Royal Society of Literature
The Royal Society of Literature is a learned society founded in 1820, by King George IV, to "reward literary merit and excite literary talent". The society is a cultural tenant at London's Somerset House.
History
The society's first president was Thomas Burgess, Bishop of St David's. The society maintains its current level of about 500 Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature: generally 14 new fellows are elected annually, who are accorded the privilege of using the post-nominal letters FRSL.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, and Sir Roger Scruton. Present Fellows include Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, David Hare, Kazuo Ishiguro, Hilary Mantel, Andrew Motion, Paul Muldoon, Zadie Smith, Nadeem Aslam, Sarah Waters, Geoffrey Ashe and J. K. Rowling. 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 George Eliot's pen.
The society publishes an annual magazine, The Royal Society of Literature Review, and administers a number of literary prizes and awards, including the RSL Ondaatje Prize, the RSL Jerwood Awards for Non-Fiction, the RSL Encore Award for best second novel of the year and the V. S. Pritchett Memorial Prize for short stories. From time to time it confers the honour and title of Companion of Literature to writers of particular note. Additionally the RSL can bestow its award of the Benson Medal for lifetime service in the field of literature.
Membership
The RSL runs a membership scheme and offers a varied programme of events to members and the general public. Membership of the RSL is open to all.The RSL also runs a schools outreach programme in collaboration with the literacy charity First Story.
Awards and prizes
The RSL administers two annual prizes, two awards, and two honours. Through its prize programmes, the RSL supports new and established contemporary writers.- The RSL Christopher Bland Prize — £10,000 for debut prose writers over the age of 50.
- 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, one of £10,000 and two of £5,000, to authors engaged on their first commissioned works of non-fiction.
- 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.
- Companion of Literature – the highest honour that the Society can bestow upon a writer.
Council and presidents
; Patron
; President
; Presidents Emeritus
; Chair of Council
; Vice-Presidents
;Council
List of Presidents
- 1820–1832 Bishop Thomas Burgess
- 1832–1833 The Lord Dover
- 1834–1845 The Earl of Ripon
- 1845–1849 Henry Hallam
- 1849–1851 The Marquess of Northampton
- 1851–1856 The Earl of Carlisle
- 1856–1876 The Rt Rev. Connop Thirlwall
- 1876–1884 The Prince Leopold
- 1885–1893 Sir Patrick Colquhoun
- 1893–1920 The Earl of Halsbury
- 1921–1945 The Marquess of Crewe
- 1946–1947 The Earl of Lytton
- 1947–1982 The Lord Butler of Saffron Walden
- 1982–1988 Sir Angus Wilson
- 1988–2003 The Lord Jenkins of Hillhead
- 2003–2008 Sir Michael Holroyd
- 2008–2017 Colin Thubron
- 2017–present Marina Warner
Fellows
New fellows of the Royal Society of Literature are elected by its current fellows. 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. Nominated candidates who have not been successful are reconsidered at every election for three years from the year in which they were proposed. Newly elected fellows are introduced at the Society's AGM 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, using either T. S. Eliot's fountain pen or Byron's pen. In 2013, Charles Dickens's quill was retired and replaced with Eliot's fountain pen, and in 2018 George Eliot's pen was offered as a choice, the first time in the RSL's history that a pen that belonged to a woman writer was an option. In 2018 the RSL honoured the achievements of Britain's younger writers through the initiative "40 Under 40", which saw the election of 40 new fellows aged under 40.
Current fellows
| Fellow | Year of election |
| *Julia Abel Smith DL | 2008 |
| Peter Ackroyd CBE | 1984 |
| Donald Adamson JP FSA FRHistS | 1983 |
| Fleur Adcock CNZM OBE | 1984 |
| Diran Adebayo | 2006 |
| John Agard | 2007 |
| Bola Agbaje | 2018 |
| Patience Agbabi | 2017 |
| Hanan al-Shaykh | 2019 |
| Monica Ali | 2019 |
| Keith Alldritt | 1978 |
| Fergus Allen CB | 2000 |
| *Ellah Wakatama Allfrey OBE | 2019 |
| David Almond | 2011 |
| *David Altaras | 1996 |
| Martin Amis | 1983 |
| Mark Amory | 1996 |
| Tahmima Anam | 2017 |
| Carole Angier | 2002 |
| Kwame Anthony Appiah | 2017 |
| Lisa Appignanesi OBE | 2015 |
| Simon Armitage CBE | 2004 |
| Karen Armstrong | 2005 |
| Bruce Arnold OBE | 1994 |
| Geoffrey Ashe | 1963 |
| Michael Asher | 1996 |
| Rosemary Ashton OBE FBA | 1999 |
| Jenn Ashworth | 2018 |
| Nadeem Aslam | 2010 |
| *Syima Aslam | 2019 |
| Diana Athill OBE | 2001 |
| Kate Atkinson MBE | 2010 |
| Margaret Atwood CC FRSC C Lit | 2010 |
| Sir Alan Ayckbourn CBE | 1991 |
| *Pete Ayrton | 2019 |
| David Baddiel | 2019 |
| Paul Bailey | 1999 |
| *Bibi Bakare-Yusuf | 2019 |
| Sarah Bakewell | 2012 |
| John Banville | 2007 |
| Richard Barber FSA FRHistS | 1971 |
| Juliet Barker | 2001 |
| Pat Barker CBE | 1995 |
| Correlli Barnett CBE | 1964 |
| Sebastian Barry | 2009 |
| Susan Bassnett | 2007 |
| Sir Jonathan Bate CBE FBA | 2004 |
| Laura Bates | 2018 |
| Martin Bax | 2002 |
| Dame Mary Beard | 2019 |
| Dame Gillian Beer DBE FBA | 2006 |
| Antony Beevor | 1999 |
| *Sharmilla Beezmohun | 2019 |
| Rosalind Belben | 1999 |
| Anne Olivier Bell MBE | 1984 |
| Anthea Bell OBE | 2013 |
| Jay Bernard | 2018 |
| Emily Berry | 2018 |
| *Xandra Bingley | 2019 |
| *Robert Binyon | 2000 |
| Dea Birkett | 2000 |
| Julia Blackburn | 2002 |
| Terence Blacker | 2017 |
| Malorie Blackman OBE | 2009 |
| Sir Quentin Blake CBE RDI | 2013 |
| Ronald Blythe, Benson Medallist | 1970 |
| Elleke Boehmer | 2019 |
| William Boyd CBE | 1982 |
| Melvyn Bragg | 1971 |
| Piers Brendon | 2010 |
| Howard Brenton | 2017 |
| Simon Brett OBE | 2015 |
| Raymond Briggs CBE | 1993 |
| Robin Briggs FBA FRHistS | 1999 |
| Hugh Brogan | 1987 |
| Alan Brownjohn | 1999 |
| James Buchan | 2001 |
| Moira Buffini | 2014 |
| John Burnside | 1999 |
| *Margaret Busby OBE, Benson Medallist | 2017 |
| Jez Butterworth | 2019 |
| A. S. Byatt | 1983 |
| David Cairns CBE | 2001 |
| Lucy Caldwell | 2018 |
| Dame Carmen Callil DBE, Benson Medallist | 2010 |
| Sir David Cannadine FBA FSA FRHistS | 1999 |
| Vahni Capildeo | 2019 |
| John Carey FBA | 1982 |
| Peter Carey AO | 1989 |
| Ciaran Carson | 2014 |
| Miranda Carter | 2011 |
| Justin Cartwright | 2002 |
| Helen Castor | 2017 |
| David Caute JP FRHistS | 1998 |
| Glen Cavaliero | 1986 |
| Hugh Cecil | 1997 |
| Aidan Chambers | 2009 |
| Debjani Chatterjee | 2019 |
| Amit Chaudhuri | 2009 |
| Tracy Chevalier | 2008 |
| Anne Chisholm OBE | 1989 |
| Rupert Christiansen | 1997 |
| Kate Clanchy | 2010 |
| Susannah Clapp | 2013 |
| Brian Clark | 1985 |
| Gillian Clarke | 2000 |
| John Clay | 1998 |
| *Michael Codron CBE | 2019 |
| Jonathan Coe | 2012 |
| J. M. Coetzee | 1988 |
| Richard Cohen | 2017 |
| Isabel Colegate | 1981 |
| Linda Colley | 2004 |
| Sophie Collins | 2018 |
| Tony Connor | 1972 |
| P. J. Conrad | 1974 |
| Peter Conradi | 2010 |
| David Constantine | 2007 |
| Artemis Cooper | 2016 |
| Wendy Cope OBE | 1992 |
| John Cornwell | 1985 |
| Frank Cottrell Boyce | 2012 |
| Jim Crace | 1999 |
| Kevin Crossley-Holland | 1998 |
| Tony Curtis | 2000 |
| Rachel Cusk | 2012 |
| David Dabydeen | 2000 |
| William Dalrymple FRGS FRAS | 1995 |
| Richard Davenport-Hines FRHistS | 2003 |
| Andrew Davies | 1996 |
| Norman Davies CMG FBA FRHistS | 2013 |
| Paul Davies | 1999 |
| Stevie Davies | 1998 |
| Dick Davis | 1981 |
| Richard Dawkins FRS | 1997 |
| Louis de Bernières | 2006 |
| Alain de Botton | 2011 |
| *Tim Dee | 2017 |
| Anita Desai, Benson Medallist | 1978 |
| Imtiaz Dharker | 2010 |
| David Dilks FRHistS | 1986 |
| Maura Dooley | 2006 |
| Robert Douglas-Fairhurst | 2015 |
| Roddy Doyle | 2003 |
| Dame Margaret Drabble DBE | 1973 |
| Dame Carol Ann Duffy DBE | 1999 |
| Maureen Duffy FKC, Benson Medallist, Vice-President | 1985 |
| Ian Duhig | 2006 |
| Katherine Duncan-Jones | 1991 |
| Douglas Dunn OBE | 1981 |
| Jane Dunn | 1999 |
| Nell Dunn | 2004 |
| Geoff Dyer | 2005 |
| David Edgar | 1985 |
| Helen Edmundson | 2015 |
| Max Egremont | 2001 |
| Menna Elfyn | 2015 |
| Inua Ellams | 2018 |
| Anne Enright | 2010 |
| Sir Richard Evans FBA FRHistS FLSW | 1999 |
| Bernardine Evaristo MBE | 2004 |
| Sir Richard Eyre CBE | 2011 |
| Ruth Fainlight | 2007 |
| Duncan Fallowell | 2015 |
| Moris Farhi MBE | 2001 |
| Paul Farley | 2012 |
| Sebastian Faulks CBE | 1994 |
| Lara Feigel | 2018 |
| Elaine Feinstein | 1981 |
| James Fenton FSA | 1983 |
| Adam Fergusson MEP | 2009 |
| Maggie Fergusson MBE | 2007 |
| The Hon. William Fiennes | 2009 |
| Orlando Figes | 2003 |
| Anne Fine OBE | 2003 |
| Tibor Fischer | 2003 |
| Richard Ford | 2012 |
| Aminatta Forna OBE | 2012 |
| Richard Fortey FRS | 2009 |
| Roy Foster FBA FRHistS | 1992 |
| Adam Foulds | 2009 |
| *Dan Franklin | 2019 |
| Lady Antonia Fraser DBE | 2003 |
| Robert Fraser | 2007 |
| Michael Frayn C Lit | 1969 |
| Maureen Freely | 2011 |
| Esther Freud | 2019 |
| Stephen Fry | 2019 |
| Athol Fugard | 1986 |
| John Fuller | 1980 |
| Neil Gaiman | 2018 |
| Jane Gardam OBE | 2005 |
| *Anthony Gardner | 2004 |
| Philip Gardner | 1986 |
| Alan Garner OBE | 2011 |
| Timothy Garton Ash CMG FRHistS | 2005 |
| Bamber Gascoigne | 1976 |
| Jamila Gavin | 2015 |
| Maggie Gee OBE, Vice-President | 1994 |
| Adèle Geras | 2013 |
| Amitav Ghosh | 2009 |
| Peter Gill | 2019 |
| Sir David Gilmour Bt | 1990 |
| Paul Gilroy | 2016 |
| Mark Girouard FSA Hon FRIBA | 1994 |
| Lesley Glaister | 1994 |
| The Hon. Victoria Glendinning CBE, Vice-President | 1982 |
| Julian Gloag | 1970 |
| Edmund Gordon | 2018 |
| Lyndall Gordon | 2002 |
| Warwick Gould | 1997 |
| Grey Gowrie | 2003 |
| James Graham | 2018 |
| Linda Grant | 2013 |
| A. C. Grayling | 2006 |
| Peter Green | 1956 |
| Lavinia Greenlaw | 2004 |
| Germaine Greer | 2016 |
| John Gribbin | 1999 |
| Romesh Gunesekera | 2004 |
| Tanika Gupta | 2016 |
| Abdulrazak Gurnah | 2006 |
| Tessa Hadley | 2009 |
| John Haffenden FBA | 1986 |
| The Lord Hague PC | 2009 |
| Sarah Hall | 2016 |
| John Halperin | 1985 |
| Georgina Hammick | 2001 |
| Christopher Hampton CBE | 1976 |
| Sir David Hare | 1985 |
| Claire Harman | 2006 |
| Richard Harries | 1996 |
| Alexandra Harris | 2013 |
| Robert Harris | 1996 |
| Sir Wilson Harris | 2007 |
| Tony Harrison | 1984 |
| David Harsent | 1999 |
| Rosalind Harvey | 2018 |
| Sir Ronald Harwood CBE, Vice-President | 1974 |
| Sir Max Hastings FRHistS | 1996 |
| Lady Selina Hastings | 1994 |
| Roy Hattersley | 2003 |
| Daisy Hay | 2018 |
| Cameron Hazlehurst FRHistS | 1973 |
| *Drue Heinz Hon DBE | 2002 |
| John Hemming CMG | 2013 |
| Philip Hensher | 1998 |
| W. N. Herbert | 2015 |
| Rachel Hewitt | 2018 |
| Ella Hickson | 2018 |
| Rosemary Hill | 2010 |
| Tobias Hill | 2011 |
| Bevis Hillier | 1997 |
| Tim Hilton | 1993 |
| Henry Hitchings | 2015 |
| Peter Hobbs | 2014 |
| Eva Hoffman | 2007 |
| Ursula Holden | 2010 |
| Tom Holland | 2016 |
| Alan Hollinghurst | 1995 |
| *Richard Hollis | 2019 |
| Richard Holmes OBE FBA | 1975 |
| Sir Michael Holroyd CBE FRHistS C Lit, President Emeritus | 1968 |
| Christopher Hope | 1990 |
| Nick Hornby | 1996 |
| Sarah Howe | 2018 |
| Kathryn Hughes FRHistS | 2006 |
| Shirley Hughes OBE | 2000 |
| Lucy Hughes-Hallett | 2010 |
| Emyr Humphreys | 1995 |
| Roland Huntford | 2001 |
| Aamer Hussein | 2004 |
| Angela Huth | 1978 |
| Samuel Hynes | 1978 |
| *Sir Nicholas Hytner | 2019 |
| Armando Iannucci | 2019 |
| Robert Icke | 2018 |
| Robert Irwin | 2001 |
| Kazuo Ishiguro OBE | 1989 |
| Ian Jack | 2009 |
| Howard Jacobson | 2012 |
| Clive James CBE AM | 2010 |
| Kathleen Jamie | 2009 |
| Deborah Jay | 2005 |
| Alan Jenkins | 2002 |
| Sir Simon Jenkins FSA | 2003 |
| Liz Jensen | 2005 |
| Catherine Johnson | 2019 |
| Linton Kwesi Johnson | 2013 |
| *Paula Johnson | 2008 |
| Jennifer Johnston | 2009 |
| Cynan Jones | 2019 |
| Steve Jones FRS | 2011 |
| Gabriel Josipovici FBA | 1997 |
| Alan Judd | 1990 |
| Margaret Jull Costa OBE | 2013 |
| Jackie Kay MBE | 2002 |
| Jonathan Keates FSA | 1992 |
| Laurence Kelly | 2003 |
| Linda Kelly | 2010 |
| Peter Kemp | 2015 |
| Thomas Keneally AO | 1973 |
| A. L. Kennedy | 1999 |
| *The Duke of Kent KG | 1978 |
| Mimi Khalvati | 2009 |
| Thomas Kilroy | 1972 |
| Lucy Kirkwood | 2018 |
| Matthew Kneale | 2003 |
| Hari Kunzru CBE | 2014 |
| Hanif Kureishi CBE | 2008 |
| Kwame Kwei-Armah OBE | 2014 |
| David Kynaston | 2010 |
| Olivia Laing | 2019 |
| Nick Laird | 2013 |
| John Lanchester | 2002 |
| Robin Lane Fox | 1974 |
| Lee Langley | 1996 |
| James Lasdun | 2009 |
| Bryony Lavery | 2002 |
| Mark Lawson | 2015 |
| Zachary Leader | 2007 |
| Dame Hermione Lee DBE FBA | 1992 |
| Brendan Lehane | 1999 |
| Mike Leigh OBE | 2008 |
| Rebecca Lenkiewicz | 2017 |
| Andrea Levy | 2005 |
| Deborah Levy | 2017 |
| Paul Levy | 1980 |
| Gwyneth Lewis | 1999 |
| Dame Penelope Lively DBE | 1985 |
| Samuel Lock | 2001 |
| David Lodge CBE | 1976 |
| Michael Longley CBE | 1988 |
| Roger Lonsdale FBA | 1989 |
| Edward Lucie-Smith | 1964 |
| Andrew Lycett | 2010 |
| Richard Mabey | 2011 |
| Alexander McCall Smith | 2014 |
| Fiona MacCarthy OBE | 1997 |
| Geraldine McCaughrean | 2009 |
| Val McDermid | 2016 |
| Ian McDonald AA | 1970 |
| Ian McEwan CBE | 1983 |
| Robert Macfarlane | 2011 |
| Patrick McGuinness | 2019 |
| Roger McGough CBE | 2004 |
| Patrick McGrath | 2002 |
| Jamie McKendrick | 2014 |
| Ben Macintyre | 2014 |
| Shena Mackay | 1999 |
| Rory MacLean | 2007 |
| Margaret MacMillan | 2003 |
| Candia McWilliam | 1994 |
| Brenda Maddox | 1999 |
| Sabrina Mahfouz | 2018 |
| Sir Noel Malcolm FBA | 1997 |
| David Malouf | 2008 |
| Norman Manea | 2011 |
| Alberto Manguel | 2010 |
| Philip Mansel | 2010 |
| Dame Hilary Mantel DBE, Vice-President | 1990 |
| Patrick Marber | 2002 |
| Patrick Marnham | 1988 |
| Philip Marsden | 1996 |
| Rosalind Marshall | 1974 |
| Adam Mars-Jones | 2007 |
| Yann Martel | 2014 |
| Allan Massie CBE | 1982 |
| Hisham Matar | 2012 |
| Douglas Matthews MBE FCLIP, Benson Medallist | 1998 |
| Glyn Maxwell | 1999 |
| Derwent May | 1996 |
| Jonathan Meades | 2019 |
| Ved Mehta | 2009 |
| Pauline Melville | 2018 |
| Edward Mendelson | 2003 |
| Jeffrey Meyers | 1983 |
| Mary Midgley | 2007 |
| China Miéville | 2015 |
| Andrew Miller | 2012 |
| Kei Miller | 2018 |
| Michael Millgate FRSC | 1983 |
| Pankaj Mishra | 2008 |
| Rohinton Mistry | 2009 |
| David Mitchell | 2013 |
| Julian Mitchell FSA | 1985 |
| Deborah Moggach | 1999 |
| Nadifa Mohamed | 2018 |
| Ray Monk | 2015 |
| Caroline Moorehead OBE | 1993 |
| Michael Morpurgo OBE | 2004 |
| Jan Morris CBE | 1961 |
| Sinéad Morrissey | 2019 |
| Blake Morrison | 1988 |
| Helen Mort | 2018 |
| Sarah Moss | 2019 |
| Sir Andrew Motion | 1984 |
| Sir Ferdinand Mount Bt | 1991 |
| Paul Muldoon | 1981 |
| Alice Munro C Lit | 2002 |
| Dervla Murphy | 2013 |
| Richard Murphy | 1968 |
| Daljit Nagra | 2017 |
| V. S. Naipaul | 1962 |
| *Susheila Nasta MBE, Benson Medallist | 2019 |
| Charles Nicholl | 2005 |
| Grace Nichols | 2007 |
| Peter Nichols | 1983 |
| Virginia Nicholson | 2019 |
| William Nicholson | 1999 |
| Adam Nicolson | 2005 |
| The Hon. Gerard Noel | 1999 |
| Barney Norris | 2018 |
| John Julius Norwich | 1970 |
| Edna O'Brien | 2011 |
| Sean O'Brien | 2007 |
| Bernard O'Donoghue | 1999 |
| Julia O'Faolain | 1998 |
| Andrew O'Hagan | 2010 |
| Redmond O'Hanlon | 1993 |
| Irenosen Okojie | 2018 |
| Ben Okri OBE | 1997 |
| David Olusoga | 2019 |
| *Sir Christopher Ondaatje OC CBE | 2003 |
| Michael Ondaatje OC | 2012 |
| Chibundu Onuzo | 2018 |
| Susie Orbach | 2019 |
| Charles Osborne | 1996 |
| Helen Oyeyemi | 2012 |
| Ruth Padel | 1998 |
| *Stephen Page | 2019 |
| Alan Palmer | 1980 |
| Peter Parker | 1997 |
| Vinay Patel | 2018 |
| Don Paterson OBE | 2004 |
| Jill Paton Walsh CBE | 1996 |
| Brian Patten | 2003 |
| Tim Pears | 2012 |
| Sarah Perry | 2018 |
| Pascale Petit | 2018 |
| Adam Phillips | 2012 |
| Caryl Phillips | 2000 |
| Mike Phillips OBE | 2000 |
| David Plante | 2002 |
| Piers Plowright | 1998 |
| Stephen Poliakoff CBE | 1985 |
| David Pownall | 1976 |
| Lucy Prebble | 2018 |
| *Alexandra Pringle | 2017 |
| *Stuart Profitt | 2019 |
| David Profumo | 1995 |
| David Pryce-Jones | 1980 |
| Philip Pullman CBE, Vice-President | 2001 |
| Isabel Quigly | 1989 |
| Craig Raine | 1984 |
| Nina Raine | 2019 |
| Ross Raisin | 2018 |
| Ian Rankin OBE, DL, FRSE | 2016 |
| Nicholas Rankin | 2009 |
| Frederic Raphael | 1964 |
| Piers Paul Read | 1972 |
| Anne Redmon | 1980 |
| Christopher Reid | 1999 |
| Sir Christopher Ricks FBA | 1970 |
| Professor The Hon. Jane Ridley | 2007 |
| The Viscount Ridley DL FMedSci | 1999 |
| Denise Riley | 2019 |
| Gwendoline Riley | 2018 |
| William Rivière | 2000 |
| Graham Robb | 1999 |
| Andrew Roberts FRSA | 2001 |
| Michèle Roberts | 1999 |
| Robin Robertson | 2010 |
| Jane Rogers | 1994 |
| Stephen Romer | 2011 |
| Michael Rosen | 2006 |
| Meg Rosoff | 2013 |
| Jacob Ross | 2006 |
| J. K. Rowling OBE | 2002 |
| Anthony Rudolf FEA | 2005 |
| Carol Rumens | 1984 |
| Sir Salman Rushdie | 1983 |
| Amy Sackville | 2018 |
| Sunjeev Sahota | 2018 |
| Lawrence Sail | 1998 |
| Edward St Aubyn | 2011 |
| William St Clair FBA | 1973 |
| Fiona Sampson MBE | 2010 |
| Sathnam Sanghera | 2016 |
| J. J. Scarisbrick MBE FRHistS | 1969 |
| Simon Schama | 2016 |
| Ann Schlee | 1997 |
| Michael Schmidt OBE | 1993 |
| *Patricia Schute | 1991 |
| Lawrence Scott | 2019 |
| The Rev Professor M.A. Screech FBA | 1989 |
| Roger Scruton FBA | 2003 |
| Peter Scupham | 1990 |
| Ruth Scurr | 2015 |
| Simon Sebag-Montefiore | 2003 |
| Elisa Segrave | 2001 |
| Richard Sennett | 1999 |
| Vikram Seth CBE | 1994 |
| Miranda Seymour FRSA | 1996 |
| Elif Shafak | 2019 |
| Nicholas Shakespeare | 1999 |
| Kamila Shamsie | 2011 |
| Jo Shapcott | 1999 |
| Warsan Shire | 2018 |
| Elaine Showalter | 2011 |
| Nikesh Shukla | 2019 |
| *William Sieghart | 2019 |
| Posy Simmonds MBE | 2004 |
| Helen Simpson | 1996 |
| Andrew Sinclair FRSA | 1972 |
| Iain Sinclair | 2009 |
| Adam Sisman | 2015 |
| Robert Skidelsky | 1978 |
| Gillian Slovo | 2013 |
| Dorothea Smartt | 2019 |
| Ali Smith CBE | 2007 |
| Deborah Smith | 2018 |
| Godfrey Smith | 1995 |
| *John Saumarez Smith, Benson Medallist | 1996 |
| Zadie Smith | 2002 |
| *Nicola Solomon | 2019 |
| Stephen Sondheim | 2012 |
| Ahdaf Soueif | 2002 |
| *Wole Soyinka, Benson Medallist | 1983 |
| Frances Spalding CBE | 1984 |
| *Nicholas Spice | 2019 |
| Francis Spufford | 2007 |
| Hilary Spurling CBE | 2005 |
| John Spurling | 2010 |
| Tom Stacey | 1977 |
| Martin Stannard | 1999 |
| C. K. Stead ONZ CBE | 1995 |
| George Steiner FBA | 1962 |
| Polly Stenham | 2018 |
| Rory Stewart OBE MP | 2009 |
| Stanley Stewart | 2001 |
| Sir Tom Stoppard OM CBE C Lit | 1972 |
| Sir Roy Strong FSA | 1999 |
| Andrea Stuart | 2014 |
| Kate Summerscale | 2010 |
| John Sutherland | 1990 |
| *David Sutton, Benson Medallist | 2012 |
| Graham Swift | 1984 |
| Meera Syal CBE | 2017 |
| Michael Symmons Roberts | 2014 |
| George Szirtes | 1982 |
| Bryan Talbot | 2018 |
| D. J. Taylor | 1997 |
| Sara Taylor | 2018 |
| Kate Tempest | 2015 |
| Adam Thirlwell | 2018 |
| Ian Thomson | 2003 |
| Rupert Thomson | 2015 |
| Colin Thubron CBE, President | 1969 |
| Ann Thwaite | 1987 |
| Anthony Thwaite OBE FSA | 1978 |
| Stella Tillyard | 2019 |
| Gillian Tindall | 1983 |
| Colm Tóibín | 2007 |
| Nikolai Tolstoy | 1979 |
| Claire Tomalin, Vice-President | 1976 |
| Barbara Trapido | 2011 |
| Jeremy Treglown | 1989 |
| Rose Tremain CBE | 1983 |
| Lynne Truss | 2004 |
| Jenny Uglow CBE FSA, Benson Medallist | 1998 |
| *The Prince of Wales KG OM | 2002 |
| James Walvin OBE | 2006 |
| Alan Warner | 2013 |
| Dame Marina Warner FBA | 1984 |
| Val Warner | 1998 |
| Sarah Waters | 2009 |
| Fay Weldon CBE | 1986 |
| Robert Wells | 1994 |
| Stanley Wells CBE | 2013 |
| Timberlake Wertenbaker | 1999 |
| Sara Wheeler | 1999 |
| Hugh Whitemore | 1998 |
| Helen Wilcox FRSA FEA | 1999 |
| Eley Williams | 2018 |
| Hugo Williams | 1988 |
| Nigel Williams | 1994 |
| The Rt Revd The Lord Williams of Oystermouth PC FBA FLSW | 2003 |
| *Mary-Kay Wilmers, Benson Medallist | 2017 |
| A. N. Wilson | 1982 |
| Frances Wilson | 2008 |
| Dame Jacqueline Wilson DBE | 2005 |
| Jeanette Winterson CBE | 2016 |
| Lewis Wolpert CBE FRS FMEdSci | 1999 |
| Charles Wood | 1985 |
| James Wood | 2011 |
| Michael Wood | 1992 |
| Gerard Woodward | 2005 |
| Pamela Woof | 1999 |
| Kit Wright | 1997 |
| Ann Wroe FRHistS | 2007 |
| Evie Wyld | 2018 |
| Adam Zamoyski FSA | 2006 |
| Theodore Zeldin CBE FBA FRHistS | 1999 |
| Philip Ziegler CVO FRHistS | 1972 |
The * before the name denotes an Honorary Fellow. The list is online at the RSL website.