The Magazine

The University of York holds a proud record as Britain’s most media-savvy campus. The two student newspapers, Nouse and York:Vision, have won countless awards. URY was the first independent radio station in the UK and winner of the BBC Radio 1 SRA Student Radio Station of the Year Award 2005, whilst YSTV is England’s oldest student television station and the winner of NASTA’s Best Broadcaster Award 2006.
However, until 2006 York lacked a publication with real intellectual and literary weight–a surprise, given its students’ bookish (some might say nerdish) nature. The Zahir aims to fill this niche. Its contributors share only one attribute, namely erudition. They tackle subjects from Napster to Neruda with style, polish and wit.

We publish regular print issues of our magazine which can be picked up free on campus.

The Name

In Arabic Zahir means ‘visible, present and unable to go unnoticed.’

However, also defined as “a thing which has the terrible power to be unforgettable, and which eventually drives people mad”, the name lies equal testament to the state of mind of those who produce it close to the printing deadline.