The color purple

The revised edition of The Color Purple , Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece and one of the most important titles in the history of literature.

Some of the most memorable characters in recent American literature are featured in this book – winner of the Pulitzer and the American Book Award – which inspired the cinematic masterpiece of the same name directed by Steven Spielberg and the acclaimed Broadway musical, adapted for the screen.

The Color Purple , set in the American South between the 1900s and 1940s, tells the story of Celie, a poor, semi-literate Black woman. Brutalized since childhood, the young woman was raped by her stepfather and forced to marry Albert, a violent widower and father of four children, who viewed his wife as a servant and made physical and mental suffering his daily routine.

For thirty years, Celie writes letters to God and to Sister Nettie, a missionary in Africa. The letters have a unique language, which takes on a unique cadence and rhythm as Celie grows up and begins to gather experiences, loves, and friends. Among them is the unforgettable Shug Avery, jazz singer and Albert's lover.

Despite the dramatic plot, The Color Purple is a story about change, redemption, and love. Based on Celie's life, acclaimed writer Alice Walker critiques the power given to men in a society that still strives for equality between genders, races, and social classes. Named one of the 100 novels that define the world by the BBC, The Color Purple is a portrait of the experience of Black women during the era of racial segregation, the repercussions of which are still present in our society.

“I picked up the book and read it in one day when it came out. And then the next day I went back and bought every copy they had.” – Oprah Winfrey

“ The Color Purple is a stunning celebration of all that it means to be a Black woman […]. I love that The Color Purple doesn’t try to soften its blows and yet is encouraging enough to maintain a wonderfully affirming faith in possibility, forgiveness, kindness, and hope.” – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

“One of the most talented writers in her country.” – Isabel Allende

“A genuinely horizon-expanding book.” – The Guardian

“An intense emotional impact […]. Alice Walker is a writer of prodigious talent.” – The New York Times

“Puts Walker next to Faulkner.” – The Nation