The Color Purple - wikipedia The Color Purple For the color, see Purple. For other uses, see The Color Purple ( disambiguation ). The Color Purple First edition cover Author Alice Walker Country United States Language English Publisher Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publication date 1982 ISBN 0 - 15 - 119153 - 0 OCLC 8221433 Dewey Decimal 813.54 19 LC Class PS3573. A425 C6 1982 The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker who won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction. It was later adapted into a film and musical of the same name. Taking place mostly in rural Georgia, the story focuses on the life of African - American women in the southern United States in the 1930s, addressing numerous issues including their exceedingly low position in American social culture. 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 seventeen 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. '' Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Critical reception 3 Character analysis 3.1 Celie 3.2 Nettie 3.3 Shug Avery 3.4 Albert ( known as Mr. ___ ) 4 Film, theatrical, and radio adaptations 5 Boycotting Israel 6 Editions 7 See also 8 Notes 9 References 10 External links Plot summary Celie is a poor, uneducated, 14 - year - old girl living in the American South in the 1930s. She writes letters to God because her father, Alphonso, beats her harshly and rapes her continuously. Alphonso has already impregnated Celie once, a pregnancy that resulted in the birth of a boy she called Adam. Alphonso takes the baby away shortly after his birth. Celie has a second child, a girl she called Olivia whom Alphonso also abducts. Celie 's ailing mother dies after cursing Celie on her deathbed. Celie and her younger sister, 12 - year - old Nettie, learn that a man identified only as Mister wants to marry Nettie. Alphonso refuses to let Nettie marry, instead arranging for Mister to marry Celie. Mister, needing someone to care for his children and keep his house, eventually accepts the offer. Mister and his children, whose mother was murdered by a jealous lover, all treat Celie badly. However, she eventually gets Mister 's squalid living conditions and incorrigible children under control. Shortly thereafter, Nettie runs away from Alphonso and takes refuge at Celie 's house, where Mister makes sexual advances toward her. Celie then advises Nettie to seek assistance from a well - dressed black woman that she had seen in the general store a while back ; the woman had unknowingly adopted Celie 's daughter and was the only black woman that Celie had ever seen with money of her own. Nettie is forced to leave after promising to write. Celie, however, never receives any letters and concludes that her sister is dead. Time passes and Mister 's children begin to grow up and leave home. Harpo, Mister 's son, falls in love with an assertive girl named Sofia, who becomes pregnant with Harpo 's baby and, despite initial resistance from Mister, marries Harpo. Harpo and Sofia have five more children in short order. Celie is amazed by Sofia 's defiant refusal to submit to Harpo 's attempts to control her. Kinder and gentler than his father, Harpo feels emasculated due to his inability to get Sofia to `` mind. '' Celie advises Harpo not to try to dominate Sofia ; she also tells Harpo that Sofia loves him, admitting that she, Celie, only obeys Mister out of fear. Harpo temporarily follows Celie 's advice but falls back under Mister 's sway. A momentarily jealous Celie then advises Harpo to beat Sofia. Sofia fights back, however, inflicting serious injuries on Harpo. After Sofia confronts her, Celie, who was already feeling guilty about what she had done, apologizes and confides in her about all the abuse she suffers at Mister 's hands. She also begins to consider Sofia 's advice about defending herself against further abuse from Mister. Glamorous Shug Avery, a jazz and blues singer and Mister 's long - time mistress, falls ill, and Mister takes her into his house. Celie, who had been fascinated by photos of Shug she found in Mister 's belongings, is thrilled to have her there. Mister 's father expresses disapproval of the arrangement, reminding Mister that Shug has three out - of - wedlock children. Mister proudly states that he knows for certain that all the children have the same father, indirectly admitting to being their father. Mister 's father leaves in disgust after drinking a glass of water into which Celie spit. While Shug is initially rude to Celie, who has taken charge of nursing her, the two women become friends, and Celie soon finds herself infatuated with Shug. Frustrated by Harpo 's domineering behavior, Sofia moves out, taking her children with her. Several months later, Harpo opens a juke joint where a fully recovered Shug performs nightly. Shug decides to stay when she learns that Mister beats Celie when she is away. Shug and Celie 's relationship grows more intimate. Sofia returns for a visit and promptly gets into a fight with Harpo 's new girlfriend, Squeak, knocking Squeak 's teeth out. In town one day, while Sofia is enjoying a day out with her new beau, a prizefighter, and their respective children, the mayor 's wife, Miss Millie, approaches the group. She begins to `` finger '' Sofia 's children ( physically examine them in a way reminiscent of slaves on an auction block ) without bothering, at first, to speak to their mother or ask permission. At first, Sofia silently endures. Miss Millie then looks up and addresses Sofia, remarking on how clean the children are and bluntly asks Sofia if she would like to be her maid. Sofia, who does not work as a maid, straightforwardly refuses saying `` Hell no. '' The mayor then pushes his wife aside, calling Sofia `` girl '' and daring her to repeat herself. When Sofia does so defiantly, the mayor slaps Sofia. Sofia responds by using her fist to knock the mayor, her assailant, onto the ground. The police quickly arrive at the scene and brutally beat Sofia as she pleads with the prizefighter not to intervene on her behalf and instead to take her children to safety. Sofia emerges from her ordeal with a cracked skull, broken ribs, her face rendered nearly unrecognizable, and blind in one eye. Sofia is subsequently sentenced to 12 years in jail. Squeak, a mixed - race woman and Sheriff Hodges ' illegitimate niece, attempts to blackmail the sheriff into releasing Sofia, resulting in her being raped by the sheriff. Squeak cares for Sofia 's children while she is incarcerated, and the two women develop a friendship. Sofia is eventually released and begins working for Miss Millie, which she detests. Despite being newly married to a person called Grady, Shug instigates a sexual relationship with Celie on her next visit. One night Shug asks Celie about her sister, and Shug helps Celie recover letters from Nettie that Mister has been hiding from her for decades. The letters indicate that Nettie befriended a missionary couple, Samuel and Corrine, the well - dressed woman that Celie saw in the store, whom Nettie eventually accompanied to Africa to do missionary work. Samuel and Corrine have unwittingly adopted Celie 's son and daughter ( by Celie 's father ), Adam and Olivia. Corrine, noticing that her adopted children resemble Nettie, wonders if Samuel fathered the children with her. Increasingly suspicious, Corrine tries to limit Nettie 's role in her family. Through her letters, Nettie reveals that she has become disillusioned with her missionary work. Corrine becomes ill with a fever. Nettie asks Samuel to tell her how he adopted Olivia and Adam. Realizing that Adam and Olivia are Celie 's children, Nettie then learns that Alphonso is her and Celie 's stepfather. Their biological father was a store owner whom white men lynched because they resented his success. She also learns that their mother suffered a mental collapse after the death of her husband and that Alphonso exploited the situation in order to control their mother 's considerable wealth. Nettie confesses to Samuel and Corrine that she is in fact their children 's biological aunt. The gravely ill Corrine refuses to believe her until Nettie reminds her of her previous encounter with Celie in the store. Later, Corrine dies, finally having accepted Nettie 's story. Meanwhile, Celie visits Alphonso, who confirms Nettie 's story. Celie begins to lose some of her faith in God, which she confides to Shug, who explains to Celie her own unique religious philosophy. Celie, having had enough of her husband 's abuse, decides to leave Mister along with Shug and Squeak, who is considering a singing career of her own. Celie puts a curse on Mister before leaving him for good. Celie settles in Tennessee and supports herself as a seamstress. She learns that Mister, suffering from a considerable decline in fortunes after Celie left him, has changed dramatically ; he gives Celie permission to call him by his first name, Albert. Albert proposes that they marry `` in the spirit as well as in the flesh, '' but Celie declines. Alphonso dies, Celie inherits his land, and moves back into her childhood home. Around this time, Shug falls in love with Germaine, a member of her band, and the news thereof crushes Celie. Shug travels with Germaine, all the while writing postcards to Celie. Celie pledges to love Shug even if Shug does not love her back. Meanwhile, Nettie and Samuel marry and prepare to return to America. Before they leave, Adam marries Tashi, an African girl. Following an African tradition, Tashi undergoes the painful rituals of female circumcision and facial scarring. In solidarity, Adam undergoes the same facial scarring ritual. Just after Celie realizes that she is content in her life without Shug, Shug returns, having ended things with Germaine. The end of the novel has Nettie, Samuel, Olivia, Adam, and Tashi arriving at Celie 's house. Nettie and Celie embrace, having not seen each other for over 30 years. They introduce one another to their respective families as the novel ends. Critical reception The Color Purple won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983, making Walker the first woman of color to win the prize. Walker also won the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983. 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. While the novel has garnered critical acclaim, it has also been the subject of controversy. It is 17th on the American Library Association 's list of most frequently challenged or banned books. Commonly cited justications 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. Character analysis Celie Celie is the main character of the novel. She is shown to have experienced abuse at the hands of men for most of her life : she is routinely beaten and raped by her supposed father, with whom she has two children during her adolescence and whom he gives away. He later gives her away to be married to Mr. ___, who is in love with Shug Avery, a blues singer. When Shug comes to recover from an illness with Mr. ___ and Celie, it leads to an intimate relationship between Celie and Shug. Celie and Shug 's relationship later develops a romantic and sexual dimension culminating in their sleeping together ; this being Celie 's first positive sexual experience. Shug has a significant influence on Celie, who begins to draw inspiration from Shug 's independence, leading her ultimately to her own independent attitude. Shug not only influences the way that Celie allows Mr. ___ to treat her, but also shows Celie that actions deemed sinful by others may not truly be evil or transgressive and that they do not prevent one from believing in and living for God, thereby broadening Celie 's views on religion and ethics. It is also Shug who frees Celie from Mr. ___ 's bondage, first by loving her, then by helping her to start a custom sewing business. From Shug, Celie learns that Mister ( now revealed as Albert ) has been hiding letters written to her from Africa by her sister Nettie, a missionary. These letters, full of educated, firsthand observation of African life, form a moving counterpoint to Celie 's life. They reveal that in Africa, just as in America, women are persistently oppressed by men. Nettie Nettie is Celie 's younger sister, whom Celie loves and saves from living the tragic life that she had to endure. Because Nettie is prettier than Celie, who has been deemed ugly, Mr. ___ is originally interested in Nettie as a wife, but settles for Celie. Nettie runs away from home to be with Celie, but is unable to stay with Celie as Mr. ___ tries to assault her sexually. As a result, Nettie leaves home and before leaving, promises to write to Celie and tells her that only death can keep them apart. Nettie is eventually taken in by Samuel and Corrine, a missionary couple, with whom she travels to Africa as a missionary. While in Africa, Nettie becomes the caregiver of Samuel and Corrine 's children and faithfully writes to Celie for decades. Nettie marries Samuel after Corrine 's death and moves back to America with what are revealed to be Celie 's biological children. Through explaining her experiences to Celie, Nettie encourages Celie to be more enthusiastic and optimistic about life. Nettie finds that while there is not racial disparity in Africa, gender disparity exists. The women of the tribe are not treated as equals, and are not permitted to attend school. Shug Avery A sultry blues singer who first appears as Mr. ___ 's mistress, Shug becomes Celie 's friend and eventually her lover. Shug remains a gentle mentor who helps Celie evolve into an independent and assertive woman. At first, Shug does n't appear to be the mothering and nurturing kind, yet she nurtures Celie physically, spiritually, and emotionally. Shug helps Celie discover the letters from her sister Nettie that Mr. ___ had been hiding for decades. In allowing Celie to view these letters, Shug supplies her with even more hope and inspiration, letting Celie see that in the end, everything works out for the best. Albert ( known as Mr. ___ ) Mr. ___ is the man to whom Celie is married. Originally, he seeks a relationship with Nettie but settles for Celie. Mr. ___ mistreats Celie just as her stepfather had, although Celie does not understand that she does n't have to tolerate the abuse. Mr. ___ uses Celie to help raise his children, who give her a hard time because she is not their biological mother. When Shug Avery comes to town, Mr. ___ falls for her and makes her his mistress. Through Shug 's seductive and manipulative influence, Albert begins to treat Celie better. In the end, Albert realizes that he has mistreated Celie and seeks a friendship with her. Film, theatrical, and Radio adaptations Main articles : The Color Purple ( film ) and The Color Purple ( musical ) The novel was adapted into a film of the same name in 1985. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie, Danny Glover as Albert, and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia. Though nominated for eleven Academy Awards, it won none. This perceived snubbing ignited controversy because many critics considered it the best picture that year, including Roger Ebert. On December 1, 2005, a musical adaptation of the novel ( based on the film ) opened at The Broadway Theatre in New York City. The show was produced by Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones, Harvey Weinstein, and Oprah Winfrey, who was also an investor. It garnered five 2006 Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, including Outstanding Broadway Musical and Outstanding New Score. That same year, the show was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Original Score Written for the Theater, and Best Leading Actress in a Musical ( LaChanze ). LaChanze did win the Tony Award, though the show itself won no other awards. LaChanze 's win was attributed to the variety of roles for which she had garnered positive attention, as well as for a powerful backstory. In April 2007, Fantasia Barrino took over the role. The Broadway production ended its run on February 24, 2008. In 2008 BBC Radio 4 broadcast a radio adaptation of the novel in ten 15 - minute episodes as a Woman 's Hour serial, with Nadine Marshall as Celie. The script was by Patricia Cumper, and in 2009 the production received the Sony Radio Academy Awards Silver Drama Award. Boycotting Israel As part of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement ( BDS ), the author declined publication of the book in Israel in 2012. Walker, an ardent pro-Palestinian activist, said in a letter to Yediot Books that Israel practices `` apartheid '' and must change its policies before her works can be published there. This decision was criticized by Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, who argued that Walker `` resorted to bigotry and censorship against Hebrew - speaking readers of her writings ''. Editions This list is incomplete ; you can help by expanding it. ISBN 0 - 606 - 00587 - 0 ( prebound, 1985 ) ISBN 0 - 671 - 61702 - 8 ( mass market paperback, 1985 ) ISBN 0 - 671 - 64745 - 8 ( mass market paperback, 1987 ) ISBN 0 - 671 - 66878 - 1 ( paperback, 1988 ) ISBN 0 - 15 - 119154 - 9 ( hardcover, 1992, Anniversary Edition ) ISBN 1 - 56849 - 628 - 1 ( library binding, 1995, reprint ) ISBN 0 - 671 - 01907 - 4 ( paperback, 1998 ) ISBN 0 - 7641 - 2064 - 6 ( paperback, 2002 ) ISBN 0 - 15 - 602835 - 2 ( paperback, 2003 ) ISBN 0 - 671 - 72779 - 6 ISBN 0 - 7043 - 3905 - 6 ISBN 978 - 0 - 7538 - 1892 - 3 ( paperback, United Kingdom, 2004 ) ISBN 9781453223970 ( ebook, 2011 ) See also Novels portal Feminist literature Black feminism African - American literature Notes Jump up ^ Walker won the 1983 award for hardcover Fiction. From 1980 to 1983 in National Book Awards history there were dual hardcover and paperback awards in most categories. Most of the paperback award - winners were reprints, including the 1983 Fiction. References Jump up ^ `` National Book Awards -- 1983 ''. National Book Foundation. Retrieved 2012 - 01 - 26. ( With essays by Anna Clark and Tarayi Jones from the Awards 60 - year anniversary blog. ) Jump up ^ `` The 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2000 -- 2009 ''. American Library Association. Retrieved 22 Apr 2017. Jump up ^ `` Alice Walker -- biography ''. Retrieved April 12, 2012. Jump up ^ `` BBC -- The Big Read ''. BBC. April 2003, Retrieved August 23, 2017 Jump up ^ `` 1983 Pulitzer Prize Winners ''. www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ `` April 18, 1983 : Alice Walker Becomes the First Woman of Color to Win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction ''. The Nation. ISSN 0027 - 8378. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ `` 1983 -- National Book Awards Fiction Winners ''. www.nbafictionblog.org. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 24. Jump up ^ `` Some Letters Went to God ''. www.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ admin ( 2013 - 03 - 27 ). `` 100 most frequently challenged books by decade ''. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ admin ( 2013 - 03 - 27 ). `` Banned and / or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century ''. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ Bobo, Jacqueline ( 1989 - 01 - 01 ). `` Sifting Through the Controversy : Reading The Color Purple ''. Callaloo ( 39 ) : 332 -- 42. doi : 10.2307 / 2931568. JSTOR 2931568. Jump up ^ Times, E.R. Shipp, Special To The New York ( 1986 - 01 - 27 ). `` BLACKS IN HEATED DEBATE OVER ' THE COLOR PURPLE ' ''. The New York Times. ISSN 0362 - 4331. Retrieved 2016 - 09 - 25. Jump up ^ Magill Book Reviews The Color Purple Jump up ^ Rotten Tomatoes page for The Color Purple Jump up ^ Roger Ebert 's review of The Color Purple Jump up ^ John Fleming. `` Passion for ' Purple ' has Local Roots ''. `` Saint Petersburg Times ''. Dec. 12, 2005 Jump up ^ The Color Purple to Close on Broadway Feb. 24 Jump up ^ Sony Radio Academy Awards 2009 : Dramas Jump up ^ Letter from Alice Walker to Publishers at Yediot Books ^ Jump up to : AP, `` Alice Walker rejects Israeli translation of book '', June 20, 2012. Yahoo News Jump up ^ Jewish Press, Alan Dershowitz : Alice Walker 's Bigotry, June 20, 2012. External links Alice Walker discusses The Color Purple on the BBC 's World Book Club New Georgia Encyclopedia Photos of the first edition of The Color Purple `` Alice Walker on 30th Anniv. of The Color Purple : Racism, Violence Against Women Are Global Issues '', from Democracy Now ! September 28, 2012. Awards Preceded by Rabbit is Rich John Updike National Book Award for Fiction With : The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty Eudora Welty Succeeded by Victory Over Japan : A Book of Stories Ellen Gilchrist Preceded by So Long, See You Tomorrow William Maxwell National Book Award for Fiction ( 1975 -- 1999 ) Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone ( 1975 ) The Hair of Harold Roux by Thomas Williams ( 1975 ) JR by William Gaddis ( 1976 ) The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner ( 1977 ) Blood Tie by Mary Lee Settle ( 1978 ) Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien ( 1979 ) Sophie 's Choice by William Styron ( 1980 ) The World According to Garp by John Irving ( 1980 ) Plains Song : For Female Voices by Wright Morris ( 1981 ) The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever ( 1981 ) Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike ( 1982 ) So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell ( 1982 ) The Color Purple by Alice Walker ( 1983 ) The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty ( 1983 ) Victory Over Japan by Ellen Gilchrist ( 1984 ) White Noise by Don DeLillo ( 1985 ) World 's Fair by E.L. Doctorow ( 1986 ) Paco 's Story by Larry Heinemann ( 1987 ) Paris Trout by Pete Dexter ( 1988 ) Spartina by John Casey ( 1989 ) Middle Passage by Charles Johnson ( 1990 ) Mating by Norman Rush ( 1991 ) All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy ( 1992 ) The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx ( 1993 ) A Frolic of His Own by William Gaddis ( 1994 ) Sabbath 's Theater by Philip Roth ( 1995 ) Ship Fever and Other Stories by Andrea Barrett ( 1996 ) Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier ( 1997 ) Charming Billy by Alice McDermott ( 1998 ) Waiting by Ha Jin ( 1999 ) Complete list ( 1950 -- 1974 ) ( 1975 -- 1999 ) ( 2000 -- 2024 ) Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1918 -- 1925 His Family by Ernest Poole ( 1918 ) The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington ( 1919 ) The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton ( 1921 ) Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington ( 1922 ) One of Ours by Willa Cather ( 1923 ) The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson ( 1924 ) So Big by Edna Ferber ( 1925 ) 1926 -- 1950 Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis ( declined ) ( 1926 ) Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield ( 1927 ) The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder ( 1928 ) Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin ( 1929 ) Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge ( 1930 ) Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes ( 1931 ) The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck ( 1932 ) The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling ( 1933 ) Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Pafford Miller ( 1934 ) Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson ( 1935 ) Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis ( 1936 ) Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell ( 1937 ) The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand ( 1938 ) The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings ( 1939 ) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck ( 1940 ) In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow ( 1942 ) Dragon 's Teeth by Upton Sinclair ( 1943 ) Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin ( 1944 ) A Bell for Adano by John Hersey ( 1945 ) All the King 's Men by Robert Penn Warren ( 1947 ) Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener ( 1948 ) Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens ( 1949 ) The Way West by A.B. Guthrie Jr. ( 1950 ) 1951 -- 1975 The Town by Conrad Richter ( 1951 ) The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk ( 1952 ) The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway ( 1953 ) A Fable by William Faulkner ( 1955 ) Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor ( 1956 ) A Death in the Family by James Agee ( 1958 ) The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor ( 1959 ) Advise and Consent by Allen Drury ( 1960 ) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ( 1961 ) The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor ( 1962 ) The Reivers by William Faulkner ( 1963 ) The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau ( 1965 ) The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter by Katherine Anne Porter ( 1966 ) The Fixer by Bernard Malamud ( 1967 ) The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron ( 1968 ) House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday ( 1969 ) The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford by Jean Stafford ( 1970 ) Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner ( 1972 ) The Optimist 's Daughter by Eudora Welty ( 1973 ) The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara ( 1975 ) 1976 -- 2000 Humboldt 's Gift by Saul Bellow ( 1976 ) Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson ( 1978 ) The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever ( 1979 ) The Executioner 's Song by Norman Mailer ( 1980 ) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole ( 1981 ) Rabbit Is Rich by John Updike ( 1982 ) The Color Purple by Alice Walker ( 1983 ) Ironweed by William Kennedy ( 1984 ) Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie ( 1985 ) Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry ( 1986 ) A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor ( 1987 ) Beloved by Toni Morrison ( 1988 ) Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler ( 1989 ) The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos ( 1990 ) Rabbit at Rest by John Updike ( 1991 ) A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley ( 1992 ) A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler ( 1993 ) The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx ( 1994 ) The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields ( 1995 ) Independence Day by Richard Ford ( 1996 ) Martin Dressler : The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser ( 1997 ) American Pastoral by Philip Roth ( 1998 ) The Hours by Michael Cunningham ( 1999 ) Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri ( 2000 ) 2001 -- present The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon ( 2001 ) Empire Falls by Richard Russo ( 2002 ) Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides ( 2003 ) The Known World by Edward P. Jones ( 2004 ) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson ( 2005 ) March by Geraldine Brooks ( 2006 ) The Road by Cormac McCarthy ( 2007 ) The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz ( 2008 ) Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout ( 2009 ) Tinkers by Paul Harding ( 2010 ) A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan ( 2011 ) No award given ( 2012 ) The Orphan Master 's Son by Adam Johnson ( 2013 ) The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ( 2014 ) All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ( 2015 ) The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen ( 2016 ) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead ( 2017 ) Works by Alice Walker Books The Third Life of Grange Copeland ( 1970 ) Meridian ( 1976 ) The Color Purple ( 1982 ) The Temple of My Familiar ( 1989 ) Possessing the Secret of Joy ( 1992 ) Warrior Marks ( 1993 ) Short stories `` Everyday Use '' ( 1973 ) Collections In Search of Our Mothers ' Gardens ( 1983 ) Adaptations The Color Purple ( film ) The Color Purple ( musical ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Color_Purple&oldid=810910581 '' Categories : 1982 American novels Bisexuality - related fiction Epistolary novels Feminist novels Womanist novels National Book Award for Fiction winning works American novels adapted into films Rape in fiction Novels by Alice Walker Pulitzer Prize for Fiction - winning works Novels about racism American LGBT novels Novels set in Georgia ( U.S. state ) Harcourt ( publisher ) books African - American novels Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from June 2013 Pages to import images to Wikidata Incomplete lists from March 2012 Talk Contents About Wikipedia বাংলা Deutsch فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano עברית Кыргызча മലയാളം Nederlands 日本 語 Português Suomi 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 18 November 2017, at 07 : 01. 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Question: who is celia writing to in the novel the color purple
Answer: God