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.
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. 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). There are now more than 800 FRSLs. From 2023, the RSL began to be criticized over the new diversity of fellowship and for not taking a strong enough stance about the
stabbing of Salman Rushdie and the
cancellation of
Kate Clanchy. In February 2024, President
Bernardine Evaristo defended the RSL in
The Guardian over the changes to fellowship and issues of
freedom of speech, and stated that the RSL "cannot take sides in writers' controversies and issues, but must remain impartial." In reply, Rushdie commented on
X: "Just wondering if the Royal Society of Literature is 'impartial' about attempted murder?" In response to this, Evaristo posted evidence of her support of Rushdie when he was stabbed on X which was published at the time in the
Independent newspaper. Publication of the RSL's annual magazine was delayed in connection with an article mentioning Israel. In February 2024 the RSL referred itself to the
Charity Commission in response to what it described as a "sustained campaign of misinformation being made against it". In January 2025, Director Molly Rosenberg and Chair
Daljit Nagra stepped down from their positions, and, following an annual general meeting, it was announced that the RSL would be implementing a governance review under the new leadership of
Ruth Scurr.
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 ==