Ralph Russell
Encyclopedia
Professor Ralph Russell SI (Urdu
: رالف رَسَل) (born 21 May 1918, died 14 September 2008) was a British scholar of Urdu
literature and a Communist. He was educated at St. John's College
, Cambridge
, UK. He taught Urdu and Urdu literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies
, University of London
, and also in universities in India
and Pakistan
. He wrote articles and essays in Urdu and English
, and attended literary seminars and workshops on the subject of his specialization.
Russell was born on in Hammerton
in North Yorkshire
, England
. For much of his life he was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain
. He was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his great services to Urdu
language and literature by Government of Pakistan
.
Autobiography
In Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: رالف رَسَل) (born 21 May 1918, died 14 September 2008) was a British scholar of Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
literature and a Communist. He was educated at St. John's College
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, UK. He taught Urdu and Urdu literature at the School of Oriental and African Studies
School of Oriental and African Studies
The School of Oriental and African Studies is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the University of London...
, University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
, and also in universities in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. He wrote articles and essays in Urdu and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, and attended literary seminars and workshops on the subject of his specialization.
Russell was born on in Hammerton
Kirk Hammerton
Kirk Hammerton is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Nidd and on the A59 road, west of York.The village is served by Hammerton railway station....
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. For much of his life he was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain was the largest communist party in Great Britain, although it never became a mass party like those in France and Italy. It existed from 1920 to 1991.-Formation:...
. He was awarded Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his great services to Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
language and literature by Government of Pakistan
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan is a federal parliamentary system, with an indirectly-elected President as the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Pakistani Armed Forces, and an indirectly-elected Prime Minister as the Head of Government. The President’s appointment and term are...
.
Books
- Three Mughal Poets, 1968
- Ghalib, life and letters, 1969
- New course in Urdu and spoken Hindi for learners in Britain
- The pursuit of Urdu literature 1992
- Selections from the Persian Ghazals of Ghalib with Translations 1997
- An Anthology of Urdu Literature 1999
- How not to write the history of Urdu literature 1999
- The Famous Ghalib 2000
- The Oxford India Ghalib: Life, Letters and Ghazals 2003
- The Seeing Eye: Selection from the Urdu and Persian Ghazals of Ghalib 2003
- Urdu in Britain (Ed), 1982
- Ghalib: The Poet and his Age (Ed) 1997
Autobiography
- Findings, keepings: Life, Communism and everything 2001
- Losses, Gains published by Three Essays, New Delhi, 2010
In Urdu
- Urdu Adab ki Justuju (Urdu Translation of The Pursuit of Urdu Literature by MUhammad Sarwar Rija) 2003
- Juyinda Yabinda (Urdu Transaltion of his autobiography by Arjumand Ara), City Press, Karchi, 2005