United Kingdom trade union
The
Society of Authors
(
SoA
) is a United Kingdom
trade union
for professional writers, illustrators and literary translators, founded in 1884
[3]
to protect the rights and further the interests of
authors
. In 2020 membership stood at over 12,000.
[4]
The SoA is a member of the European Writers' Council.
[5]
History
[
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]
The SoA has counted among its members and presidents numerous notable writers and
poets
, including
Tennyson
(first president),
George Bernard Shaw
,
John Galsworthy
,
Alasdair Gray
,
[6]
John Edward Masefield
,
Thomas Hardy
,
H. G. Wells
,
J. M. Barrie
and
E. M. Forster
.
[7]
In 1958 the
Translators Association
(TA) was established as a specialist group within the Society of Authors.
[8]
Contemporary members include
Philip Pullman
(SoA president from 2013 to March 2022
[9]
),
Malorie Blackman
,
Neil Gaiman
,
Philip Gross
,
Judith Kerr
,
J. K. Rowling
and
Lemn Sissay
.
[10]
Structure
[
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]
Membership of the society is open to authors, defined as "anyone who creates work for publication, broadcast or performance". For full membership an author must have published a work with a publisher, or sold a specified number of print copies or ebooks if self-published, or met other criteria. Associate membership is offered to students and to "emerging authors" and students.
[11]
As of January 2024
[update]
there over 11,800 voting members. The society's fellows are a group of "members of high standing and who have been exceptional in their support of the Society of Authors", whose role is to elect the president and to handle the society's assets should it cease to exist. A management committee of 12 members is elected to serve for three-year terms, and they elect their chair for two-year terms. The president "is an ambassador for the Society of Authors and comments on broad policy issues, but has no decision-making role in our direction or governance"; as of January 2024
[update]
the post is vacant, and a process to elect a new president will begin in 2024. Following decisions at the 2023 AGM after a review of the role of president, the position will in future be named "honorary president" and the holder will be elected for a three-year term, with a maximum extension of a further two years.
[12]
Literary estates
[
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]
The society administers the literary estates of 58 authors (as of 2024
[update]
), and the income from this supports its work. These authors include
George Bernard Shaw
,
Virginia Woolf
,
Philip Larkin
and
Rosamond Lehmann
.
[13]
Legacy
[
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]
In 1969 the
British Library
acquired the archive of the Society of Authors from 1879 to 1968 consisting of six hundred and ninety volumes.
[14]
The British Library acquired a further two hundred and fifty-eight volumes in 1982 and 1984.
[15]
Awards and prizes
[
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]
Prizes for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction administered by the SoA include:
[16]
The organisation also administers a number of literary translation prizes,
[18]
[19]
including:
- The
TA First Translation Prize
, for translation from any language (annual)
- The
Goethe-Institut Award
, for German Translation (biennial)
- The
John Florio Prize
, for Italian Translation (biennial)
- The
Banipal Prize
, or The Saif Ghobash Banipal Prize for Arabic Translation (annual)
- The
Scott Moncrieff Prize
, for French Translation (annual)
- The
Schlegel-Tieck Prize
, for German Translation (annual)
- The
Bernard Shaw Prize
, for Swedish Translation (triennial)
[20]
[21]
- The
Vondel Prize
, for Dutch Translation (biennial)
- The
Premio Valle Inclan
, for Spanish Translation (annual)
- The
TLS-Risa Domb/Porjes Prize
, for Hebrew translation (triennial)
[22]
It has previously administered the following prizes:
See also
[
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]
References
[
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]
- ^
"Annual Return for a Trade Union"
(PDF)
.
publishing.service.gov.uk
. Retrieved
18 July
2023
.
- ^
Bayley, Sian (23 January 2024).
"Fox O'Loughlin elected new SoA chair, succeeding Harris"
.
The Bookseller
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
- ^
"The Society of Authors overview - Find and update company information - GOV.UK"
.
find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk
. Retrieved
20 January
2024
.
- ^
Sherwood, Harriet; Taylor, Harry; Arts, Harriet Sherwood; correspondent, culture (17 November 2022).
"Joanne Harris sees off vote to oust her from Society of Authors role"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
20 January
2024
.
- ^
"Our Members"
.
EWC - European Writers Council
. 15 March 2024
. Retrieved
26 March
2024
.
- ^
"Gray, Alasdair, 1934?2019 | Art UK"
.
- ^
"Society of Authors - history"
. Archived from
the original
on 11 November 2007
. Retrieved
4 November
2007
.
- ^
Anderson, Porter (4 October 2023).
"UK's Society of Authors' CEO Nicola Solomon is Retiring"
.
Publishing Perspectives
. Retrieved
20 January
2024
.
- ^
Philip Pullman resigns from SoA Presidency
, The Society of Authors.
- ^
"Council & President"
, The Society of Authors.
- ^
"Am I eligible?"
. The Society of Authors
. Retrieved
20 January
2024
.
- ^
"Governance"
. The Society of Authors
. Retrieved
20 January
2024
.
- ^
"Literary estates"
. The Society of Authors
. Retrieved
21 January
2024
.
- ^
Society of Authors Papers
, archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^
Correspondence and papers of the Society of Authors and League of Dramatists
, archives and manuscripts catalogue, the British Library. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
- ^
"Society of Authors -Prizes for fiction and non-fiction"
. Archived from
the original
on 7 June 2008
. Retrieved
21 June
2008
.
- ^
"The ADCI Literary Prize"
.
societyofauthors.org
. The Society of Authors
. Retrieved
29 June
2022
.
- ^
a
b
"European literature in English translation : recent prizewinners"
.
Languages across Borders
. Cambridge University Libraries: European Collections. 24 July 2015
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
- ^
Anderson, Porter (9 February 2023).
"The Society of Authors: 2023 Translation Prize Winners"
.
Publishing Perspectives
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
- ^
"Bernard Shaw Prize 2023 shortlist announced"
.
SELTA
. 1 December 2023
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
- ^
"Sarah Death wins the Bernard Shaw Prize for translation for the third time"
.
ALCS
. 11 February 2022
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
- ^
"The Risa Domb/Porjes Prize"
. Jewish Literary Foundation
. Retrieved
25 January
2024
.
External links
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]