Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics is a literary journal dedicated to ancient Greek, Roman, and Mediterranean studies and the classical tradition. It is published triennially (three times per year) by Boston University.
Overview
The journal publishes poetry, translation, critical and literary essays, creative writing, book reviews, and visual art. Its stated aim is to reach readers both inside and outside professional academia, emphasizing accessibility and intellectual vitality over narrow specialization.
Publication Details
- ISSN: 0095-5809
- LCCN: 64028291
- JSTOR: 00955809
- OCLC: 22689958
- ISO 4 abbreviation: Arion
- Language: English
- Publisher: Boston University (United States)
- History: 1962–present
Editorial Leadership
The Director and Editor-in-Chief is Herbert Golder, Professor of Classics at Boston University and a noted filmmaker. In 1992, he received the Council of Editors of Learned Journals Phoenix Award for Significant Editorial Achievement for revitalizing the journal. The managing editor is Brandon Jones.
The editorial board has included prominent poets, scholars, and intellectuals such as Robert Alter, Paul Barolsky, Anne Carson, Raymond Geuss, Glenn W. Most, Martha Nussbaum, Camille Paglia, Michael C.J. Putnam, and Oliver Taplin.
History
Arion was founded in 1962 at the University of Texas at Austin under classicist and translator William Arrowsmith, with additional founding editors D. S. Carne-Ross, J.P. Sullivan, and Frederic Will. It ran for nine volumes as a quarterly at UT until 1972. It was revived by Arrowsmith in 1973 at Boston University, where it ran for three more volumes as a quarterly (New Series 1–3) before being discontinued.
The journal was revived again in 1990 under Herbert Golder. As of 2024, it has published 32 volumes as a triquarterly (Third Series 1–32).
Awards and Recognition
In 2004, Arion received the American Philological Association's inaugural Outreach Award for bringing classical studies to readers outside the academy. Elaine Fantham, then president of the APA, described it as "the one journal I would most want to show friends outside of the Classics to demonstrate our exuberant variety of form and content, and its continued vitality."
Access and Support
The journal is a non-profit publication supported by Boston University's College of Arts and Sciences, individual donors, and subscribers. Current issues are hosted electronically on Project MUSE, and earlier issues are archived on JSTOR. Print subscriptions are available directly from the journal.
