International Association of Byron Societies

09/01/2026

Don’t miss your chance to be part of the 50th International Byron Conference at Keele University, 20–24 July 2026. We welcome papers that explore Byron’s engagement with change and constancy across themes like travel, identity, emotion, poetic experimentation and more. Submit your abstract (approx. 300 words) by 22 January 2026 to the Academic Committee.

➡️ https://www.iabsconferencekeele2026.com/cfp

14/07/2024

02/07/2024

Welcome to the 48th International Byron Conference, The Pilgrim of Eternity, organized by The Messolonghi Byron Society, 2024!

03/06/2024

Help The Byron Society, London save this statue!

They have put in funding bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund and other charitable trusts to raise the estimated £360,000 necessary. But they also need to show that the national and international community of Byron enthusiasts is fully behind the initiative and we are hoping that everyone will make a contribution as soon as we go live on fundraising.

£10, £5, £1 . . . anything you can and feel like contributing will help them build a list of names to show our support!

TO DONATE VIA OUR JUSTGIVING PAGE CLICK HERE

03/06/2024

Rika Ohara has a new film for all to see! Please join us in congratulating her on her incredible effort!

From Rika:

The film THE GIAOUR is a new interpretation of Lord Byron’s 1813 poem. In the story of the poem, the beautiful harem slave Leila is drowned as an adulteress. Her lover the Giaour ("the infidel") kills her master Hassan in revenge, and is in turn cursed to become a vampire.

The best-selling poem cemented Byron's reputation, yet Leila, at the center of all this passion, remains an enigma, dying without uttering a word.
What punctured the mystery of Leila’s fate was a suggestion by Professor Rebecca Nesvet (University of Wisconsin, Green Bay) that Leila is the Giaour himself dressed as a woman – a theme Byron would revisit in Don Juan. At the height of British homophobia, Byron evaded censure by setting his tale in a harem to exploit Orientalist stereotypes: a cruel harem master and a silent female slave.

The feature film THE GIAOUR returns voice to "Leila" and finds love between two men: one Muslim, the other Christian – supposed enemies caught in the age-old conflict between the East and the West.

https://www.bluefat.com/TheGiaour/TheGiaour.html?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1hS6hb7U6o86h15jj4k42VSu-qDWOJObEST6VMAaOahDFPf3e62fYAq2c_aem_ATqerbFEaiKPNTkAp58zFvf_VRxlJwdXTYi314w7e3rBARbpnNQrMCD81D5LyiozFN8VPS4jka9sbtJRmXAr3xzk

In Lord Byron's The Giaour (1813), beautiful harem slave Leila is drowned as an adulteress. Her lover the Giaour (

19/04/2024

Today is a historic day for Lord Byron, and for all of us. Here is what The Messolonghi Byron Society is doing to celebrate this day of his death, 200 years ago!
https://www.messolonghibyronsociety.gr

24/02/2024

Just entering the final session of at Trinity College, Cambridge! About an hour and a half to go! Tune in now:

Trinity students, staff and alumni are reading works and letters by Lord Byron for 24 hours in the College’s Antechapel. Lord Byron was a student at Trinity ...

23/02/2024

Happening right now until 2pm GMT tomorrow (Saturday 24th February). What a completely wonderful celebration, Trinity College, Cambridge!
See full information below and tune in on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzVpJ7jnrc0

Trinity is hosting the The Byrothon: a 24-hour reading of alumnus Lord Byron's works, 23 February - 24 February, which is free and open to all. The event

21/02/2024

Excitement is building for the 48th International Byron Conference, a tribute to the 200th anniversary of Lord Byron's death. Hosted by the extraordinary Messolonghi Byron Society, this event will unfold from July 1st-7th, 2024, in the captivating cities of Athens and Messolonghi, Greece. 🇬🇷 This year's theme, "Byron: The Pilgrim of Eternity," promises a journey through history and literary brilliance, as we shape a little history of our own.

A heartfelt thank you to the remarkable Rodanthi Rosa Florou, President of the Organizing Committee and the Messolonghi Byron Society, for her unparalleled talent and dedication.

Here's to a week of intellectual exploration, cultural richness, and honoring the legacy of Lord Byron!

21/02/2024

As we curate past photo collections and eagerly anticipate future adventures, here are some exciting snapshots and memories from the past decade of International Conferences. (And yes, we have an Instagram AND TikTok account 🎞️). Get ready for more to come!

09/10/2023

Byron and the Mediterranean “Cult of the South”: a bicentennial symposium in Rome, June 20-22, 2024

See the venue website here (and who doesn't want to go to Rome for a symposium . . .) https://rome.nd.edu

09/10/2023

Get ready for the 48th International Byron Conference
Dedicated to the 200th Anniversary of Lord Byron’s Death
1-7 July 2024
Athens – Messolonghi, Greece
Theme of this conference: "Byron: The Pilgrim of Eternity"

48th International Byron Conference Dedicated to the 200th Anniversary of Lord Byron’s Death 1-7 July 2024 Athens – Messolonghi, Greece Theme of this conference: "Byron: The Pilgrim of Eternity" 2024 marks the bicentennial of Lord Byron’s death in Messolonghi, where he had travelled to...