Ruben Gallego
Encyclopedia
Rubén David González Gallego (born 1968) was born in Moscow
, Russia
, with severe cerebral palsy
.
Gallego was separated from his family at the age of one; he was sent to a state orphanage, because his grandfather, Ignacio Gallego
, who was Secretary-General of the Spanish Communist Party, was ashamed of him and told his daughter (Ruben's mother) that her son had died.
Born without the use of his hands and feet, Ruben Gallego was tenacious and survived to adulthood, eventually marrying and having children. He lived in Russia and worked as a computer specialist until 2001, when he was reunited with his mother in Prague
. Gallego lived in Freiburg
, Germany
, later moved to the United States. He now resides in Washington DC.
His memoir about his dreadful childhood in different Soviet orphanages, which won the Russian Booker Prize
, was translated into English and published, in January 2006, as White on Black: A Boy's Story. An abridged version of the memoir was read on the Book of the Week programme on BBC Radio 4
in the week of March 20–24, 2006.
The book has also been translated into French (2002 by Aurora Gallego and Joëlle Roche-Parfenov, Actes Sud/Solin), Vietnamese, Swedish (2005 by Ola Wallin, Ersatz), Polish (2005 by Katarzyna Maria Janowska, Wydawnictwo Znak), Czech (2009 by Denisa Šťastná, Revolver Revue), Georgian (2009 by Nino Bekishvili), and Esperanto (2010 by Kalle Kniivilä).
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, with severe cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
.
Gallego was separated from his family at the age of one; he was sent to a state orphanage, because his grandfather, Ignacio Gallego
Ignacio Gallego
Ignacio Gallego Bezares , was a Spanish communist politician, General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain .-Biography:...
, who was Secretary-General of the Spanish Communist Party, was ashamed of him and told his daughter (Ruben's mother) that her son had died.
Born without the use of his hands and feet, Ruben Gallego was tenacious and survived to adulthood, eventually marrying and having children. He lived in Russia and worked as a computer specialist until 2001, when he was reunited with his mother in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
. Gallego lived in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, later moved to the United States. He now resides in Washington DC.
His memoir about his dreadful childhood in different Soviet orphanages, which won the Russian Booker Prize
Russian Booker Prize
The Russian Booker Prize is a Russian literary award modeled after the Booker Prize and inaugurated in 1992 by English Chief Executive Sir Michael Caine...
, was translated into English and published, in January 2006, as White on Black: A Boy's Story. An abridged version of the memoir was read on the Book of the Week programme on BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
in the week of March 20–24, 2006.
The book has also been translated into French (2002 by Aurora Gallego and Joëlle Roche-Parfenov, Actes Sud/Solin), Vietnamese, Swedish (2005 by Ola Wallin, Ersatz), Polish (2005 by Katarzyna Maria Janowska, Wydawnictwo Znak), Czech (2009 by Denisa Šťastná, Revolver Revue), Georgian (2009 by Nino Bekishvili), and Esperanto (2010 by Kalle Kniivilä).
External links
- From victim to hero - book review published in The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
in January 2006. - Official website
- Official website (in Russian)