Philosopher elected to The Royal Society of Literature
University of Southampton philosopher Professor Ray Monk has been elected a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature (RSL). Professor Monk formally received the honour at a special ceremony at the Society’s annual general meeting and summer party.
He comments: “I am absolutely delighted and very honoured indeed to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Not only does it put me in extraordinarily good company, it will also allow me to contribute to the excellent work the Society does in promoting literature of all kinds.”
Professor Monk adds his name to a list of renowned literary figures elected Fellows of the RSL, including Thomas Hardy, T.S Eliot, J.R.R Tolkien and more recently, Ian McEwan, Martin Amis and J.K. Rowling. He used the pen of poet Lord Byron to sign the organisation’s roll book, which contains signatures of Fellows elected since its foundation in 1820.
Royal Society of Literature Fellows are elected by writers and professional peers in recognition of outstanding contributions to literature. There are currently some 500, including the very best novelists, short-story writers, poets, playwrights, biographers, historians, travel writers, literary critics and scriptwriters.
Professor Monk’s own literary achievements include acclaimed biographies of philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell and most recently a biography of the scientist Robert Oppenheimer, titled Inside the Centre: The Life of J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Ray joined the University of Southampton in 1992, where he continues to teach and explore his research interests, including: the history of analytic philosophy, the philosophy of mathematics, and philosophical issues arising from the practice of biography.
Philosophy at Southampton