Society of Authors
Encyclopedia
The Society of Authors is a trade union
for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writer
s and fight to retain those rights (with particular attention to copyright
protection and, later, the establishment of Public Lending Right
).
It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poet
s including Tennyson
(first president), George Bernard Shaw
, John Galsworthy
, John Edward Masefield, Thomas Hardy
, H. G. Wells
, J. M. Barrie
and E. M. Forster
.
Bernard Shaw was an early member who took a prominent part in action and discussions, founding the League of Dramatists in 1931 as part of the Society. The Authors' Lending and Copyright Society was also formed after much action by the Society.
Its youngest member is Edward Pinnegar
, who published his first book in 2010, whilst aged 14.
In 1958 the Translators Association (TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.
Prizes for fiction and non fiction include:
The Society also administers a number of literary translation prizes, including:
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
for professional writers that was founded in 1884 to protect the rights of writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
s and fight to retain those rights (with particular attention to copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
protection and, later, the establishment of Public Lending Right
Public Lending Right
A Public Lending Right program, is a program intended to either compensate authors for the potential loss of sales from their works being available in public libraries, or as a governmental support of the arts, through support of works available in public libraries, such as books, music and...
).
It has counted amongst its members and presidents numerous notable writers and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
s including Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson, FRS was Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom during much of Queen Victoria's reign and remains one of the most popular poets in the English language....
(first president), George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
, John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy OM was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include The Forsyte Saga and its sequels, A Modern Comedy and End of the Chapter...
, John Edward Masefield, Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
, H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, J. M. Barrie
J. M. Barrie
Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, OM was a Scottish author and dramatist, best remembered today as the creator of Peter Pan. The child of a family of small-town weavers, he was educated in Scotland. He moved to London, where he developed a career as a novelist and playwright...
and E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster
Edward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
.
Bernard Shaw was an early member who took a prominent part in action and discussions, founding the League of Dramatists in 1931 as part of the Society. The Authors' Lending and Copyright Society was also formed after much action by the Society.
Its youngest member is Edward Pinnegar
Edward Pinnegar
Edward Pinnegar MRAeS is an author and aviation historian. His first book, A History of Aviation in Alderney, was published on 5th August 2010, whilst he was 14 years old....
, who published his first book in 2010, whilst aged 14.
In 1958 the Translators Association (TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.
Prizes for fiction and non fiction include:
- The Betty Trask AwardBetty Trask AwardThe Betty Trask Prize and Awards are for first novels written by authors under the age of 35, who reside in a current or former Commonwealth nation. The awards were established in 1984 by the Society of Authors, at the bequest of the late Betty Trask, a reclusive author of over thirty romance novels...
; - The Cholmondeley AwardCholmondeley AwardThe Cholmondeley Award is an annual award for poetry given by the Society of Authors in the United Kingdom. Awards honour distinguished poets, from a fund endowed by the late Dowager Marchioness of Cholmondeley in 1966...
s; - The Elizabeth Longford PrizeElizabeth Longford PrizeThe Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography was established in 2003 in memory of Elizabeth Longford , the British author, biographer and historian. The £5,000 prize is awarded annually for a historical biography published in the preceding year...
; - The Encore AwardEncore AwardThe £10,000 Encore Award for the best second novel - now awarded biennially - was first awarded in 1990. It is administered by the Society of Authors and is sponsored by Lucy Astor. The award fills a niche in the catalogue of literary prizes by celebrating the achievement of outstanding second...
; - The Eric Gregory AwardEric Gregory AwardThe Eric Gregory Award is given by the Society of Authors to British poets under 30 on submission. The awards are up to a sum value of £24000 annually....
s; - The McKitterick PrizeMcKitterick PrizeThe McKitterick Prize is a United Kingdom literary prize. It is administered by the Society of Authors. It was endowed by Tom McKitterick, who had been an editor of The Political Quarterly but had also written a novel which was never published. The prize is awarded annually for a first novel by...
; - The Olive Cook Award;
- The Richard Imison AwardRichard Imison AwardThe Richard Imison Award, established in 1994, commemorates the life and work of Richard Imison.Richard Imison was Script Editor for BBC Radio Drama from 1963 to 1991. In the thirty years that Imison worked for BBC Radio Drama it was the largest patron of original creative dramatic writing in Britain...
; - The Sagittarius PrizeSagittarius PrizeThe Sagittarius Prize was a literary award given between 1991 to 2005 by the Society of Authors for a first novel by an author over the age of sixty...
(for first novellists over the age of 60) - The Somerset Maugham AwardSomerset Maugham AwardThe Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each May by the Society of Authors. It is awarded to whom they judge to be the best writer or writers under the age of thirty-five of a book published in the past year. The prize was instituted in 1947 by William Somerset Maugham and thus...
s - The Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year AwardSunday Times Young Writer of the Year AwardThe Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award is a literary prize awarded to a British author under the age of 35 for a published work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry...
; - The Tom-Gallon Award;
- The Travelling Scholarships.
The Society also administers a number of literary translation prizes, including:
- Scott Moncrieff Prize for French Translation
- Hellenic Foundation for Culture Award for Greek Translation (triennial)
- Schlegel-Tieck Prize for German Translation
- Bernard Shaw Prize for Swedish Translation (triennial)
- Vondel Prize for Dutch Translation (biennial)
- Calouste Gulbenkian Prize for Portuguese Translation (triennial)
- Premio Valle Inclan for Spanish Translation
- John Florio Prize for Italian Translation (biennial)
- Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary TranslationBanipal Prize for Arabic Literary TranslationThe Banipal Prize, formally known as the Saif Ghobash–Banipal Prize for Arabic Literary Translation, is an annual prize awarded to a translator for the published English translation of a full-length literary work in the Arabic language...
(annual)