Ralph Russell

Ralph Russell

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 in Hammerton in North Yorkshire, England, and grew up in Loughton, Essex. For much of his life he was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain. He was awarded the Sitara-e-Imtiaz in recognition of his services to Urdu language and literature by the Government of Pakistan.