Ludmila Vassilyeva (born May 23, 1942) is a Russian scholar who is an expert on Urdu poetry and literature. She teaches at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow.

Early life and education

Vassilyeva graduated from Moscow State University (1965) and received a Ph.D. in 1987. Her doctoral thesis was on Altaf Hussain Hali.

Career

From 1967 to 1984, Vassilyeva was Faiz Ahmed Faiz's interpreter as he travelled throughout the Soviet Union. Her book Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Hayat aur Takhliqaat, published in 2006, was the first literary biography of Faiz.

Vassilyeva has written extensively on Faiz and Muhammad Iqbal in both Urdu and Russian. She has translated many other Urdu poets including Ghalib and Majurh.