Marion Molteno – författare

Award-winning author Marion Molteno takes us on a magical journey of discovery into the life of a writer and her readers.From book events in small English towns to huge literary festivals in India and Pakistan, from the mountains of Tajikistan to remote parts of Africa, she traces the roots of the fictional worlds she has so brilliantly created in her novels.Weaving through these vignettes are reflections on the creative process, her own and anyone’s — her own journey as a writer, what fiction does for us, and the vital relationship between writers and readers. With an ability to find significance in the ordinary and the extraordinary alike, she describes encounters with the people and cultures that have inspired her, and rediscovers at every turn what connects us to others, from next door or around the world.Compelling, written with great pace, and full of insights into different cultures. And what a brave book it is – laying bare levels of feeling and reflection that, though beautifully written, still feel quite raw.

'Easily the best Urdu scholar in the West.' Shamsur Rehman Farouqi'Marion Molteno has mined a substantial corpus of Russell's writings to string together his most valuable insights into the genre of ghazal... to prepare the uninitiated reader for the final feast of Ghalib's ghazals in English translation. And what a magnificent feast it is!' M. Asaduddin, Jamia Millia IslamiaThe second edition of Ralph Russell's critically acclaimed The Famous Ghalib has been put together according to guidance left by the author/translator before his death in 2008.This book introduces Ghalib to anyone who wants to find out why his poetry has inspired generations of Urdu speakers and many others besides. It explains the form of poetry in which Ghalib wrote, and how he used its symbolism to express his response both to the universal experiences of life and to the times that he himself lived through. With over 200 couplets in Ralph Russell's translations, alongside the original Urdu - and also transcribed using both English and Hindi scripts, this is a must have for all poetry lovers.The translations are as concise as the original, matching Ghalib's intensity with words chosen to convey precise meaning; and they do this in English which flows naturally and with unobtrusive poetic metre.

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.