The RSL Christopher Bland Prize was inaugurated by the Royal Society of Literature to encourage the work of older writers. It is awarded annually to an author of a fiction or non-fiction book who was first published when aged 50 or over. The prize is valued at £10,000 and was launched in September 2018. It is named in recognition of Sir Christopher Bland, who was 76 when his first novel was published.[1]
The initial panel of judges was chaired by Gillian Slovo, and comprised Sanjeev Bhaskar, Archie Bland (son of Sir Christopher) and Anne Chisholm.[2] Judges for the 2024 prize were Shaparak Khorsandi (chair), Josh Cohen and Niall Griffiths.[3]
Winners
edit| Year | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[4] | Raynor Winn | The Salt Path | Michael Joseph |
| 2020[5] | Michele Kirsch | Clean | Short Books |
| 2021[6] | Pete Paphides | Broken Greek | Quercus |
| 2022[7] | Julia Parry | The Shadowy Third: Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen | Duckworth Books |
| 2023[8] | Paterson Joseph | The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho | Dialogue |
| 2024[3] | Chidi Ebere | Now I Am Here | Pan Macmillan |
Shortlists
edit| Year | Author | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019[9] | Thomas Bourke | The Consolation of Maps | Riverrun |
| Barbara Jenkins | De Rightest Place | Peepal Tree Press | |
| A. J. Pearce | Dear Mrs Bird | Picador | |
| Roland Philipps | A Spy Named Orphan | The Bodley Head | |
| Alex Reeve | The House on Half Moon Street | Raven Books | |
| Raynor Winn | The Salt Path | Michael Joseph | |
| 2020[5] | Anne Griffin | When All is Said | Sceptre |
| Michele Kirsch | Clean | Short Books | |
| Stephen Morris | Black Tea | Claret Press | |
| David Nott | War Doctor: Surgery on the Front Line | Picador | |
| Celia Paul | Self-Portrait | Jonathan Cape | |
| 2021[10] | Rosanna Amaka | The Book of Echoes | Doubleday |
| Richard Atkinson | Mr Atkinson's Rum Contract | 4th Estate | |
| Michael Cashman | One of Them | Bloomsbury | |
| Louise Fein | People Like Us | Head of Zeus | |
| Pete Paphides | Broken Greek | Quercus | |
| Marina Wheeler | The Lost Homestead | Hodder & Stoughton | |
| 2022[11] | Yvonne Bailey-Smith | The Day I Fell Off My Island | Myriad Editions |
| John Carr | Escape From the Ghetto: The Breathtaking Story of the Boy Who Ran Away from Nazis | Hodder Studio | |
| Julia Parry | The Shadowy Third: Love, Letters, and Elizabeth Bowen | Duckworth Books | |
| Charlotte Raven | Patient 1: Forgetting and Finding Myself | Jonathan Cape | |
| Peter Stott | Hot Air: The Inside Story of the Battle Against Climate Change Denial | Atlantic Books | |
| 2023[8] | Susie Alegre | Freedom to Think | Atlantic Books |
| Jo Browning Wroe | A Terrible Kindness | Faber & Faber | |
| Bonnie Garmus | Lessons in Chemistry | Doubleday | |
| Jill Nalder | Love from the Pink Palace | Wildfire | |
| Paterson Joseph | The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho | Dialogue | |
| Devika Ponnambalam | I Am Not Your Eve | Bluemoose Books | |
| 2024[3] | Chidi Ebere | Now I Am Here | Pan Macmillan |
| Carole Hailey | The Silence Project | Atlantic Books | |
| Rachel Meller | The Box wit the Sunflower Clasp | Icon Books | |
| Tom Parfitt | High Caucasus | Headline | |
| Allyson Shaw | Ashes & Stones: A Scottish Journey in Search of Witches and Witness | Hodder & Stoughton |
References
edit- ^ Carpenter, Caroline (28 September 2018). "RSL Christopher Bland Prize launched to encourage older writers | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "Royal Society of Literature » Announcing the inaugural RSL Christopher Bland Prize". rsliterature.org. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ a b c Emily, Olivia (10 July 2024). "Chidi Ebere Bags The RSL's 2024 Christopher Bland Prize". Country and Town House. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ "RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2019 Winner Announced". Royal Society of Literature. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ a b Comerford, Ruth (2 July 2020). "Michele Kirsch wins £10,000 RSL Christopher Bland Prize". The Bookseller. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
- ^ "RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021 – Winner Announced". Royal Society of Literature. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Bayley, Sian (7 June 2022). "Parry wins £10k RSL Christopher Bland Prize for The Shadowy Third". The Bookseller. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ a b "Joseph wins RSL Christopher Bland Prize". Books+Publishing. 9 June 2023. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
- ^ Mansfield, Katie (1 May 2019). "Winn and Pearce Make RSL Christopher Bland Prize Shortlist". The Bookseller. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
- ^ "RSL Christopher Bland Prize 2021 – Shortlist announced". Royal Society of Literature. 17 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ Cristi, A. A. (16 May 2022). "2022 Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize Shortlist Announced". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 1 June 2022.