Norris J. Lacy

Lee K. Abbott
AwardsKnighted in Ordre des Palmes académiques
Lifetime Service to Arthurian Studies
Academic background
Alma materIndiana University Bloomington
University of California, Los Angeles
Washington University in St. Louis
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Kansas

Norris J. Lacy is an American scholar focusing on French medieval literature. He was the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor Emeritus of French and Medieval Studies at the Pennsylvania State University until his retirement in 2012, a position he had held since 1998. He is a leading expert on the Arthurian legend and has written and edited numerous books, papers, and articles on the topic. In 2014 the International Arthurian Society, North American Branch, presented him an award for Lifetime Service to Arthurian Studies.

He received his Ph.D. from Indiana University Bloomington and has held teaching positions at the University of Kansas, the University of California, Los Angeles, and Washington University in St. Louis. He has served as president of the International Arthurian Society.[1] With Geoffrey Ashe he wrote The Arthurian Handbook, and he edited The Arthurian Encyclopedia and its successor, The New Arthurian Encyclopedia, a standard reference book for Arthurian works. He also oversaw the first complete English translation of the French Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles, released as the five-volume (alternatively ten-volume) Lancelot-Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation.

He was knighted in France's Ordre des Palmes académiques, first as a Chevalier in 1988, and subsequently elevated to the rank of Officier in 2003.[2]

References

  1. ^ Wilford, John Noble (March 19, 1985). "A NEW THEORY POINTS TO MODEL FOR KING ARTHUR (Published 1985)". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "NORRIS J. LACY". Pennsylvania State University. Archived from the original on August 21, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.

The first full English translations of the Vulgate and Post-Vulgate Cycles were overseen by Norris J. Lacy. Volumes 1–4 contain the Vulgate Cycle proper.

  • Lacy, Norris J. (Ed.). Lancelot–Grail: The Old French Arthurian Vulgate and Post-Vulgate in Translation, New York: Garland.
    • Volume 1 of 5 (December 1, 1992). ISBN 0-8240-7733-4.
    • Volume 2 of 5 (August 1, 1993). ISBN 0-8153-0746-2.
    • Volume 3 of 5 (March 1, 1995). ISBN 0-8153-0747-0.
    • Volume 4 of 5 (April 1, 1995). ISBN 0-8153-0748-9.
    • Volume 5 of 5 (May 1, 1996). ISBN 0-8153-0757-8.
  • Lacy, Norris J. (Ed.) (2000). The Lancelot–Grail Reader. New York: Garland. ISBN 0-8153-3419-2.