1980 in literature

Last updated September 09, 2025

This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1980.

Events

March 6 – Marguerite Yourcenar becomes the first woman elected to the Académie française.^[1]
June 5
- The Royal Shakespeare Company opens a production at the Aldwych Theatre, London, of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby , adapted from Charles Dickens's novel by David Edgar.^[2]
- Willy Russell's comedy Educating Rita opens in a Royal Shakespeare Company production with Julie Walters in the title rôle, at The Warehouse in London.
September – A production of Shakespeare's Macbeth with Peter O'Toole in the lead opens at the Old Vic Theatre, London. It is often seen one of the disasters in theatre history.^[3]^[4]
September 23 – The Field Day Theatre Company presents its first production, the première of Brian Friel's Translations , at the Guildhall, Derry, Northern Ireland.
November 27 – The English playwright Harold Pinter marries the biographer and novelist Lady Antonia Fraser after divorcing the actress Vivien Merchant.
December 8 – Mark David Chapman shoots John Lennon to death in New York City while carrying a copy of J. D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye , which he claims "is my statement."^[5]
December 19 – Guatemalan poet Alaíde Foppa is abducted and never seen again.^[6]
unknown dates
- Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer (published 1979), tops The New York Times Best Seller list.
- Vasily Grossman's novel Life and Fate ("Жизнь и судьба", completed 1959) is published for the first time, in Switzerland.^[7]
- The first Tibetan-language literature journal, Tibetan Literature and Art (Bod kyi rtsom rig sgyu rtsal), is published by the Tibet Autonomous Region Writers Association (TARWA); it features short stories.^[8]
- The novella "An Old Song", published anonymously in 1877 in the magazine London, is identified as Robert Louis Stevenson's first published work of fiction.^[9]

New books

Births

January 1 – Satya Vyas, Indian (Hindi language) writer
May 1 – Jacek Dehnel, Polish poet, writer and translator
May 10 – Cristina Nemerovschi, Romanian writer
May 27 – Majlinda Nana Rama, Albanian pedagogue, writer and researcher
June 5 – Nestan Kvinikadze, Georgian writer, scriptwriter and journalist
September 11 – Dawit Kebede, Ethiopian journalist and publisher
October 29 – Louie Jon Agustin Sanchez, Philippine poet, fiction writer, critic and journalist
November 23 – Ishmael Beah, Siera Leonean author and human rights activist

Deaths

January 3
- Joy Adamson, Silesian-born conservationist and writer living in Kenya (murdered, born 1910)^[16]^[17]
- George Sutherland Fraser, Scottish poet and critic (born 1915)
January 11 – Barbara Pym, English novelist (cancer, born 1913)^[18]
January 21 – Irene Rathbone, English novelist (born 1892)
February 25 – Caradog Prichard, Welsh poet and novelist in Welsh (born 1904)^[19]
March 12 – Eugeniu Ștefănescu-Est, Romanian poet, novelist and cartoonist (born 1881)
March 17 – P. M. Hubbard, English crime writer (born 1910)
March 25 – James Wright, American poet (born 1927)
March 26 – Roland Barthes, French literary theorist (born 1915)^[20]
March 27 – Idris Jamma', Sudanese poet (died 1980)^[21]
April 6 – John Collier, English-born American short story writer (born 1901)
April 15 – Jean-Paul Sartre, French philosopher, novelist and dramatist (born 1905)^[22]
April 24 – Alejo Carpentier, French Cuban novelist and writer (cancer, born 1904)
May 7 – Margaret Cole, English political writer, biographer and activist (born 1893)
May 16 – Marin Preda, Romanian novelist (asphyxiation, born 1922)^[23]
June 7
- Salvator Gotta, Italian writer (born 1887)
- Henry Miller, American novelist (born 1891)^[24]
June 20 – Amy Key Clarke, English mystical poet (born 1892)^[25]
June 27 – Carey McWilliams, American author, editor and lawyer (born 1905)^[26]
July 1 – C. P. Snow, English novelist and scientist (born 1905)^[27]
July 6 – Mart Raud, Estonian poet, playwright and writer (born 1903)
July 9 – Vinicius de Moraes, Brazilian poet and songwriter (born 1913)
July 17 – Traian Herseni, Romanian social scientist and journalist (born 1907)
July 23 – Olivia Manning, English novelist and poet (born 1908)
July 26 – Kenneth Tynan, English-born theater critic (pulmonary emphysema, born 1927)
August 8 – David Mercer, English dramatist (born 1928)
August 10 – Gareth Evans, British philosopher (lung cancer, born 1946)
September 18 – Katherine Anne Porter, American novelist and essayist (born 1890)
September 19 – Jacky Gillott, English novelist (suicide, born 1939)
October 26 – Sam Cree, Northern Irish playwright (born 1928)
November 9 – Patrick Campbell, Irish journalist and wit (born 1913)
December 2 – Romain Gary (Roman Kacew), French novelist (suicide, born 1914)^[28]
December 8 – John Lennon, English musician, songwriter and author (murdered, born 1940)^[29]
December 12 – Ben Travers, English playwright, screenwriter and novelist (born 1886)
December 14 – Nichita Smochină, Transnistrian Romanian ethnographer and journalist (born 1894)
December 21
- Marc Connelly, American playwright (born 1890)^[30]
- Nelson Rodrigues, Brazilian playwright, journalist and novelist (born 1912)
December 27 – Todhunter Ballard, American genre novelist (born 1903)
December 31 – Marshall McLuhan, Canadian philosopher (born 1911)^[31]

Awards

Nobel Prize for Literature: Czesław Miłosz

Australia

The Australian/Vogel Literary Award: Inaugural award to Archie Weller, The Day Of The Dog; the award is initially given to Paul Radley, who, in 1996, admits that his manuscript was actually written by his uncle.^[32]
Kenneth Slessor Prize for Poetry: David Campbell, Man in the Honeysuckle
Miles Franklin Award: Jessica Anderson, The Impersonators

Canada

See 1980 Governor General's Awards for a complete list of winners and finalists for those awards.

France

Prix Goncourt: Yves Navarre, Le Jardin d'acclimatation^[33]
Prix Médicis French: Jean-Luc Benoziglio, Cabinet-portrait who refused the prize, thus it was given to Jean Lahougue's Comptine des Height
Prix Médicis International: Andre Brink, Une saison blanche et sèche

United Kingdom

Elsewhere

Hugo Award for Best Novel: Arthur C. Clarke, The Fountains of Paradise
Premio Cervantes : Juan Carlos Onetti
Premio Nadal: Juan Ramón Zaragoza, Concerto grosso

Notes

Hahn, Daniel (2015). The Oxford Companion to Children's Literature (2nd ed.). Oxford. University Press. ISBN 9780198715542.

References

↑ Alba della Fazia Amoia; Professor Emeritus Alba Amoia; Bettina Liebowitz Knapp (2004). Multicultural Writers Since 1945: An A-to-Z Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 538. ISBN 978-0-313-30688-4.
↑ Freeman, John, The Greatest Shows on Earth: World Theatre from Peter Brook to the Sydney Olympics. Libri: Oxford ISBN 978 1 907471 54 4
↑ Tribute to Peter O'Toole. films42.com. 2003. Retrieved 2009-01-03.
↑ Parsons, Nicholas (1981). Dipped in Vitriol. London: Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-26556-3.
↑ Montgomery, Paul L. (9 February 1981). "Lennon Murder Suspect Preparing Insanity Defense". The New York Times.
↑ Cocco, Elisa (2023). "Alaíde Foppa: una vita da dissidente" [Alaíde Foppa: a dissident's life](PDF). Cuadernos del Hipogrifo (in Italian). 20: 11–25. ISSN 2420-918X . Retrieved 2025-05-27.
↑ Neil Cornwell (2 December 2013). Reference Guide to Russian Literature. Routledge. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-134-26070-6.
↑ Kolas, Ashield; Thowsen, Monika P. (2005). On the Margins of Tibet: Cultural Survival on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier. pp. 40–41, 138–139.
↑ Swearingen, Roger G. (1980). ""An Old Song" (1877): Robert Louis Stevenson's First Published Story, A New Discovery in the Yale Libraries". The Yale University Library Gazette. 54 (3): 101–113. Retrieved Sep 9, 2021.
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 3
↑ Hahn 2015, p.3
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 20
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 493
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 603
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 407
↑ "Around the World Kenyan is Convicted in Death of Joy Adamson".
↑ Interview with Paul Nakware Ekai.
↑ Michael Cotsell (10 March 1989). Barbara Pym. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-349-19810-8.
↑ Menna Baines. "PRICHARD, CARADOG (1904–1980), novelist and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales . Retrieved 2 February 2019.
↑ Martin McQuillan (1 March 2011). Roland Barthes. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-230-34389-4.
↑ Awadh, Abd al-Rahman (2015). Hamdi, al-Sakkut (ed.). Qāmūs al-Adab al-ʻArabi al-Hadithقاموس الأدب العربي الحديث[Dictionary of Modern Arabic Literature] (in Arabic) (first ed.). Cairo, Egypt: General Egyptian Book Organization. p. 92. ISBN 9789779102146.
↑ Paul Holmes; Marcia Karp (1991). Psychodrama: Inspiration and Technique. Tavistock/Routledge. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-415-02672-7.
↑ Scriitorul Marin Preda, moartea ca o povara (Romanian).
↑ Jay Parini (2004). The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature: Norman Mailer-Sentimental literature. Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-19-516726-9.
↑ Obituary, The Times, 23 June 1980
↑ Who was who in America. Marquis-Who's Who. 1943. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-8379-0210-4.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
↑ David Shusterman (1991). C.P. Snow. Twayne Publishers. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-8057-6993-7.
↑ Bona, D. (1987). Romain Gary. Paris: Mercure de France-Lacombe. pp. 397-398.
↑ Ingham, Chris (2006). The Rough Guide to The Beatles. Rough Guides. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-84353-720-5.
↑ Elizabeth A. Brennan; Elizabeth C. Clarage (1999). Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-57356-111-2.
↑ Whitman, Alden (January 1, 1981). "Marshall McLuhan, Author, Dies; Declared 'Medium Is the Message'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
↑ "Paul Radley". Australia Day Council. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
↑ Robert Aldrich; Garry Wotherspoon (2002). Who's who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. Psychology Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-415-29161-3.
↑ Hahn 2015, p. 660

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[1] Alba della Fazia Amoia; Professor Emeritus Alba Amoia; Bettina Liebowitz Knapp (2004). Multicultural Writers Since 1945: An A-to-Z Guide. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 538. ISBN 978-0-313-30688-4.

[2] Freeman, John, The Greatest Shows on Earth: World Theatre from Peter Brook to the Sydney Olympics. Libri: Oxford ISBN 978 1 907471 54 4

[3] Tribute to Peter O'Toole. films42.com. 2003. Retrieved 2009-01-03.

[4] Parsons, Nicholas (1981). Dipped in Vitriol. London: Pan Books. ISBN 0-330-26556-3.

[5] Montgomery, Paul L. (9 February 1981). "Lennon Murder Suspect Preparing Insanity Defense". The New York Times.

[6] Cocco, Elisa (2023). "Alaíde Foppa: una vita da dissidente" [Alaíde Foppa: a dissident's life](PDF). Cuadernos del Hipogrifo (in Italian). 20: 11–25. ISSN 2420-918X . Retrieved 2025-05-27.

[Cornwell2013-7] Neil Cornwell (2 December 2013). Reference Guide to Russian Literature. Routledge. p. 371. ISBN 978-1-134-26070-6.

[8] Kolas, Ashield; Thowsen, Monika P. (2005). On the Margins of Tibet: Cultural Survival on the Sino-Tibetan Frontier. pp. 40–41, 138–139.

[9] Swearingen, Roger G. (1980). ""An Old Song" (1877): Robert Louis Stevenson's First Published Story, A New Discovery in the Yale Libraries". The Yale University Library Gazette. 54 (3): 101–113. Retrieved Sep 9, 2021.

[10] Hahn 2015, p. 3

[11] Hahn 2015, p.3

[12] Hahn 2015, p. 20

[13] Hahn 2015, p. 493

[14] Hahn 2015, p. 603

[15] Hahn 2015, p. 407

[16] "Around the World Kenyan is Convicted in Death of Joy Adamson".

[17] Interview with Paul Nakware Ekai.

[18] Michael Cotsell (10 March 1989). Barbara Pym. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-349-19810-8.

[19] Menna Baines. "PRICHARD, CARADOG (1904–1980), novelist and poet". Dictionary of Welsh Biography. National Library of Wales . Retrieved 2 February 2019.

[20] Martin McQuillan (1 March 2011). Roland Barthes. Macmillan International Higher Education. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-230-34389-4.

[21] Awadh, Abd al-Rahman (2015). Hamdi, al-Sakkut (ed.). Qāmūs al-Adab al-ʻArabi al-Hadithقاموس الأدب العربي الحديث[Dictionary of Modern Arabic Literature] (in Arabic) (first ed.). Cairo, Egypt: General Egyptian Book Organization. p. 92. ISBN 9789779102146.

[22] Paul Holmes; Marcia Karp (1991). Psychodrama: Inspiration and Technique. Tavistock/Routledge. p. 215. ISBN 978-0-415-02672-7.

[23] Scriitorul Marin Preda, moartea ca o povara (Romanian).

[24] Jay Parini (2004). The Oxford Encyclopedia of American Literature: Norman Mailer-Sentimental literature. Oxford University Press. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-19-516726-9.

[25] Obituary, The Times, 23 June 1980

[26] Who was who in America. Marquis-Who's Who. 1943. p. 395. ISBN 978-0-8379-0210-4.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

[27] David Shusterman (1991). C.P. Snow. Twayne Publishers. p. 176. ISBN 978-0-8057-6993-7.

[28] Bona, D. (1987). Romain Gary. Paris: Mercure de France-Lacombe. pp. 397-398.

[29] Ingham, Chris (2006). The Rough Guide to The Beatles. Rough Guides. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-84353-720-5.

[30] Elizabeth A. Brennan; Elizabeth C. Clarage (1999). Who's who of Pulitzer Prize Winners. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-57356-111-2.

[31] Whitman, Alden (January 1, 1981). "Marshall McLuhan, Author, Dies; Declared 'Medium Is the Message'". The New York Times. Retrieved August 19, 2012.

[32] "Paul Radley". Australia Day Council. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-07.

[33] Robert Aldrich; Garry Wotherspoon (2002). Who's who in Contemporary Gay and Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. Psychology Press. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-415-29161-3.

[34] Hahn 2015, p. 660

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1980 in literature

Contents

Events

New books

Fiction

Children and young people

Drama

Poetry

Non-fiction