings here.Catalogue checked 2026-10-02.
The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker which won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction.
The novel has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000–2009 at number seventeenth because of the sometimes explicit content, particularly in terms of violence. In 2003, the book was listed on the BBC's The Big Read poll of the UK's "best-loved novels."
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About The Color Purple
A few practical answers before choosing a copy.
Bibliographic source: Open Library- Who wrote The Color Purple?
The Color Purple is by Alice Walker. The catalogue records its first publication in 1982. A later edition may have a different publication date on its copyright page.
- How long is The Color Purple?
The catalogue records 262 pages for a representative edition. Pagination varies with the publisher, format, type size and translation, so check the edition you intend to read.
