LONDON: The Royal Society of Literature is facing fresh scrutiny in a contentious dispute over censorship, drawing ire from world-renowned literary artists including Nobel and Booker Prize winners.
Margaret Atwood and Kazuo Ishiguro, alongside former society presidents Marina Warner and Colin Thubron, have expressed deep concern over the organization’s handling of recent events, fearing significant damage to its reputation.
The RSL, a London-based charity that represents and nurtures British literature, has faced criticism over changes in its election process for fellows and for postponing publication of its annual magazine, Review. The delay is allegedly due to an article said to be critical of Israel and “sympathetic of Palestine.”
The society has denied the allegation.
The organization’s leadership has also faced criticism for perceived failures to demonstrate solidarity, notably in the aftermath of the stabbing of Salman Rushdie and the backlash against author Kate Clanchy, who was “cancelled” by her publisher over allegations of racist and ableist stereotyping in her memoir.
These issues prompted RSL fellows to call for an investigation, stressing the urgency of addressing the “fissures that have opened in the society.”
The society’s management called the episode an “unwarranted campaign of harassment” against senior representatives and said the decision to delay the publication of Review was due to various reasons including the cover design, use of images and editorial choices in some of the selected material.
Former presidents Warner and Thubron have previously expressed doubts about the society’s explanations for the alleged censorship, with Warner describing the management’s behavior as “reprehensible.”
In an open letter to The Times newspaper, the 70 signatories voiced concern about the management’s role in events, saying the “evidence seems strong that there was managerial interference in an article that contained a passage sympathetic to Palestinians.” They have now demanded an extraordinary general meeting in the hope the “serious issue of attempted censorship can be resolved.”
Last month, the society’s council of trustees announced a governance review and self-referred to the Charity Commission as a result of recent media coverage. However, it remains unclear whether the organization has requested an investigating into the alleged censorship.
In recent years, the institution has undergone a profound transformation in an effort to improve diversity, appointing poet Daljit Nagra as chair and Booker Prize-winning novelist Bernardine Evaristo as president, the second woman and first person of color to hold the position.
Both Nagra and Evaristo have declared their intention to “open up the society to better represent the diversity of the UK’s best writers, particularly with regard to age, class and race.” A new election process for nationwide nominations has sparked concerns among members about transparency and potential dilution of literary merit.
While the RSL has yet to comment, it announced in March that the upcoming Review would be published by the end of the month, containing “all the previously commissioned content … without exception.”
A representative said, alongside new articles, it would have “a new look and feel that better reflects the RSL’s mission to champion literature for all.”
