We're loading the complete profile of this person of interest including their biography, achievements, and contributions.

Author & President of the Royal Society of Literature
Public Views
Experience
Documented career positions
Bernardine Anne Mobolaji Evaristo (born 28 May 1959) is an acclaimed British author, educator, and literary activist, best known for her groundbreaking contributions to contemporary literature and her advocacy for underrepresented voices. Born in Eltham, south-east London, Evaristo is the fourth of eight children born to an English mother, Jacqueline M. Brinkworth, and a Nigerian father, Julius Taiwo Bayomi Evaristo. Her diverse heritage—spanning Nigerian, Brazilian, English, Irish, and German ancestry—has profoundly informed her writing, which frequently explores the complexities of identity, race, history, and the African diaspora. Evaristo’s artistic journey began in her youth; she attended Eltham Hill Grammar School for Girls and became involved with the Greenwich Young People’s Theatre in 1972, an experience she has credited as foundational to her career. She later pursued formal training at the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama, graduating in 1982. Her commitment to inclusivity in the arts emerged early when she co-founded the Theatre of Black Women in 1982, the first theatre company of its kind in the UK dedicated to the work of Black women. Throughout the 1990s, she continued to foster cultural infrastructure, co-founding the writer development agency Spread the Word in 1995 and organizing landmark conferences such as "Future Histories" and "Tracing Paper." Her literary career encompasses a diverse range of genres, including poetry, verse novels, prose fiction, and non-fiction. She made her literary debut in 1994 with the poetry collection *Island of Abraham*. Subsequent works, such as the verse novels *Lara* (1997) and *The Emperor's Babe* (2001), as well as novels like *Blonde Roots* (2008) and *Mr Loverman* (2013), established her reputation for innovative style and historical revisionism. Her work has consistently garnered critical attention for its experimental approach, blending elements of fiction and poetry to create unique narrative structures. Evaristo achieved global recognition in 2019 with her eighth book, *Girl, Woman, Other*. The novel, which explores the interconnected lives of twelve primarily Black British female characters, was jointly awarded the Booker Prize, making Evaristo the first Black woman and the first Black British author to win the prestigious accolade. The book became an international bestseller, further cementing her status as a seminal voice in modern British literature. Her memoir, *Manifesto: On Never Giving Up* (2021), provides further insight into her personal and professional struggles, detailing her resilience in an industry that historically marginalized her demographic. Beyond her creative output, Evaristo has held significant academic and leadership roles. She is a Professor of Creative Writing at Brunel University London and has served as President of the Royal Society of Literature (2022–2025), becoming the first person of colour and only the second woman to hold the position in the society’s 200-year history. Her dedication to the literary ecosystem is also evidenced by her creation of various mentoring schemes and initiatives, including the Brunel International African Poetry Prize and "The Complete Works" poetry mentoring scheme, as well as her role as curator of the "Black Britain: Writing Back" series for Penguin. Evaristo has received numerous accolades for her services to literature, including being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2009 and an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2020. In 2025, she was the recipient of the one-off Women's Prize Outstanding Contribution Award. Through her multifaceted career as a writer, teacher, and institution-builder, Evaristo has exerted a transformative influence on British cultural life, ensuring that diverse perspectives are recognized and celebrated within the literary canon.
First Black woman and first Black British person to win the Booker Prize for her masterpiece novel Girl Woman Other in 2019
Elected as the President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022 the first writer of color to hold the position in the organizations 200-year history
Founded the Brunel International African Poetry Prize and the Theatre of Black Women actively dismantling systemic barriers for marginalized artists in the UK
Her historic 2019 Booker Prize win was highly controversial because the judging panel defied the foundations strict rules to split the prize between her and Margaret Atwood leading critics to argue that Evaristo was robbed of a sole victory by an establishment unwilling to let a Black woman win outright
Her vocal uncompromising advocacy for decolonizing the British literary curriculum and expanding the literary canon frequently draws the ire of traditionalist right-wing media outlets in the UK
In 2019, the decision to split the Booker Prize between Bernardine Evaristo and Margaret Atwood sparked public controversy, with critics arguing that sharing the award detracted from Evaristo's historic achievement as the first Black woman to win the prize. In the same year, the BBC faced significant backlash and issued a formal apology after a presenter referred to Evaristo as "another author" during a broadcast while discussing the results.
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for her monumental services to literature
Co-founded the Theatre of Black Women in 1982, serving as a co-artistic director until 1988.
Co-founded Spread the Word, a London-based writer development agency, in 1995.
Organized the first major conference on black British writing, 'Tracing Paper,' at the Museum of London in 1997.
Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2004.
Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts in 2006.
Initiated 'The Complete Works,' a national mentoring scheme for poets of colour, which ran from 2007 to 2017.
Appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to literature in 2009.
Founded the Brunel International African Poetry Prize in 2012, which ran until 2022.
Joined the governing council of the Royal Society of Literature in 2017.
Appointed as Vice-Chair of the Royal Society of Literature's governing council in 2017, serving until 2020.
Won the Booker Prize in 2019 for her novel 'Girl, Woman, Other,' becoming the first black woman to receive the award.
Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to literature in 2020.
Named one of the 100 Great Black Britons in 2020.
Appointed President of the Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in 2020, serving until 2024.
Named a lifetime Vice-President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020.
Elected as an International Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2021.
Appointed as the 19th President of the Royal Society of Literature in 2022, serving until 2025.
Chaired the Forward Prizes for Poetry in 2023.
Chaired the inaugural Nero Gold Prize of the Nero Book Awards in 2024.
Awarded the Women's Prize for Fiction 'Outstanding Contribution Award' in 2025.
In 2024, as President of the Royal Society of Literature (RSL), Evaristo faced internal criticism from some fellows regarding changes to the society's membership election process and the institution's perceived refusal to take public stances on specific political controversies. Evaristo publicly defended the organization's leadership against these allegations, characterizing the claims of censorship and declining standards as unfounded.