See also: 1982 in literature, other events of 1983, 1984 in literature, list of years in literature.

Events

• Ironweed by William Kennedy is published.

New books

• The Anubis Gates - Tim Powers
• Changes - Danielle Steel
• Christine - Stephen King
• Cold Heaven - Anita Brian Moore
• The Colour of Magic - Terry Pratchett
• The Dark Green Tunnel - Allan W. Eckert
• Hollywood Wives - Jackie Collins
• Ironweed - William Kennedy
• The Last Warrior Queen - Mary Mackey
• Life and Times of Michael K - J. M. Coetzee
• The Little Drummer Girl - John le Carré
• The Lonesome Gods - Louis L'Amour
• The Loser - Thomas Bernhard
• The Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
• On Wings of Eagles - Ken Follett
• Pet Sematary - Stephen King
• Phantoms - Dean R. Koontz
• The Piano Teacher - Elfriede Jelinek
• Poland - James A. Michener
• The Robots of Dawn - Isaac Asimov
• Scandal - A. N. Wilson
• Shame - Salman Rushdie
• A Time for Judas - Morley Callaghan
• - Stephen R. Donaldson
• Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin
• Worstward Ho - Samuel Beckett

Births

Deaths

• February 25 - Tennessee Williams, playwright
• March 3 - Hergé, Belgian comics creator

Awards

• Booker Prize: J. M. Coetzee -Life and Times of Michael K
• See 1983 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.
• Nebula Award: David Brin, Startide Rising
• Newbery Medal for children's literature: Cynthia Voight , Dicey's Song
• Nobel Prize for Literature: William Golding
• Prix Goncourt: Frédérick Tristan , Les égarés
• Prix Médicis French: Jean Echenoz , Cherokee
• Prix Médicis International: Kenneth White , La route bleue
• 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
• Whitbread Best Book Award : John Fuller, Flying to Nowhere