Royal Society of Literature in chaos as chairman and director resign amid accusations it lowered standards to have a ‘more diverse’ membership and failed to support Salman Rushdie after near-fatal stabbing

The Royal Society of Literature has been flung into chaos after two of its chiefs resigned after a string of scandals. 

Chairman Daljit Nagra and director Molly Rosenberg stepped down from the 205-year-old charity after rows over freedom of speech and accusations it lowered its standards to have a ‘more diverse’ membership. 

Their resignations came just days before the society was set to hold its annual general meeting, where fellows were expected to call a confidence vote over the pair.

Nagra has spent four years as the RSL’s chairman after taking over the role from writer and novelist Lisa Appignanesi in 2020. Rosenberg joined the RSL as an intern in 2010, before becoming Director in 2017.

The RSL has been accused of censoring members, including Appignanesi, who is now a freedom of speech campaigner, and former president Dame Marina Warner in the wake of Salman Rushdie’s near-fatal stabbing in 2022. 

Warner had called for the society to ‘post a pledge of support’ for Rushdie, but she and Appignanesi were supposedly blocked from doing so after being told such a statement ‘might give offence’. 

The society has also been accused of lowering its membership standards as part of a ‘diversity’ drive and abandoning its requirement for nominees to have at least two works of ‘outstanding literary merit’.

Writer Amanda Craig has even claimed that ‘although the fellowship was a bit too pale stale and male before’ it has now become ‘so diluted by younger writers with few books to their name that it is no longer the kind of distinction that it was’.

Chairman Nagra and director Rosenberg (pictured) stepped down from the 205-year-old charity after a rows over freedom of speech and accusations it lowered its standards to have a ‘more diverse’ membership

The RSL has been accused of censoring members in the wake of Salman Rushdie’s (pictured) near-fatal stabbing in 2022

The charity also allegedly failed to show any support towards author Kate Clanchy after she was dropped by her publisher after being accused of using racial stereotypes to describe some of her students. 

In a separate incident Clanchy was also told by her publisher she could not refer to the Taliban as terrorists in one of her books because they now govern Afghanistan.

In March last year, around 70 RSL writers called for an emergency meeting after its magazine was allegedly suspended because one article contained a passage that was ‘sympathetic to Palestine’. 

The writers, which included Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan and Philip Pullman, wrote an open letter to The Times to express their concern over the ‘serious reputational damage’ to the 200-year-old organisation.

They wrote: ‘The evidence seems strong that there was managerial interference in an article that contained a passage sympathetic to Palestinians.’

They added that action was needed to ‘help to heal the fissures that have opened in the society’ and called for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in the ‘hope the serious issue of attempted censorship can be resolved’.

But the society has denied that this was the reason the magazine was pulled. 

Then in July, the row came to a head when 20 senior members of the establishment vowed to boycott its summer party, which is the jewel in the group’s social calendar. 

Writer and novelist Lisa Appignanesi (pictured) stepped down as RSL chairman in 2020

The charity also allegedly failed to show any support towards author Kate Clanchy (pictured) after she was dropped by her publisher after being accused of using racial stereotypes to describe some of her students

Margaret Atwood (pictured) was also among several RSL writers who called for an emergency meeting after its magazine was allegedly suspended because one article contained a passage that was ‘sympathetic to Palestine’

Describing the mayhem raging behind the scenes, one society fellow told The Spectator: ‘It’s such a clusterf***. It’s such a clusterf***. Everyone is falling out with everyone else.

Announcing his departure earlier this week, Nagra said ‘It’s just unbelievable how much everyone hates each other. It’s like one of those long marriages that seems to have been perfectly happy… and then suddenly you discover they’ve both been seeing other people and have called in the lawyers.’

Nagra said: ‘The RSL has made remarkable strides in the past four years with our increased outreach projects, many new prizes, extensive events programme and a significantly improved engagement with the public. 

‘I am proud to have overseen the first ever governance review in our 204-year history – this achievement will improve governance and increase transparency for the future. I look forward to watching the RSL continue to grow and prosper.’ 

Rosenberg added: ‘I am hugely proud of all that I have achieved in my time at the RSL, working for and with brilliant writers across the Fellowship. 

 ‘I am especially proud of all that has been achieved through the efforts of Council over the years of my tenure, and am grateful for the dedication and imagination of Trustees as well as the incredibly hard-working RSL executive team.’ 

Nagra will step down as chair during the AGM on January 15, after which elections will then be held to fill his role. 

Meanwhile Rosenberg will leave the RSL on March 31, to coincide with the .