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Benson Medal
Medal awarded by the British Royal Society of Literature (founded 1916) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Benson Medal is a medal awarded by the Royal Society of Literature in the UK.[1]
It was founded in 1916 by A. C. Benson who was a Fellow of the Society, to honour those who produce "meritorious works in poetry, fiction, history, and belles-lettres".[1] The medal has been awarded several times to writers in other languages, and is occasionally awarded those who are not writers, but who have done conspicuous service to literature.
The medal is awarded at irregular intervals for lifelong achievement. Recipients include: Edmund Blunden, Anita Desai, Maureen Duffy,[1] E. M. Forster,[2] Christopher Fry,[1] John Gawsworth,[3] Nadine Gordimer, Philip Larkin,[1] R. K. Narayan[4] A. L. Rowse,[5] George Santayana,[1] Wole Soyinka,[6] Lytton Strachey, J. R. R. Tolkien,[1] Helen Waddell[7] and SuAndi.[8]
In November 2020, the new design for the medal by Linda Crook was unveiled. The design includes books on one side, and people on the other.[9]
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Recent recipients
2024
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
- Nancy Sladek[16]
2014
2013
2012
- David Pease[16]
- Jenny Uglow[16]
2011
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Earlier recipients
- 1917: Gabriele d'Annunzio;[17] Benito Pérez Galdós;[17] Maurice Barres[17]
- 1923: Lytton Strachey[17]
- 1925: Gordon Bottomley; George Santayana
- 1926: Percy Lubbock; Robert Wilson Lynd; Harold Nicolson
- 1927: Frederick Arthur Simpson; Helen Waddell
- 1930: Edmund Blunden
- 1931: Stella Benson;[17] Siegfried Sassoon[18]
- 1934: Edith Sitwell[17]
- 1938: E. M. Forster;[19] G. M. Young
- 1939: F. L. Lucas; Andrew Young
- 1940: Christopher Hassall;[20] John Gawsworth[21]
- 1941: Christopher La Farge[17]
- 1952: Frederick S. Boas[17]
- 1966: J. R. R. Tolkien;[22] Rebecca West ;[17] E. V. Rieu[17]
- 1969: Cecil Woodham-Smith[17]
- 1975: Philip Larkin[23]
- 1979: R. K. Narayan[24]
- 1981: Sir Sacheverell Sitwell;[20] Odysseas Elytis
- 1982: A. L. Rowse[17]
- 1989: Anthony Burgess;[17] Nadine Gordimer[citation needed]
- 1990: Wole Soyinka[17]
- 1993: Julien Green[17]
- 1996: Shusaku Endo[25]
- 2000: Christopher Fry[26]
- 2003: Anita Desai;[27] David Sutton[28]
- 2004: Maureen Duffy;[29] James Parker[30]
- 2005: Edward Upward
- 2006: Ronald Blythe; Joan Winterkorn[17] – manuscript expert
- 2007: Nadine Gordimer[17]
- 2008: John Saumarez Smith; Douglas Matthews
- 2009: Mark Le Fanu; Kay Dunbar
- 2010: Al Alvarez
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References
External links
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