1983 Governor General's Awards

Each winner of the 1983 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit was selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.

English

Category	Winner	Nominated
Fiction	Leon Rooke, Shakespeare's Dog	Philip Kreiner, People Like Us in a Place Like This H. R. Percy, Painted Ladies Susan Swan, The Biggest Modern Woman of the World
Non-fiction	Jeffery Williams, Byng of Vimy	Ken Dryden, The Game H. S. Ferns, Reading from Left to Right: One Man's Political History
Poetry	David Donnell, Settlements	Christopher Dewdney, Predators of the Adoration: Selected Poems 1972-82 Don McKay, Birding, or Desire Anne Szumigalski, Doctrine of Signatures
Drama	Anne Chislett, Quiet in the Land	No advance shortlist was released for this category.

French

Category	Winner	Nominated
Fiction	Suzanne Jacob, Laura Laur	Victor-Lévy Beaulieu, Discours de Samm France Ducasse, Du lieu des voyages Carole Massé, L'Existence Francine Noël, Maryse Suzanne Robert, Vulpera
Non-fiction	Maurice Cusson, Le contrôle social du crime	Clermont Dugas, Les régions périphériques: défi au développement du Québec Jacques Michon, Émile Nelligan: les racines du rêve François Rousseau, L'oeuvre de chère en Nouvelle-France. Le régime des malades à l'Hôtel-Dieu de Québec
Poetry	Suzanne Paradis, Un goût de sel	Claude Beausoleil, Une certaine fin de siècle: Poésie 1973-1983 Hugues Corriveau, Revoir le rouge Denis Vanier, Rejet de prince
Drama	René Gingras, Syncope	Michelle Allen, La passion de Juliette René-Daniel Dubois, 26 bis, impasse du Colonel Foisy