On 8th June 2023, British actor and writer Paterson Joseph won the 2023 Royal Society of Literature (RSL) Christopher Bland Prize (5th edition of the award) for his debut novel titled “The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho”.
The book is a historical fiction about Charles Ignatius Sancho, who was the first Black man to vote in England.
RSL Christopher Bland Prize is an annual award which honours a debut writer for their work of fiction or non-fiction, who is first published at the age of 50 or over.
The award carries a cash prize of 10,000 Pound sterling.
The Prize was launched in 2018 in memory of British Politician Sir Christopher Bland who died in 2017.
