Herbert Mason, writer, translator and university professor, is the author of 15 books, including the National Book Award finalist Gilgamesh, a Verse Narrative. He is the editor and translator of the noted French Islamicist Louis Massignon’s magnum opus The Passion of al-Hallaj, 4 volumes, for the Bollingen Foundation’s award winning translation series. His works include novels, poetry, and scholarly studies. He is Emeritus University Professor and William Goodwin Aurelio Professor of History and Religious Thought at Boston University.