This book brings together writings by Ralph Russell, the eminent twentieth-century Urdu scholar, which illuminates his life-long engagement with Urdu speakers and their literature. Written in his lively, accessible style, it provides a unique introduction for those new to Urdu literature, and unusual insights for those familiar with it. Part 1 is autobiographical, describing how he first came in contact with Urdu speakers when conscripted into the Indian Army during World War II; and later encounters, which portray his warm character and his interest in people. Part 2 comprises essays on key figures in Urdu literature, reflecting his personal interests. Poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth-centuries, early novelists, popular literature, and memoirs by remarkable women. Russell is best known as an authority on Ghalib, and one essay describes his approach to translating Ghalib's ghazals. Part 3 has essays on language and literary history, characterized by his combination of meticulous scholarship with a broad understanding of social and political contexts. The Foreword by Marion Molteno, his student and editor, and now his literary executor, introduces readers to his life and work. The Afterword brings together appreciations by some of the hundreds of people who were influenced by him.
Ralph Russell, Professor, University of London, Marion Molteno
Ralph Russell (1918 - 2008) has been widely recognised as the greatest western scholar of Urdu. Khushwant Singh described him as 'the most revered name of interpreters of Ghalib's life and works.' His unusual skill as a translator and his accessible writing have opened up an appreciation of Urdu literature to a wide range of readers, and his honesty, humour and unusual insight have won him a unique place in the affections of lovers of Urdu worldwide. For thirty years he headed the Urdu department at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, and was a popular visiting scholar in India and Pakistan. He pioneered the teaching of Urdu to English speakers in communities across the UK, to encourage mutual understanding between people of different backgrounds. His books published by OUP include The Oxford India Ghalib: Life, Letters and Ghazals; and with Khurshidul Islam, Three Mughal Poets.
Marion Molteno is the literary executor for Ralph Russell. She studied Urdu with
him and worked closed with him for the last 26 years of his life. She has edited several of his books, including his autobiography and his introduction to Ghalib's ghazals, The Famous Ghalib: The Sound of My Moving Pen (2015) and A Thousand Yearnings: A Book of Urdu Poetry & Prose (2016). She has written and lectured widely on issues of education and development, and is the author of four novels, all of which have won or been shortlisted for international prizes. Her latest novel, Uncertain Light (2015) was a finalist for the Indie Book Awards and the International Rubery Book Awards.
