RSL Christopher Bland Prize
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
| 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
| 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
- ^ 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.