UNEARTHING THE PAST SINCE 1900
UNEARTHING THE PAST SINCE 1900
The Herbert Warren Mason Fellowship, Retelling of Ancient and Medieval Myths and Legends of the Near East and Wider Mediterranean (including oral transmissions and works of art) was established in 2017 in memory of Herbert W. Mason (1932 – 2017).
The Mason Fellowship under the auspices of the American Society of Overseas Research carries a monetary value of $5,000. It will be awarded biennially to a scholar/poet/writer/artist whose project proposal comes closest in scope to Herbert Mason’s oeuvre. The project manuscript must be translated into English. The monetary award may be used to support travel expenditures to special collections, acquire access to rare or hard to find research materials, art illustrations of a proposal or to further scholarly studies. Read more about applying for a Mason Fellowship.
Mason’s reflections, in his own words, on the poet’s art of retelling of a myth, on myth, on mysticism and union with God, and various preparations for such experience.
Herbert Mason was a distinguished and prolific scholar of extraordinary and wide-ranging erudition. He held the positions of University Professor, Professor of History and Religion and Aurelio Professor of History and Religious Thought at Boston University and was Founding Director of the Institute for the Study of Muslim Societies and Civilizations, Boston University and President of the L’Association des Amis de Louis Massignon Paris, France.
He moved gracefully between ancient and medieval Near Eastern texts and contemporary literatures. An eminent scholar and translator, writer and poet, his dramatic retelling of the ancient Sumerian Epic Poem Gilgamesh transcends boundaries of age, language, religion and time. He was the translator into English and editor of Louis Massignon’s magnum opus, The Passion of al-Hallaj: Mystic and Martyr of Islam in Four Volumes. Mason’s dramatic narrative The Death of al-Hallaj has been adopted in college courses in the US and performed publicly bringing us closer to the 10th Century Muslim Mystic. His A Legend of Alexander and The Merchant and the Parrot, retellings of two classic Persian tales, capture the essence of traditional Islamic storytelling and make it live again in modern idiom. The stories themselves are concerned with universal themes such as quest, enslavement and loss, transcendent love and freedom. Mason’s books, including poetry and fiction in addition to scholarly works have been translated into numerous foreign languages, including German, Spanish, Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Japanese. Read more about Mason’s work here.
Herbert Mason and Dino Cavallari.
The friendship between the Italian painter Dino Cavallari and the American scholar and writer Herbert Mason dates from their meeting in Paris in 1958.
Their shared interest in the ancient Near Eastern story of Gilgamesh developed into a passion which led to Cavallari’s creation of over seventy illustrations and Mason’s publication of his poetic retelling in 1970 with Gilgamesh’s journey on the river of death as the cover art. The illustrations were painted in oil on paper covered with a varnish that enabled them to dry faster and when dried to preserve their color permanently.
One of the last times they were together in Cavallari’s home in Burgundy, France, the artist said “The ancient world survives in friendship.”
Mason’s Reflections on Gilgamesh
Pere Arnold Smit’s composition “The Seven Sleepers” Performed in Paris in 2005
Application deadline: This fellowship is not being offered in 2026.
Students, scholars, poet-scholars, and artists throughout the world are invited to apply. Applicants must be ASOR members or be affiliated with an institution that is an institutional member of ASOR (see a list of Institutional Members).
Applications consist of a CV, short proposal, and budget.
Applicants should submit their proposals and supporting materials as a .docx or .pdf attachment to programs@asor.org. Applicants who are unable to submit proposals or letters by email may send them to ASOR, 209 Commerce St., Alexandria, VA 22314.
Each recipient must submit a written report within two months of the conclusion of the award period, according to ASOR guidelines.
Please contact Marta Ostovich (programs@asor.org) with any questions.
Nicholas Gill, “The Celestial Scorpion: A Renegade Constellation in Early Mesopotamia”
Maria Rita Corticelli, “The Kakais of Iraq: Culture, Religion and Society”
