A tribute to Maureen Duffy, ALCS founder and Honorary President

Maureen was an extraordinary writer, campaigner and pioneer: a novelist, poet, playwright and critic of incredible range, and one of the founding figures of ALCS. Her contribution to literature, to public life and to the cause of authors’ rights was immense, and her loss will be felt far beyond our organisation.

Maureen was a remarkable writer across many disciplines, with more than 60 works across multiple genres. After winning her first poetry competition at the age of 17, she wrote her first play Pearson while studying at King’s College London and went on to write widely acclaimed plays, screenplays and novels.

Maureen played a central role in the fight for fair payment for writers. As a leading member of the Writers’ Action Group, alongside Brigid Brophy and others, she campaigned for Public Lending Right and helped secure its introduction in 1979. That work also paved the way for the creation of ALCS, founded by writers in 1977 to ensure authors are paid for secondary uses of their work. Since then, ALCS has paid more than £750 million to writers and now has an annual turnover of £45 million.

Maureen also later played an instrumental role in both the work of the International Authors Forum (IAF) and PLR International. She leaves behind an extraordinary legacy. Generations of authors have benefited from her determination to ensure writers are fairly paid when their work is used, through the organisations she helped to establish.

Barbara Hayes, ALCS CEO, said:

“Maureen Duffy was not only an extraordinary author and tireless advocate for authors’ rights, but also an inspiring mentor whose wisdom, generosity and determination profoundly shaped my own journey. I would not have become the CEO I am today at ALCS without her guidance, insight and unwavering support.

For decades, she championed authors’ rights, fair remuneration and proper recognition for creators with remarkable passion and conviction, leaving an enduring legacy for writers everywhere. I remain personally and deeply grateful for her mentorship, her collegiate generosity in sharing ideas and experience, and the sheer force of her determination in the fight for authors’ rights — values and sense of purpose that continue to guide me today.

Her influence on me, and on the wider author community, has been both profound and lasting. Through her work in helping to establish ALCS, the International Authors Forum, and the partnership between IAF and PLR International, she created lasting structures that have supported authors worldwide — not only financially, but also in defending and advancing their rights and standing across the globe.”

A fierce campaigner for what she believed in, she also campaigned on issues such as gay rights, being one of the first public figures in the UK to come out as a lesbian and serving as the first President of the Gay Humanist Group in 1980. Her 1966 novel The Microcosm was praised for its depictions of gay women, at a time when homosexuality was criminalised in the UK.

Speaking about her campaigning in an interview with ALCS in 2017, she said: “I’ve always been interested in politics and there’s a sort of bloody-mindedness in me that wants to take issues on. It’s a continuous battle. As well as authors’ rights, I’ve also been a campaigner for gay rights and animal rights. I feel very strongly that you have to stand up and play your part.”

In 2025, she was recognised for her remarkable contributions to writers and wider society by receiving the inaugural RSL Pioneer Prize from the Royal Society of Literature. On receiving the prize, she was described by Bernardine Evaristo as “a true trailblazer in every sense of the word”.

Maureen Duffy leaves behind an exceptional body of work and a legacy of activism and action that changed the landscape for writers in the UK. She will be remembered not only as a brilliant and pioneering author, but as someone who helped make the profession of writing more visible, recognised and fair. We remember her with deep admiration, gratitude and affection.

Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this sad time.