Foundation of the IAS

It was at the initiative of Jean Frappier, President of the Society, Roger Sherman Loomis and Eugène Vinaver that the International Arthurian Society was founded at the second Arthurian Congress, which took place in Quimper in 1948 and brought together French, English, Dutch and American researchers working in the field of Arthurian studies.

All those present at the Congress were convinced that ‘the study of Arthurian literature and of the subject matter of Brittany, by virtue of the diversity and complexity of the questions it encompasses, was tending more and more to become an independent discipline and that the time had come to coordinate the efforts of Arthurians on an international level.’ (Jean Frappier, Bulletin Bibliographique de la Société Internationale Arthurienne–BBSIA, n° 1, 1949, p. 5)

The International Arthurian Society set itself three main objectives:

• to hold triennial congresses, largely devoted to the presentation and discussion of academic papers;
• to publish an annual Bibliographical Bulletin which lists all academic publications in the field of Arthurian studies and enables members to keep up to date with the Society’s activities;
• to establish and maintain an Arthurian Documentation Centre in Paris, consisting of a library that included bibliographical material.

Originally, the International Arthurian Society had only three branches: American, English and French. However, the second volume of the Bulletin Bibliographique, published in 1950, bears witness to the creation of a Belgian branch. It was also at this time that the future structure of the Bulletin was established into three sections: Bibliography; Research and Criticism; Arthurian News. A fourth section was added later, listing members and their addresses.

Finally and gradually, the German, Irish, Swiss and then Spanish branches (Brazilian, Portuguese and Spanish) were founded.

Today, the IAS has a total of 12 branches, which now include Dutch, Italian Hispanic, Japanese, Romanian and Nordic branches. There are also a number of corresponding secretaries from countries where a national branch is not currently established.

Established in 2015 and officially launched in 2017, the Centre for Arthurian Studies at Bangor University (UK) holds a large part of the IAS’s archives and aims to be an international forum for the exchange of work on Arthurian literature.