The Royal Society of Literature

The Royal Society of Literature (RSL) was founded in 1820 and granted a Royal Charter in 1825. For over 200 years, it has advocated for literary excellence, for the development of literary talent and for the broadening of literary audiences in the UK. Events, awards, new writing commissions, and outreach programming all form a part of the Society’s strategic activities. Last year, the Royal Society of Literature embarked on a new, 5-year strategy for its bicentenary period. Three guiding principles will anchor the Society’s plans and ripple through the variety of programmes and events being proposed. These are: access; representation and celebration; and excellence, past and presence. At the Society’s core lies its Fellowship, a 600-strong group of the country’s best novelists, short-story writers, poets, playwrights, biographers, historians, travel writers, literary critics and scriptwriters.