Communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
. He was educated at
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch Lady Margaret Beaufort. In constitutional terms, the college is a charitable corpo ...
. He taught Urdu and Urdu literature at the
School of Oriental and African Studies
SOAS University of London (; the School of Oriental and African Studies) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury ar ...
,
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, and also in universities in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
, and attended literary seminars and workshops on the subject of his specialization.
Russell was born in Hammerton,
West Riding of Yorkshire
The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...
, England, and grew up in
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
. For much of his life he was a member of the
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPG ...
. He was awarded the
Sitara-e-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and Civil decorations of Pakistan, civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially m ...
Government of Pakistan
The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provin ...
.
Loughton
Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...
Town Council installed a
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
to Russell on his boyhood home at 6 Queen's Road in that town, which was inaugurated with a reception given by the present owners for family, friends and colleagues, on 15 July 2013.
Books
* ''Three Mughal Poets'', 1968
* ''Ghalib, life and letters'', 1969
* ''New course in Urdu and spoken Hindi for learners in Britain'', 1997
* ''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
* ''A Thousand Yearnings: a Book of Urdu Poetry and Prose'' (Trans) 2017
Autobiography
* ''Findings, keeping: 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/Curiosity about Urdu literature''), by Muhammad Sarwar Rija (2003)
* ''Juyinda Yabinda (Urdu translation of his autobiography, by Arjumand Ara)'', City Press, Karachi, 2005