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Alexei Maxim Russell

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Alexei Maxim Russell
Born (1976-07-27) 27 July 1976 (age 48)
Canada Winnipeg, Manitoba
OccupationWriter
NationalityCanadian
GenreCrime, fantasy, philosophy, folklore
Notable worksTrueman Bradley series
SpouseArnika Nora Lucka
Website
whynot-world.com

Alexei Maxim Russell is a Canadian writer of fiction and non-fiction. He is most notable as the creator of Trueman Bradley. Trueman Bradley is a fictional character in a series of detective novels, with an international following. Bradley is characterized as a genius detective with Asperger's Syndrome. His work has developed a cult following in educational and advocacy circles, having been added to school lesson plans and officially adopted as educational material for government programs, which focus on disability awareness and equality.[1]

Career

Russell's debut novel, Trueman Bradley – Aspie Detective, was published in 2011 by Jessica Kingsley Publishers. This novel was the first detective novel to feature an openly Autistic detective as a protagonist and was the first work of fiction to portray Asperger Syndrome as a "different way of thinking", with some advantages over the neurotypical way of thinking—and therefore, not necessarily a disability. A German-language edition was published in 2013 by Von Loeper Literaturverlag, of Karlsruhe, Germany.[2] His other works include Trueman Bradley – The Next Great Detective, Instruction Manual for the 21st Century Samurai, Why Not-World and the Forgotten Lore series.[3][4] [5]

Russell describes himself as an autism awareness activist and a self-described Japanophile. In 2013 he compiled a guidebook outlining his personal philosophical outlook, based on traditional Japanese philosophies from Miyamoto Musashi, Tsunetomo Yamamoto and Dogen. He also advocates for the cause of quality Indie writing in his blog "Guerrila Ronin wRiter".[6]

Russell was born in Winnipeg and studied English literature at the University of Manitoba. He currently lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with his partner Arnika Nora Lucka.[7][8]

Style

CM magazine described Trueman Bradley as "Somewhat reminiscent of the bold private detective genre of Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, along with a nod to Haddon's central character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the book also has its own unique style ...". According to BFK Books: "Russell's writing style is pleasant and easy, reminiscent of the simplicity and innocence of Alexander McCall Smith."[9]

Alexei describes his methods as "ridiculously protagonist based". As he describes it: "the character takes over, at some point, and I find myself dictating what I see, rather than writing it. Protagonists do come to life, in this way, for some authors. It may sound metaphysical to some, but this is what makes believable, living characters."[10]

Following

Alexei's work has gained a cult following in advocacy and educational circles. His first novel, Trueman Bradley - Aspie Detective was added to the book lesson plan for grade 6 students, by the Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness, of Portland, Maine, in 2015. And was officially adopted, in that same year, by Ireland's Department of Justice and Equality, as official teaching material for their "Someone Like Me" program, for primary schools—designed to encourage understanding of disabilities in their students and encourage and instil the "celebration of difference" in children.

References

  1. ^ Thomson, Liz(12 September 2011). "Meet Trueman Bradley – a definitely different detective". Book Brunch. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Alexei Maxim Russell". CANSCAIP Members. Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers (canscaip.org). Archived 2013-12-03. Retrieved 30 July 2015. With short biography.
  3. ^ Kulkarni, Nitish(20 October 2015). "Stanford Researchers Treat Autism With Google Glass". Tech Crunch . Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  4. ^ "Someone Like Me". Department of Justice and Equality . Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  5. ^ "TRUEMAN BRADLEY, Aspie Detective". The Cromwell Center for Disabilities Awareness. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
  6. ^ Daher, Anita (14 January 2012). "Books: PAPERCHASE: Patterson ready to read stories". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  7. ^ Parkhill, Cynthia (23 January 2012). "On the Spectrum: Trueman Bradley advocates, entertains". Lake County Record-Bee. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  8. ^ Van Der Post, Anna (31 July 2011). "Trueman Bradley – Aspie Detective". Reviews. BFK Books. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
  9. ^ Daher, Anita(14 January 2012). "PAPERCHASE". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  10. ^ Brenna, Beverly(2 March 2012). "Trueman Bradley, Aspie Detective". CM Magazine. Retrieved 14 March 2012.
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