Albert Russo (born 26 February 1943) was a Belgian bilingual (English and French) author of novels, short stories, essays and poems, as well as a photographer. His main themes are fighting racism of all stripes, and defending individual and collective rights, including ethnic, religious and gender rights.
Early life and education Son of an Italian Sephardic father, born in Rhodes, and of a British mother who grew up in Rhodesia, he lived with his family in Congo, Ruanda-Urundi, Rhodesia and traveled to South Africa during 17 years. After graduating from high school in Bujumbura, at the Athénée Interracial, learning four languages, French, English, Dutch and German, with a knowledge of vernacular Swahili, he pursues his studies at New York University, getting a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, in 1964, minoring in psychology and economics. This is when he started writing his poems in English. In 1965 he spent a year in Heidelberg and obtained a degree in German culture and literature at Collegium Palatinum. That same year he settled in Milan (Italy) where he continued to write while working with his father in the family import-export firm.
Literary career His first novel, La Pointe du Diable, written in French, and dealing with apartheid, is published in Brussels, (Belgium) in 1973 and the following year he wins both the Prix Colette in Cannes (France) and the Prix de la Liberté in Paris. In 1975 he goes back to New York where he teaches languages to adults, meanwhile he pursues his writing mainly in English and publishes poems and short stories, contributing, both as writer and translator to various magazines, such as Confrontation, The Literary Review, The Poet, Atlas World Review, and Philadelphia Poets. He also translates film scripts for children's documentaries at UNICEF. In 1978 he went back to Europe and decided to live in Paris.
Translated in a dozen languages,World Literature Today, Leslie Shenck, Albert Russo and South Africa Albert Russo has written more than 25 works, including novels, books of short stories and of poetry. Africa is one of his major themes. Mixed Blood (published first by Domhan Books in New York, then by Imago Press in Arizona) garnered the Best Fiction Award in 1985 by Volcano Review in California. Both Mixed Blood and Eclipse over lake Tanganyika were nominated for the 2001 e-books award at the Frankfurt International Book Fair. Among his other novels are Le Cap des Illusions (formerly entitled La Pointe du Diable) republished by Editions du Griot in Paris, France, his humorous Zapinette series (in both English and French), his large volume of short stories, fables and essays The Crowded World of Solitude, vol 1, started in New York in the late 1970s, as well as the bilingual books of poetry Futureyes, and the large volume of poems (40 years of writing) The Crowded World of Solitude, vol 2. He has also produced about 50 books of photography with and without poetic captions.
All his works, along with some manuscripts and literary letters by various authors, are to be found at the Archives and Museum of Belgian LiteratureArchive et Musées de la Littérature in Brussels (Belgium). Mixed Blood has been the subject of the Capes degree at the Sorbonne University in Paris in the English department of literature. The Zapinette Vidéo series was also taught at the Catholic University of Paris to foreign students.
During the 1980s, having in common their Congolese experience, their love of and their interest for Africa, he befriends the Italian artist and philosopher Joseph Pace, founder in Paris of Filtranisme, a neo-existential philosophical and artistic current.McNally, Bill. Amelia, Albert Russo's African Connection, pp. 52–55, 1991, Bakersfield, California, USALetizia Fanari, Equitazione&Ambiente Arte, Joseph Pace Filtranisme, January 2007, Roma In the 2000s he also befriended the poet, artist and photographer Adam Donaldson Powell, with whom he authored in 2009 Gaytude,Books Google, Albert Russo a volume of poetry encompassing the gay experience on the five continents with photography by Albert Russo.
As a photographer he has garnered several prizes in the US, especially from National Indie-Excellence (winner and finalist), photo pursuit (formerly photo challenge), Gallery Photografica (silver medal). Some of his photos have been exhibited at the Musée de l'Elysée in Lausanne (Switzerland).
In 1996 he is a juror at the Neustadt International Prize for Literature, which often leads to the Nobel Prize for Literature. Some of the Neustadt candidates, laureates or jurors having obtained the Nobel Prize are: Elias Canetti, Wole Soyinka, José Saramago, Nadine Gordimer, Eugenio Montale, Claude Simon.
Albert Russo has had seven books translated into Italian, L'Amante di mio padre (2001), Sangue Misto (2008), Shalom Tower Syndrome (2008), Sotto il Picco de Diavolo (2012), Io, Hans, figlio di nazisti (2013) and Zapinette a Parigi (2013).
Bilingual writer, he freely discusses topics such as anti-racism, individual and collective freedoms, and LGBT freedoms.
2019 UNICEF Award for the body of his poetry
2020 Artavita certificate of excellence for his photos
Selected bibliography
Novels (in English and in French) Eclipse over Lake Tanganyika, Domhan Books, USA, 2000, then Imago Press, 2007 Mixed Blood, Domhan Books, USA, 2000, then Imago Press, USA, 2007 Shalom Tower Syndrome, Xlibris, USA, 2007, then Paraguas, 2010 Zany Zapinette New York, Domhan Books, USA, 2000 Oh Zaperetta, Xlibris, USA, 2005 The Benevolent American in the Heart of Darkness, Xlibris, USA, 2005 The Black Ancestor, Imago Press, USA, 2009 Zulu Zapy wins the Rainbow Nation, Cyberwit, India 2010; Poetry Printery, South Africa, 2010 And there was David-Kanza, Imago Press, USA, 2011 Gosh Zapinette (4 of the Series of 7 Books), Imago Press, USA 2012 Mother beloved, Mamica mia Createspace/Amazon, USA 2013 Ode to Mamica mia, Mother beloved, Createspace/Amazon, USA 2013 ZAPINETTE’S BIBLE ODYSSEY continues in Japan, Mexico and the North Pole, series, KDP Amazon 2020– Award-Winning Finalist in the 2020 International Book Awards, in both the humor and fiction & novella categories MÉMOIRES D’UN FILS DE NAZIS, roman, KDP Amazon 2020 ZAPINNÈT A PARI, romen en fransè fonétik, KDP Amazon 2020 CURIOSITY / CABINET / DE CURIOSITÉS, photobook, KDP Amazon 2020 Livre collectif: DES ITALIENS AU CONGO, AUX ITALIENS DU CONGO, l’Harmattan, 2020, avec étude de Sang Mêlé d’Albert Russo HOLYLAND ZAPINETTE, translated into Hebrew זאפי בארץ הקודש, Saar Publishing, Tel Aviv, 2019, KDP Amazon edition, 2020 SPEAK TO ME MOTHER BELOVED, large book of poems and photos, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2019 CALL ME CHAMELEON, a memoir of prose, poetry and photos, 1,113 page-long e-book, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2019,- 2019 Book Excellence Award Finalist UNDER THE SHIRTTAILS OF ALBERT RUSSO, biography by Adam Donaldson Powell, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2017 GOSH SZAPINETTE! The first ever series of Global Humor, Cyberwit.net, 2016 – 2018 Book Excellence Award Honoree La série de 6 Zapinette et son Tonton homo, Editions Textes Gais, Paris, 2016 & 2015 A RAINBOW NAMED TEL AVIV, photobook, KDP Amazon, 2015 L’AMANT DE MON PÈRE – JOURNAL PARISIEN, Editions Textes Gais, Paris, 2015 L’AMANT DE MON PÈRE – JOURNAL ROMAIN, Editions Textes Gais, Paris, 2015 PRINCES AND GODS, novel, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2014 EUR-AFRICAN EXILES, novel, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2014 ADOPTED BY AN AMERICAN HOMOSEXUAL IN THE BELGIAN CONGO, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2014 LÉODINE OF THE BELGIAN CONGO, novel, l’Aleph, Sweden, 2014 SANDRO’S NOTEBOOK – EUR-AFRICAN EXILES Movie by Albert Russo, 90', Wildsound Festival, Canada, 2014 זאפי בארץ – Holyland Zapinette translated into Hebrew by Isabella Arad .20 .2019, Saar publishing, Tel Aviv – הקודש
Novels (in Italian)
L’amante di mio padre, Edizioni Libreria Croce, 2001 Sangue misto, Roma, Coniglio Editore, 2008 Sangue misto, Roma, Elliot Editore, 2016 Shalom tower sindrome, Edizioni Libreria Croce, 2008 Sotto il picco del diavolo, Roma, Edizioni Libreria Croce, 2012 Io, Hanz, figlio di nazisti, Roma, Edizioni Libreria Croce, 2013 Dopo il gay pride a Parigi, Zapinette viene rapita a New York, Edizioni Libreria Croce 2013 Zapinette la parigina, comics illustrato da Soizick Jaffre, Edizioni Libreria Croce Zapinette, la spaghettona nel paese di Mandela, Edizioni Libreria Croce Zapy ZZZen in estremo Oriente Edizioni Libreria Croce Zapinette Burqa-burquette va in Terra Santa, Edizioni Libreria Croce
Poetry books (English and French) Futureyes / Dans la nuit bleu-fauve, Le Nouvel Athanor, Paris, 1992 Painting the Tower of Babel, New Hope International, GB, 1996. Poetry and Peanuts, Cherrybite Publications, GB, 1997 The Crowded World of Solitude, Volume 2, the collected poems, Xlibris, USA, 2005 (40 years of writing) Gaytude, a poetic journey around the world, Albert Russo and Adam Donaldson Powell, Xlibris, USA, 2009 Boundaries of Exile / Conditions of Hope, Albert Russo and Martin Tucker, Confrontation Press (Long Island University, NY), 2009 Embers under my skin, Imago Press (USA), 2012
Short stories, essays and literary criticism (English and French) Venitian Threshold, Bone & Flesh Publications, USA, 1995. The Age of the pearl: the collected works of Albert Russo, vol. 1, Domhan Books, USA, 2000 Unmasking hearts: the collected works of Albert Russo, vol. 2, Domhan Books, USA, 2000 Beyond the great water: the collected works of Albert Russo, vol. 3, Domhan Books, USA, 2000 The Crowded World of Solitude, Volume 1, the collected stories and essays, Xlibris, USA, 2005 (40 years of writing). Eclats de malachite, Editions Pierre Deméyère, Brussels, 1971. Mosaïque Newyorkaise, Editions de l’Athanor, Parigi, 1975. Le Règne du Caméléon, Imago Press (USA), 2012 Crystals in a shock wave (the works of Albert Russo, spanning 40 years), Blurb Inc., USA, 2012 and CreateSpace, USA, 2012
Photography books (selection) Body glorious, Xlibris, USA, 2006. Italia Nostra, Xlibris, USA, 2007. Norway to Spitzberg, Blurb Inc., USA, 2008 Senegal Live, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Mermaids of the Baltic Sea, Blurb Inc., USA, 2011 Seven living Splendors: Venice, Rome, Paris, New York, Tel Aviv, Singapore and Jerusalem, Createspace/Amazon, USA, 2013 Oriental gems, Blurb Inc., USA, 2012 Ode to Mamica mia, Mother beloved, Createspace/Amazon, USA, 2013 RomaDiva, Xlibris, USA, 2004 AfricaSoul, Xlibris, USA, 2005 Chinese Puzzle chinois, Xlibris, USA, 2005 In France, Xlibris, USA, 2005 Sri Lanka / Serendib, Xlibris, USA, 2005 Mexicana, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Body glorious, Xlibris, USA, 2006. Albert Russo: A Poetic Biography, Volumes 1 & 2, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Sardinia, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Rainbow nature, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Saint-Malo with love, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Brussels ride, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Granada, Costa del Sol & Ronda, Xlibris, USA, 2006 Pasion de Espana, Xlibris, USA, 2007 Quirks/Eclats, Xlibris, USA, 2007 Vienese kaleidoscope, Blurb Inc., USA, 2007 City of wonder / city of lovers, New York / Paris, Xlibris, USA, 2007 New York at heart, Xlibris, USA, 2007 Eilat, Petra & Tel Aviv, Blurb Inc., USA, 2008 Sympjony in Hands major, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Mermaids of the Baltic, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Expressive Romans, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 China Forever, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Garden Delights, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Animal Kinship, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Celestial Blues/Chants du ciel, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 France: Art, Humour & Nature, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 In the air, on the ground, and on the water, Blurb Inc., USA, 2010 Rainbow Paris/ Arc-en-ciel, Blurb Inc., USA 2011 Israel/Jordan/Palestine, Blurb Inc., USA, 2011 Living Objects, Blurb Inc., USA, 2011 Au Naturel / born naked, Createspace/Amazon, USA, 2012 Fotoripples / 1, 2 & 3, Createspace/Amazon, USA, 2012 A myriad tales, vol.1,2 3, Createspace/Amazon, USA, 2012