The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) is a learned society founded in 1820 by King George IV to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". A charity that represents the voice of literature in the UK, the RSL has about 800 Fellows, elected from among the best writers in any genre currently at work. Additionally, Honorary Fellows are chosen from those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature, including publishers, agents, librarians, booksellers or producers. The society is a cultural tenant at London's Somerset House. The RSL is an independent charity and relies on the support of its Members, Patrons, Fellows and friends to continue its work.
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History
The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) was founded in 1820, with the patronage of George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent", and its first president was Thomas Burgess, Bishop of St David's (who was later translated as Bishop of Salisbury). From the beginning of the 21st century, Presidents have served four-year terms and the RSL has employed a professional director to oversee its membership and outreach programmes. From 2018, the RSL's patron has been Queen Camilla, who took over in the role from Queen Elizabeth II.
Fellowship
Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature: are elected annually and accorded the privilege of using the post-nominal letters FRSL. Traditionally, around 14 new fellows per year were elected, with a total number of about 500 being maintained. To be nominated for fellowship, a writer must have published two works of literary merit, and nominations must be seconded by an RSL fellow. All nominations are presented to members of the Council of the Royal Society of Literature, who vote biannually to elect new fellows. Newly elected fellows are introduced at the Society's annual general meeting and summer party. While the President reads a citation for each, they are invited to sign their names in the roll book which dates back to 1820, Additionally, Honorary Fellows are chosen from those who have made a significant contribution to the advancement of literature, including publishers, agents, librarians, booksellers or producers, or who have rendered special service to the RSL. An example of an Honorary Fellow is Sarah Hosking (arts administrator) who set up the Hosking Houses Trust in order to provide a quiet space with financial uplift for mature and overworked women writers.
Past fellows include Samuel Taylor Coleridge, J. R. R. Tolkien, W. B. Yeats, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Koestler, Chinua Achebe, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Robert Ardrey, Sybille Bedford, Muriel Spark, P. J. Kavanagh, Hilary Mantel, and Sir Roger Scruton. Present Fellows include Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, David Hare, Kazuo Ishiguro, Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon, Zadie Smith, Nadeem Aslam, Sarah Waters, J. K. Rowling, and Nick Cave. A newly created fellow inscribes his or her name on the society's official roll using either Byron's pen, T. S. Eliot's fountain pen, which replaced Dickens's quill in 2013, or (as of 2018) George Eliot's pen, with pens belonging to Jean Rhys and Andrea Levy being additional choices from 2020.
In 2018, the RSL launched the initiative "40 Under 40", which saw the election of 40 new fellows aged under 40. In 2020, the RSL celebrated its 200th anniversary with the announcement of RSL 200, "a five-year festival launched with a series of major new initiatives and 60 new appointments championing the great diversity of writing and writers in the UK". Initiatives included RSL Open (electing new Fellows from communities, backgrounds and experiences currently under-represented in UK literary culture), and RSL International Writers (recognising the contribution of writers across the globe to literature in English). RSL 200 resulted in more than 60 new fellows and honorary fellows being elected annually between 2021 and 2024. There are now more than 800 FRSLs.
Publications
The society publishes an annual magazine, the RSL Review, which includes features, interviews and essays.
In 2000, the RSL published a volume that provides a description and history of the society, written by one of its fellows, Isabel Quigly.
Membership
From 2012, the RSL established a membership programme offering a variety of events to members and the general public. Membership of the RSL is open to all.
Outreach
In 2021, the RSL launched "Literature Matters: Reading Together", a project aiming to make recreational reading accessible to young people across the UK.
Awards and prizes
Through its prize programmes, the RSL supports new and established contemporary writers.
The RSL Christopher Bland Prize – £10,000 for debut prose writers aged 50 or over.
The Encore Awards – £10,000 for best second novel of the year. The RSL took over the administration of this award in 2016.
The RSL Giles St Aubyn Awards for Non-Fiction – annual awards, currently one of £10,000 and one of £5,000 and one of £2,500, to authors engaged on their first commissioned works of non-fiction (replaced the Jerwood Award in 2017).
The RSL Ondaatje Prize – an annual award of £10,000 for a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place.
The V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize – an annual prize of £1,000 for the best unpublished short story of the year.
The Benson Medal – awarded to those who have done sustained and outstanding service to literature.
The RSL Literature Matters Awards for projects which connect with audiences or topics outside the usual reach of literature.
Sky Arts RSL Writers Awards awarded to British writers of colour at the beginnings of their careers.
Entente Littéraire Prize for writing and translation from France and the UK. Two books, one English and one French, receive a prize of €8,000 shared between the author and the translator.
Companion of Literature – the highest honour that the society can bestow upon a writer; inaugurated in 1961, it is held by up to 12 writers at any one time.
Council and presidents
The Council of the Royal Society of Literature is central to the election of new fellows, and directs the RSL's activities through its monthly meetings. Council members serve for a fixed term of four years, with new members being elected by Council when members retire.
Patron
Queen Camilla
President
Elif Shafak
Presidents Emeriti
Michael Holroyd
Colin Thubron
Marina Warner
Bernardine Evaristo
Acting Chair of Council
Ruth Scurr
Vice-presidents
Council
List of presidents
1820–1832: Bishop Thomas Burgess
1832–1833: George Agar-Ellis, 1st Baron Dover
1834–1845: F. J. Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich
1845–1849: Henry Hallam
1849–1851: Spencer Compton, 2nd Marquess of Northampton
1851–1856: George Howard, 7th Earl of Carlisle
1856–1876: The Rt Rev. Connop Thirlwall (Bishop of St David's until 1874)
1876–1884: The Prince Leopold (Duke of Albany from 1881)
1885–1893: Sir Patrick Colquhoun
1893–1920: Hardinge Giffard, 1st Earl of Halsbury
1921–1945: Robert Crewe-Milnes, 1st Marquess of Crewe
1946–1947: Victor Bulwer-Lytton, 2nd Earl of Lytton
1947–1982: Lord Butler of Saffron Walden
1982–1988: Sir Angus Wilson
1988–2003: Roy Jenkins
2003–2008: Sir Michael Holroyd
2008–2017: Colin Thubron
2017–2021: Dame Marina Warner
2021–2025: Bernardine Evaristo
2025–present: Elif Shafak
Current fellows
The * before the name denotes an Honorary Fellow. The list is online at the RSL website.
RSL International Writers
The RSL International Writers programme is a new life-long honour and award recognizing the contribution of writers across the globe to literature in English, and the power of literature to transcend borders in bringing people together, the inaugural list of recipients being announced in 2021.