Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Answers.com

Royal Society of Literature

 
Wikipedia: Royal Society of Literature

The Royal Society of Literature is the "senior literary organisation in Britain". It was founded in 1820 by King George IV, in order to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The Society's first president was Thomas Burgess, who later became the Bishop of Salisbury. There are 450 Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature (generally 14 new Fellows are named annually), who earn the privilege of using the post-nominal letters FRSL.

Past Fellows include Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Butler Yeats, Rudyard Kipling, Thomas Hardy, George Bernard Shaw, Arthur Koestler etc. Present fellows include Chinua Achebe, Antonia Fraser, Athol Fugard, Doris Lessing, V.S. Naipaul, Peter Dickinson, and Tom Stoppard. A newly created Fellow inscribes his or her name on the official roll using either Byron's pen or Dickens' quill.

The Society has an annual magazine, RSL, and administers a number of literary prizes and awards, including the Ondaatje Prize, the Jerwood Awards, and the V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize. It can confer the honour of Companion of the Royal Society of Literature for writers of particular note. It also awards the Benson Medal for lifetime service in the field of literature.

The Society is based at Somerset House in London.

Presidents

Current Fellows

Fellow Year of election
*Julia Abel Smith 2008
Dannie Abse 1983
Chinua Achebe 1983
Peter Ackroyd CBE 1984
Richard Adams 1975
Donald Adamson 1983
Fleur Adcock OBE 1984
Diran Adebayo 2006
John Agard 2007
Brian Aldiss OBE 1990
Keith Alldritt 1978
Fergus Allen CB 2000
*David Altaras 1996
Martin Amis 1983
Mark Amory 1996
Carole Angier 2002
The Marquess of Anglesey DL FSA FRHistS Hon FRIBA 1969
John Arden 2000
Simon Armitage 2004
Karen Armstrong 2005
Bruce Arnold OBE 1994
Geoffrey Ashe 1963
Michael Asher 1996
Rosemary Ashton OBE FBA 1999
Diana Athill OBE 2001
Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE 1991
Paul Bailey 1999
Dame Beryl Bainbridge 1978
Michael Baldwin 1984
John Banville 2007
Richard Barber 1971
Juliet Barker 2001
Sebastian Barker 1997
Pat Barker CBE 1995
Frank Barlow CBE FBA FRHistS 1971
Correlli Barnett CBE 1964
Stan Barstow 1999
Jacques Barzun 1994
Susan Bassnett 2007
Jonathan Bate CBE FBA 2004
Nina Bawden CBE 1970
Martin Bax 2002
John Bayley CBE FBA 1967
Sir Christopher Alan Bayly FBA FRHistS 2005
Dame Gillian Beer FBA 2006
Antony Beevor 1999
Rosalind Belben 1999
Anne Olivier Bell 1984
Bernard Bergonzi 1984
Elizabeth Berridge 1997
Christopher Bigsby 2000
*Robert Binyon 2000
Dea Birkett 2000
Julia Blackburn 2002
Ronald Blythe, Benson Medallist 1970
James T. Boulton FBA 1969
William BoydCBE 1982
Melvyn Bragg (Baron Bragg) 1971
Raymond Briggs 1993
Robin Briggs 1999
Michael Brock CBE FRHistS 1983
Hugh Brogan 1987
Anita Brookner CBE 1982
Alan Brownjohn 1999
James Buchan 2001
Brian Burland 1999
John Burnside 1999
Marilyn Butler FBA 1989
A.S. Byatt (Dame Antonia Duffy) 1983
David Cairns 2001
Sir David Cannadine FBA FRHistS 1999
John Carey FBA 1982
Peter Carey 1989
Sir Raymond Carr FBA FRHistS 1977
Justin Cartwright 2002
David Caute 1998
Glen Cavaliero 1986
Hugh Cecil 1997
Tracy Chevalier 2008
Anne Chisholm 1989
Rupert Christiansen 1997
Gillian Clarke 2000
John Clay 1998
Morton N. Cohen 1996
Isabel Colegate 1981
Linda Colley CBE FRHistS FBA 2004
Tony Connor 1972
Robert Conquest CMG OBE 1972
P.J. Conrad 1974
David Constantine 2007
Wendy Cope 1992
John Cornwell 1985
Jim Crace 1999
Kevin Crossley-Holland 1998
Tony Curtis 2000
David Dabydeen 2000
William Dalrymple 1995
Richard Davenport-Hines 2003
Lionel Davidson 1997
Andrew Davies 1996
Paul Davies 1999
Stevie Davies 1998
Dick Davis 1981
Richard Dawkins FRS 1997
*Jill Balcon (Mrs C. Day-Lewis) 1972
Louis de Bernières 2006
Shelagh Delaney 1985
Anita Desai, Benson Medallist 1978
Peter Dickinson 1999
David Dilks FRHistS 1986
Jenny Diski 1999
Maura Dooley 2006
Roddy Doyle 2003
Dame Margaret Drabble CBE 1973
Carol Ann Duffy CBE 1999
Maureen Duffy 1985
Ian Duhig 2006
Katherine Duncan-Jones 1991
Helen Dunmore 1997
Jane Dunn 1999
Douglas Dunn OBE 1981
Nell Dunn 2004
Geoff Dyer 2005
*Umberto Eco 1992
David Edgar 1985
Max Egremont (Lord Egremont DL) 2001
Anne Enright 2008
Richard J. Evans FBA 1999
Bernardine Evaristo 2004
Ruth Fainlight 2007
Julian Fane 1974
U.A. Fanthorpe CBE 1988
Moris Farhi MBE 2001
Sebastian Faulks CBE 1994
Elaine Feinstein 1981
James Fenton 1983
Maggie Fergusson 2007
Orlando Figes 2003
Anne Fine OBE 2003
Tibor Fischer 2003
Roy Fisher 2005
Michael Foot 1988
Margaret Forster 1974
Roy Foster FBA FRHistS 1992
Dick Francis CBE 1999
Lady Antonia Fraser CBE 2003
Robert Fraser 2007
Michael Frayn C Lit 1969
Brian Friel 1998
Athol Fugard 1986
John Fuller 1980
P.N. Furbank 1992
Paul Fussell 1977
Mavis Gallant CC 1989
Jane Gardam OBE 2005
*Anthony Gardner 2004
Philip Gardner 1986
Timothy Garton Ash CMG 2005
Bamber Gascoigne 1976
Norman Gash CBE FBA FRHistS 1973
*Lord Gavron CBE 1996
Maggie Gee, Vice-President 1994
Sir Martin Gilbert CBE 1977
Sir David Gilmour Bt 1990
Lesley Glaister 1994
Victoria Glendinning CBE, Vice-President 1982
Julian Gloag 1970
*Martyn Goff CBE 2002
Magdalen Goffin 1980
Nadine Gordimer, Benson Medallist 1975
Lyndall Gordon 2002
Warwick Gould 1997
Grey Gowrie (The Earl of Gowrie) 2003
*Gunter Grass 1993
A.C. Grayling 2006
Peter Green 1956
Lavinia Greenlaw 2004
John Gribbin 1999
John Gross 1992
Romesh Gunesekera 2004
Abdulrazak Gurnah 2006
John Haffenden FBA 1986
John Halperin 1985
Georgina Hammick 2001
Christopher Hampton CBE 1976
Barbara Hardy FBA 1997
Sir David Hare 1985
Claire Harman 2006
Richard Harries (The Rt Rev Lord Harries of Pentregarth) 1996
Robert Harris 1996
Wilson Harris 2007
Tony Harrison 1984
David Harsent 1999
Ronald Harwood CBE, Vice-President 1974
Sir Max Hastings 1996
Lady Selina Hastings 1994
Roy Hattersley (Lord Hattersley) 2003
*Václav Havel 1993
Cameron Hazlehurst 1973
Shirley Hazzard 1998
Tim Heald 2000
Edna Healey (Lady Healey) 1993
Denis Healey (Lord Healey CH MBE) 1993
*Seamus Heaney C Lit 1991
*Drue Heinz DBE 2002
Philip Hensher 1998
Dominic Hibberd 2002
Geoffrey Hill 1972
Reginald Hill 1999
Bevis Hillier 1997
Tim Hilton 1993
Barry Hines 1977
Russell Hoban 1988
Eric Hobsbawm CH FBA 2006
Mary Hocking 1977
Eva Hoffman 2007
Richard Hoggart 2003
Alan Hollinghurst 1995
Richard Holmes OBE FBA 1975
Sir Michael Holroyd CBE C Lit FRHistS, President 1968
Park Honan 1998
Hugh Honour FBA 1972
Christopher Hope 1990
Nick Hornby 1996
Sir Alistair Horne CBE 1968
Elizabeth Jane Howard CBE 1991
Philip Howard 1987
Kathryn Hughes FRHistS 2006
Shirley Hughes OBE 2000
Roland Huntford 2001
Aamer Hussein 2004
Angela Huth 1978
Samuel Hynes 1978
Robert Irwin 2001
Kazuo Ishiguro OBE 1989
Dan Jacobson 2007
P.D. James (Baroness James of Holland Park OBE JP), Vice-President 1987
Deborah Jay 2005
Alan Jenkins 2002
Elizabeth Jenkins OBE 1970
Sir Simon Jenkins 2003
Liz Jensen 2005
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala CBE 1974
*Paula Johnson 2008
Jenny Joseph 1999
Gabriel Josipovici FBA 1997
Alan Judd 1990
P.J. Kavanagh 1986
Jackie Kay 2002
Jonathan Keates 1992
H.R.F. Keating 1990
Sir John Keegan OBE FRHistS 1986
Laurence Kelly 2003
Linda Kelly 2003
Thomas Keneally 1973
A.L. Kennedy 1999
Sir Ludovic Kennedy 1998
*HRH The Duke of Kent 1978
Sir Frank Kermode FBA 1958
Thomas Kilroy 1972
Francis King CBE 1952
Matthew Kneale 2003
Shiv K. Kumar 1978
Hanif Kureishi CBE 2008
John Lanchester 2002
Robin Lane Fox 1974
Lee Langley 1996
Bryony Lavery 2002
Zachary Leader 2007
Hermione Lee CBE FBA 1992
Brendan Lehane 1999
Mike Leigh OBE 2008
*Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor DSO OBE C Lit 1991
Laurence Lerner 1984
*Doris Lessing CH C Lit 2001
Andrea Levy 2005
Paul Levy 1980
Gwyneth Lewis 1999
Jeremy Lewis 1992
Naomi Lewis 1981
R.P. Lister 1970
Penelope Lively CBE 1985
Samuel Lock 2001
David Lodge CBE 1976
Michael Longley 1988
Roger Lonsdale FBA 1989
Edward Lucie-Smith 1964
Fiona MacCarthy 1997
Ian McDonald AA 1970
Ian McEwan CBE 1983
Roger McGough CBE 2004
Patrick McGrath 2002
Denis Mack Smith CBE FBA 1977
Shena Mackay 1999
Rory MacLean 2007
Margaret MacMillan 2003
Candia McWilliam 1994
Brenda Maddox 1999
Noel Malcolm FBA 1997
David Malouf 2008
Hilary Mantel CBE 1990
Patrick Marber 2002
Patrick Marnham 1988
Philip Marsden 1996
Rosalind Marshall 1974
Adam Mars-Jones 2007
Allan Massie 1982
Douglas Matthews FCLIP, Benson Medallist 1998
Glyn Maxwell 1999
Derwent May 1996
Ernest Mehew 1999
Edward Mendelson 2003
Jeffrey Meyers 1983
Stanley Middleton 1999
Mary Midgley 2007
Karl Miller 1992
Michael Millgate 1983
Pankaj Mishra 2008
Julian Mitchell 1985
Deborah Moggach 1999
Caroline Moorehead OBE 1993
Geoffrey Moorhouse 1982
Edwin Morgan OBE 2004
Michael Morpurgo OBE 2004
Jan Morris CBE 1961
Blake Morrison 1988
Nicholas Mosley (Lord Ravensdale MC) 1980
Andrew Motion 1984
Ferdinand Mount 1991
Paul Muldoon 1981
Alice Munro 2002
Richard Murphy 1968
V.S. Naipaul (Sir Vidia Naipaul C Lit) 1962
Venetia Newall FSA 1980
Charles Nicholl 2005
Grace Nichols 2007
Peter Nichols 1983
William Nicholson 1999
Adam Nicolson 2005
Vivien Noakes 1996
Gerard Noel 1999
David Nokes 1994
Leslie Norris 1974
John Julius Norwich (Viscount Norwich CVO FSA) 1970
Robert Nye 1977
Sean O'Brien 2007
Kathleen Odell 1979
Bernard O'Donoghue 1999
Julia O'Faolain 1998
Redmond O'Hanlon 1993
Ben Okri OBE 1997
*Sir Christopher Ondaatje CBE 2003
Charles Osborne 1996
Ewald Osers 1984
Ruth Padel 1998
Alan Palmer 1980
Peter Parker 1997
Don Paterson 2004
Jill Paton Walsh 1996
Brian Patten 2003
Catherine Peters 1992
Humphrey Phelps 1977
Caryl Phillips 2000
Mike Phillips 2000
David Plante 2002
Alan Plater CBE 1985
Piers Plowright 1998
Stephen Poliakoff CBE 1985
Peter Porter C Lit 1983
David Pownall 1976
David Profumo 1995
David Pryce-Jones 1980
Philip Pullman CBE 2001
Isabel Quigly 1989
Craig Raine 1984
Frederic Raphael 1964
Piers Paul Read 1972
Anne Redmon 1980
Joan Rees 1982
Christopher Reid 1999
Ruth Rendell (Baroness Rendell of Babergh CBE) 1988
Christopher Ricks FBA 1970
Jane Ridley 2007
Matt Ridley DL FMedSci 1999
William Rivière 2000
Graham Robb 1999
Andrew Roberts 2001
Michèle Roberts 1999
Jane Rogers 1994
Kenneth Rose CBE 1976
Jacob Ross 2006
J.K. Rowling OBE 2002
Anthony Rudolf 2005
Carol Rumens 1984
Sir Salman Rushdie 1983
Lawrence Sail 1998
Giles St Aubyn LVO 1964
William St Clair FBA 1973
Norman St John-Stevas (Lord St John of Fawsley) 1966
*John Saumarez Smith, Benson Medallist 1996
J.J. Scarisbrick 1969
Ann Schlee 1997
Michael Schmidt 1993
*Patricia Schute 1991
The Rev Professor M.A. Screech FBA 1989
Roger Scruton FBA 2003
Peter Scupham 1990
Simon Sebag-Montefiore 2003
Elisa Segrave 2001
Richard Sennett 1999
Vikram Seth CBE 1994
Miranda Seymour 1996
Sir Peter Shaffer CBE 1978
Nicholas Shakespeare 1999
Jo Shapcott 1999
Norman Sherry 1985
Alan Sillitoe 2007
Posy Simmonds MBE 2004
Helen Simpson 1996
Andrew Sinclair 1972
Clive Sinclair 1983
Robert Skidelsky (Lord Skidelsky of Tilton FRHistS) 1978
Ali Smith 2007
Godfrey Smith 1995
Lacey Baldwin Smith FRHistS 1972
Zadie Smith 2002
Mary Soames (Lady Soames DBE) 2000
*Ben Sonnenberg 1994
Ahdaf Soueif 2002
*Wole Soyinka, Benson Medallist 1983
Frances Spalding CBE 1984
Francis Spufford 2007
Hilary Spurling CBE 2005
Tom Stacey 1977
Jon Stallworthy FBA 1971
Martin Stannard 1999
C.K. Stead ONZ CBE 1995
George Steiner FBA 1962
Stanley Stewart 2001
Sir Tom Stoppard OM CBE C Lit 1972
Sir Roy Strong FSA 1999
Virginia Surtees 1978
John Sutherland 1990
Graham Swift 1984
George Szirtes 1982
D.J. Taylor 1997
Emma Tennant 1982
Hugh Thomas (Lord Thomas of Swynnerton FRHistS) 1997
Ian Thomson 2003
Colin Thubron CBE, Vice-President 1969
Ann Thwaite 1987
Anthony Thwaite OBE 1978
Gillian Tindall 1983
Colm Tóibín 2007
A.T. Tolley 1998
Nikolai Tolstoy 1979
Claire Tomalin, Vice-President 1976
Sue Townsend 1993
Jeremy Treglown 1989
Rose Tremain CBE 1983
Raleigh Trevelyan 1973
William Trevor KBE C Lit 1976
Lynne Truss 2004
Jenny Uglow CBE 1998
Barry Unsworth 1974
Edward Upward, Benson Medallist 2005
James Walvin OBE 2006
Marina Warner CBE FBA 1984
Val Warner 1998
Keith Waterhouse CBE 1986
Daniel Weissbort 2008
Fay Weldon CBE 1986
Robert Wells 1994
Timberlake Wertenbaker 1999
Sir Arnold Wesker 1985
Sara Wheeler 1999
Hugh Whitemore 1998
Helen Wilcox 1999
Hugo Williams 1988
Nigel Williams 1994
The Most Rev Rowan Williams 2003
A.N. Wilson 1982
Frances Wilson 2008
Dame Jacqueline Wilson 2005
Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS 1999
Charles Wood 1985
Michael Wood 1992
Gerard Woodward 2005
Pamela Woof 1999
Andrew Wright 1971
Kit Wright 1997
Ann Wroe FRHistS 2007
Francis Wyndham 1999
Adam Zamoyski 2006
Theodore Zeldin OBE FBA FRHistS 1999
Philip Ziegler CVO 1972

The * before the name denotes an honorary Fellow.

External links


Search unanswered questions...
Enter a question here...
Search: All sources Community Q&A Reference topics
 
 

 

Copyrights:

Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Royal Society of Literature" Read more