Many great names of the world literature are connected with Georgia Tbilisi. “Russian poets inevitably pass through Georgia in their hearts,” N. Tikhonov said. This city has always been attractive to Russian poets, writers and artists; they connected their fate with him, and leaving Tbilisi, mentally always returned to him. A.S. called this city “Magic Land”. Pushkin, who was deeply moved by the reception he received in Tbilisi. “I don’t remember the day,” the poet wrote, “on which I would be more cheerful than the present; I see how I am loved, understood and appreciated, and how this makes me happy.
Decembrist writers V. Kuchelbeker, A. Bestuzhev-Marlinsky, A. Odoevsky, poets of the Pushkin galaxy - D. Davydov, A. Shishkov, V. Teplyakov lived in Tbilisi and Georgia. M. Lermontov, cornet of the Nizhny Novgorod Dragoon Regiment, served in Tbilisi, exiled to the Caucasus for the poem "On the Death of a Poet" and dedicated his "Demon", "Mtsyri", "Gifts of the Terek" and other works to Georgia. From Tbilisi, the poet wrote: "If it were not for my grandmother, then, in all honesty, I would gladly stay here."
14 years after the departure of M. Lermontov, L. Tolstoy arrived here. Preparing to join the Caucasian army, he settled in the house of a German colonist and kept diaries about his stay in Georgia. Here L. Tolstoy wrote his first work "Childhood", and decades later - the story "Hadji Murad", which reflected many of his Tbilisi impressions.
Russian playwright A. Ostrovsky visited Tbilisi more than once.
Young Aleksey Peshkov published his first story "Makar Chudra" in the Tbilisi newspaper "Kavkaz" and for the first time signed it with the name "Maxim Gorky". The poem "The Girl and Death", sketches for the legend "Danko", several stories - all this is the Tbilisi period of M. Gorky's work.
At different times, the literary paths of G. Uspensky, A. Bely ran through Tbilisi, Good friends were found in Tbilisi Mayakovsky, S. Yesenin, B. Pasternak, O. Mandelstam, K. Paustovsky were here
Russian writers and other prominent figures of Russian art had many friends in the “warm” city of Tbilisi. Many stayed at the hospitable house of Prince Alexander Chavchavadze, a romantic poet and the most educated person of his time. Contemporaries said about him: “Everything that came from St. Petersburg, decent and dignified, young and old, belonged to the prince’s living room. His charming family .. was the only one in Tbilisi in which visiting guests from the North and West found the beginning of holy Georgian hospitality in full harmony with the conditions of an educated European society.
The fate of A. Griboyedov was closely connected with Tbilisi and the family of Prince A. Chavchavadze, who, according to one of his contemporaries, “loved Georgia so passionately, so purely, as rare people even love their homeland.” Even before the comedy "Woe from Wit" was released, amateurs staged it on the Tbilisi stage. A. Griboyedov's unfinished tragedy "Georgian Night" was recognized by contemporaries as worthy "to decorate not only Russian, but all European literature." AS Griboedov was married to Nina, the daughter of Prince A Chavchavadtse.
Halfway to the holy mountain Mtatsminda, hanging from the west over Tbilisi with a bristly ridge Near the church, on two terraces of different heights, there is the Pantheon of Georgian writers and public figures,
In the rock on the lower terrace, in a small grotto with a stone arch, two graves are visible. An inscription in Georgian is carved on the arch: “Here lies the ashes of Griboyedov. This monument was erected by his wife Nina, daughter of the poet Alexander Chavchavadze, in the year 1832.
On the hills of Georgia
Alexander Pushkin
On the hills of Georgia lies the darkness of the night;
Noisy Aragva before me.
Dreams about Georgia
Bella Akhmadulina
Dreams about Georgia - that's joy!
And in the morning so clean
grape sweetness,
haunted lips.
From the poem "Vladikavkaz - Tiflis"
Vladimir Mayakovsky
…I know:
stupidity - edens and paradise!
But if
sang about it
should be
Georgia
happy land,
the poets meant...
To the poets of Georgia
Sergey Yesenin
The land is far away!
Alien side!
Georgian flinty roads.
Amber wine
The moon shines in your eyes
In deep eyes
Like blue horns.
I dream of hunchbacked Tiflis
Osip Mandelstam
I dream of hunchbacked Tiflis,
Sazandarey groan rings,
People are crowding on the bridge
The whole carpet capital,
And downstairs Kura makes noise.
Land of Georgians
Evgeny Yevtushenko
Oh Georgia - wiping our tears,
you are the second cradle of the Russian muse.
Carelessly forgetting about Georgia,
in Russia it is impossible to be a poet.
— — —
Land of Georgians
Land of Georgians, you are so small!
Not a thousand miles long
you are mighty - and attraction
both man and eagle.
Fragment of the poem "Waves"
Boris Pasternak
... We were in Georgia. Let's multiply
Need for tenderness, hell for heaven,
Let's take the hothouse of ice at the foot,
And we will get this edge.
The first written Georgian monuments are known from the 5th century. However, the beginning of Georgian literature goes back even deeper. It is closely connected with many factors, the most important of which was the adoption of Christianity, proclaimed the official state religion at the beginning of the 4th century. in Kartli (Eastern Georgia). The absence of written Georgian sources of the pre-Christian era does not allow us to judge the book culture of this time, although rich archaeological material (including data from epigraphic monuments in Greek and Aramaic), as well as evidence from foreign, mainly Greek, sources reveal an organized state system, a developed culture and high civilization of the pre-Christian era in both Eastern and Western Georgia.
All this created favorable conditions for the development of Christian literature, which became absolutely dominant in Georgia for several centuries, until the emergence of secular literature in the 11th century. With Christianization, the emergence of Georgian writing (alphabet) is associated, which made it possible for a wide development of literature in the native language. Georgian historical chronicles attribute the invention of Georgian writing to King Parnavaz, who lived at the end of the 4th century. BC. However, before the beginning of the 5th c. AD samples of Georgian writing are unknown.
For a long time, the earliest Georgian monument was considered to be the inscription on the temple in Bolnisi (60 km from Tbilisi), dated 493. Georgian inscriptions discovered in Palestine (in the middle of the 20th century) during archaeological excavations give reason to consider according to the names of the historical persons mentioned in it, at the beginning of the 5th century. Since that time, the Georgian alphabet has been gradually changing its graphic form. Early mrglovani(lit. "round"), is replaced by its graphic modification nuskhuri, which became the main type of writing from the 11th century. (although it originated much earlier). The next stage of its development is mkhedruli("military"), being again a graphic modification of the angular nuskhuri, already by the 13th-14th centuries. takes on a form that almost completely coincides with the modern one. Thus, this system, which has a continuous history of at least 15 centuries, is the only one to transmit the text in the Georgian language. The model for its construction (the arrangement and sequence of letters, numerical values) was the Greek alphabet, while the graphic forms are original. The information that the Georgian alphabet, along with the Albanian and Armenian, was invented by a certain Mashtots, is a later interpolation in Armenian sources. The adoption of Christianity and the invention (or, perhaps, the restoration of the old, for some reason obsolete) Georgian writing system were the most important factors that led to the emergence of the richest ancient Georgian literature, both translated and original. The centers of book learning were monasteries in Georgia itself and beyond its borders. First of all, in Palestine, since Christianity penetrated into Georgia from there; then, in the 9th-10th centuries, when Muslim domination forced Georgian scribes to seek other refuges, the monastery of St. the main center of Georgian literature. There were many similar cultural centers in Georgia itself: the monasteries in the south of Georgia, in Tao-Klarjeti (now within Turkey), are especially prominent: Oshki, Shatberdi, Parkhali, etc. Famous writers and translators worked in Georgian monasteries: Euthymius Svyatogorets (955– 1028), George Svyatogorets (1009–1065), Ephraim Mtsire (c. 1025–1100) and others.
Monuments of ancient Georgian literature. Translation essays.
Immediately after the adoption of Christianity in Georgia, a very active translation activity began. The first examples of ancient Georgian literature, which have come down to us in fragmentary manuscripts of the 6th–7th centuries, are translated: texts from the Bible (Old and New Testaments), apocryphal writings, works of the church fathers: John Chrysostom, Basil of Caesarea, Severian Gavalsky and many others, lives saints ( cm. HAGIOGRAPHY). These lists are dated according to paleographic and linguistic features; all of them are characterized by the use of special verbal indicators of the face (which are also found in the oldest dated epigraphic materials of the 5th–6th centuries, the so-called “hanmet”), which completely disappeared already in the 8th century.
Since that time, almost all outstanding works of Christian writing have been translated into Georgian. Some of them have survived only in Georgian translations; therefore they are of great importance for the study of the history of Christian culture in general. Many translations are provided with lengthy comments by translators (Efrem Mtsire, Arseniy Ikaltoeli, Ionna Petritsi). The first dated Georgian manuscript - the so-called Sinaitic many-headed- a huge collection, copied in Jerusalem in 864; it contains more than forty homilies of prominent Byzantine writers. Comparison with "hanmet" texts shows that many of the works included in the collection were translated no later than the 5th-6th centuries. Georgian translations of the books of the Bible, starting from the texts of the 5th-6th centuries, are presented in many ancient copies: for example, the Adish Four-Chapter (Gospel Tetra) 897; The Bible, copied in Oshki by order of the builder of the Iberian Lavra, John-Tornik in 978 and donated by him to Athos. There are other versions of biblical books made with the aim of editing and correcting ancient texts to bring them closer to Greek ones: such are the New Testament and the Psalter in the edition of George the Holy Mountaineer (11th century), the Gelati Bible (12-13th centuries). Collected and edited biblical texts and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani ( see below). Many ancient apocrypha have been preserved in Georgian ( Life of the Virgin, Protevangelium of James 7 c.). There are many exegetical writings, for example, Interpretation on the Psalter(1081), compiled by Ephraim Mtsire from many now unknown sources and supplemented by his own commentaries. Almost all genres of spiritual literature are represented in Georgian translations. Among the polemical writings are Dogmaticon- a collection of essays directed against various heresies, compiled by Arseny Ikaltoeli in the 7th century.
A huge amount of homiletic literature by prominent Greek writers has been translated into Georgian, for example, more than 40 works by Gregory of Nazianzus (in various translations of the 6th-12th centuries), up to a hundred works by John Chrysostom. Collection of legal church norms Great Nomocanon was translated by Arseniy Ikaltoeli in the 12th century. Hagiographic monuments (Lives of the Saints) occupy a special place among translated works in terms of their significance. The first translations are available in "hanmet" texts; in addition to the early ones, there are later (11th-12th centuries) translations of the so-called "metaphrased" (i.e., "remade") texts.
Georgian Lives, presented in the form of collections by months of the year (10 collections have been preserved), fill in the actual gap in the Greek materials. In addition, Georgian has new information about the founder of this genre, Simeon Logofet, and his successor, Ion Ksifilin. Georgian liturgical monuments - especially the apostolic liturgies - preserved the early Jerusalem traditions, they provide significant material for the history of liturgical practice in the early Christian era.
The significance of ancient Georgian translated church literature attracts the attention of scientists not only in Georgia, but also abroad: many monuments were published in Belgium, Germany, France, and Switzerland.
Georgian original literature
appears already in the 5th century. The earliest work that has come down to us is Martyrdom of Saint Shushanik. The work, reflecting real historical events, describes the life and exploits of Shushanik, the wife of the local ruler Varsken. Her husband, for political reasons, converted to the faith of the fire worshipers in order to please the Persian king Peroz (459–484). Shushanik categorically refused to follow her husband's example and, having stoically withstood the many torments inflicted by her enraged husband, she died after many years of imprisonment. The work, written by her confessor Yakov, has come down to us in the list of the 10th century. It was written no later than 483: Varsken, the husband of Shushanik, is depicted alive in the work, but in 483 he was killed. Yakov's stingy but expressive narration, the skillful use of artistic means, show the author not only as a highly educated person, but also as a talented writer, skillfully noticing life details and not without humor.
Martyrdom of Eustathius of Mtskheta describes the asceticism of a young shoemaker who fled Persia in 541 because of his Christian beliefs. On the denunciation of his own compatriots, he was martyred by the Persian ruler of Tbilisi. Author Martyrdom of the Holy and Blessed Christ Martyr Abo- John Sabanisdze. It was written in 786-790. An Arab by nationality, Abo converted to Christianity and, despite the persuasion of the Tbilisi Emir himself, did not become an apostate. He was executed, his head was put on the town square, the body was burned and the ashes were thrown into the Kura. The author cites the example of an Arab martyr as a warning to his compatriots who, in faith, are “swaying like a reed from the wind.” The author is a patriot who understands that apostasy from the faith threatens Georgians with the loss of their national identity. The language of the work is characterized by complex rhetorical phrases and artistic images taken from the Holy Scriptures. National-religious motifs can be traced in other works ( Martyrdom of Constantine-Kakhi, Martyrdom of Michael Gobron and etc.); not all of them are artistically equal, but are important as indicators of the national mood and the growing Greco-Byzantine political orientation.
In the 9th-10th centuries. in Georgian literature, the genre of "Lives" or "Acts" becomes popular. This was facilitated by new phenomena and trends in the life of the country: the reaction against Arab rule, the growth of national self-consciousness, the beginning of the colonization of empty areas devastated by Arab rule, and the strengthening of the 6th century. monastery building. An example of this genre is above all Life of the Enlightener of Georgia Nino. There are several editions of this work, the first of which is in the list of the 10th century, however, it also contains traces of earlier editorial layers. The first part of the work contains general information about Kartli, lists of kings, information about various historical events. The second describes the birth and youth of Nino, her arrival in Georgia, in Mtskheta, the miracles and healings she performed, the crushing of pagan idols, the conversion of Queen Nana and King Mirian to Christianity, the death of Nino; (the place of her burial is still revered in Georgia as a shrine). This work, in a slightly altered form, was also included in the main narrative source of the history of Georgia - Kartlis Tskhovreba.
Life of Serapion of Zarzm(2nd half of the 9th century), the builder of the monastery in Samtskhe (Southern Georgia), was written by Serapion's nephew Basili (Vasily). Cycle Life Syrian ascetics - an interesting example of this genre; traditionally considered Syrians who came to Georgia to strengthen Christianity, they were most likely Georgians who fled Syria due to religious persecution. Many monasteries in Georgia are considered to be founded by them and bear their names.
Life of Gregory of Khandztia written by George Merchul in 951. It describes the life and work of the largest church and statesman, gives an extensive picture of the monastery construction in Tao-Klarjeti, shows the relationship between the church and secular authorities. This work is not only a brilliant literary work, but also a primary historical source. It was written, as the author notes, 90 years after the death of Gregory, according to his students. The truthfulness of the story, the almost complete absence of fantastic miracles, the dramatic development of the plots distinguish this work from other examples of the genre. Gregory, who lived for 102 years (759-861), built several monasteries (many of them still exist), and was engaged in literary activities. A descendant of a noble feudal family, a man of firm principles and unbending will, he fearlessly entered into conflict with the royal power itself, if necessary. The work conveys the idea of the unity of the country, united by the Christian faith; in the author's view, Georgia is "a vast land where the liturgy is served in the Georgian language and prayers are performed." The life is known in a single copy of the 12th century, found among the manuscripts of the Cross Monastery in Jerusalem. The text was first published by N. Marr with a Russian translation. George Svyatogorets, in addition to his numerous translations from Greek, also owns the original work - Life of St. John and St. Euphemia. A work written ca. 1045, gives information about the builder of the Iberian monastery on Athos and his son, the famous translator Euthymius, who translated not only from Greek into Georgian, but also from Georgian into Greek. It was he who translated into Greek (then translated into many languages and became popular in Europe) a spiritual novel The Tale of Barlaam and Joasaph, a Christianized version of the life of the Buddha. Evfimy was also the abbot of the Athos monastery. The work describes the biography of the builder of the Lavra, his victory over the rebellious Barda Skliros, provides detailed information about the literary activities of Euthymius, lists his works, and describes everyday monastic life. The work, known from the list of 1074, is not only a highly artistic work, but also a reliable source on the history of both Georgia and Byzantium of that time.
The life of George Svyatogorets himself is described by his student, George Maly, shortly after the death of his teacher. This work, by its literary merit, should be ranked among the best examples of Georgian hagiographic narratives.
Georgian "Lives" created a tradition that became one of the prerequisites for the emergence of the genre of historical narrative prose.
Ephraim Mtsire - translator and commentator, was also a multifaceted scholarly scribe; his theoretical views on the theory of translation, grammar, spelling, the nature of historical writings, and much more, expressed in the scholia with which his translations are abundantly supplied, provide valuable material for the history of the development of the humanities. He owns the first known in Georgia original Lexicon- an interpretation of the words found in the Psalter (manuscript 1091). He is the author of an original work, which analyzes information from Greek sources regarding the adoption of Christianity in Georgia. Ephraim had a great influence on the further development of Georgian literature. He can be considered the founder of the Hellenophile trend, although it is not as strong in his works as in later writers and translators; these are: Ioann Petritsi (late 11th–early 12th centuries) theologian and Neoplatonist philosopher, author of original commentaries on his translations of Byzantine philosophers. Petritsi did a lot for the formation of Georgian philosophical terminology. Many of the terms developed by him are used by modern philosophers.
Poetry also occupies a significant place in ancient Georgian church literature. Following the examples of translated liturgical poetry, already in the 8th century. original Georgian poetic works appear. Notable in this respect is Mikael Modrekili's huge collection (late 10th century), an anthology of church poetry with original musical characters. Samples of Georgian church poetry called "iambiko" are known. They have a certain size, later appear under the influence of folklore and rhyme. There is also a later classical form for Georgian poetry - "shairi" (poetic meter, in which each stanza contains 16 syllables). The authors of original poetic works are many well-known Georgian scribes, including John Minchkhi, George Svyatogorets, Ephraim Mtsire, King David the Builder (1089-1025), the most educated man of his time, the founder of the library, who himself wrote amazing in their power Penitential chants.
The emergence of secular fiction. General review.
The beginning of Georgian secular fiction should be dated to the 10th-11th centuries. By the end of the 10th c. the process of consolidation of feudal formations into a large centralized state begins; the ethnic name "Kartli" gives way to the cultural and political term "Sakartvelo" (lit. "Country of Kartvels", i.e. Georgians). Expanding geographical, cultural and scientific horizons. By that time, interest in the exact sciences, astronomy, and medicine was growing. Cultural ties with eastern countries, especially with the Islamic world, are becoming closer. All this creates the prerequisites for the emergence of Georgian artistic secular literature. The strong centuries-old traditions of Georgian church literature became the basis for secular literature. Spiritual literature also contributed to acquaintance with the cultural world of Greek antiquity: the translated works of Christian Byzantine authors contain detailed information about Greek mythology. Hagiographic fiction, "spiritual novels" of the type Wisdom of Balavar paved the way for secular fiction. Hagiography, with its heroes - fighters for Christianity - opened the way for the appearance in secular literature of the ideal hero of the chivalrous and romantic epic. Georgian secular literature adopted many compositional patterns and forms from church literature. The Georgian literary language, which has a five-century history, with its strong norms and the richest vocabulary, became the basis for the language of secular literature, which, for its part, introduced a lot of new things into the language from live colloquial speech. Georgian folklore also had a great influence on fiction (both prose and poetry).
From the earliest stage of the existence of secular literature, humanism has been characteristic of it. Man, with his personal feelings and worldly aspirations, appears in Georgian literature much earlier than in the literature of other Christian peoples of Europe, thus anticipating the European Renaissance.
Secular literature 11th–12th centuries
Not all monuments of secular literature, especially early ones, have come down to us; the existence of some can only be judged by their mention by later authors. The earliest secular work that has come down to us is Visramiani. The plot of the work reveals thematic similarities with the novel about Tristan and Isolde. It describes Ramin's love for the beautiful Vis, the wife of his brother, Shah Moabad. The lovers, who are helped by the nanny, experience many misadventures, but after the death of Moabad, they join their lives, and, having reigned for 83 years, they die together - after the death of Vis Ramin, he voluntarily encloses himself in her tomb. The work is a free prose translation of a poem by the Persian poet Fakhr-ud-Din Gurgani; came in the lists of the 12th-14th centuries, but the translation was made earlier, in the era of the reign of Queen Tamar (1189-1213), since the suffering of lovers is mentioned in Rustaveli's poem Knight in a leopard skin. According to the work, love is the most important event in a person's life, its meaning. Separated lovers shed torrents of tears and yearn for death. The translator is traditionally considered Sargis Tmogveli. Visramiani became very popular, despite the hostile attitude towards him of some (mostly clerical) circles. The novelty of the plot and psychological situations, the description of the torments and joys of earthly love are contrasted Visramiani the church literature that preceded it, where the highest goal of human existence was considered to be serving God in the name of the salvation of the soul. The honed mastery of the word, the subtlety and accuracy of artistic means, the richness of vocabulary contributed to the fact that Visramiani has long been perceived not as a translation, but as an original work of Georgian fiction.
Amirandarejaniani- a prose work, such as a "chivalrous novel", consisting of 12 parts. According to tradition, Mose Khoneli is considered its author; There is no biographical information about him. The chronological framework for writing should be limited to the 11th-12th centuries. Most likely, it was created during or slightly earlier than the reign of Queen Tamar, as indicated by some realities. The novel describes the semi-fantastic feats performed by the heroes. The place of action is conditionally "eastern". The work brings together, rather carelessly in terms of composition, several different cycles of legends and fairy tales, most of which are of Georgian origin, although there are also so-called “wandering” stories among them. The work is not translated; the author is a Georgian who united all the material around the central character - Amiran; his name coincides with the name of the hero of Georgian folklore. In the legend of Amiran, they find much in common with the legend of Prometheus. The cult of heroic chivalry is clearly seen in Amirandarejaniani; heroes with fantastic strength fight terrible beasts and hordes of enemies; friendship of brothers, assistance in trouble is a mandatory property of heroes; however, the motive of love - an indispensable attribute of the chivalric romance of a later time - is less pronounced here. Amirandarejaniani was very popular; having its roots in folklore, he, for his part, subsequently influenced Georgian folklore.
The most significant work of the epic genre is the poem by Shota Rustaveli Knight in a leopard skin.
The lyrical genre of Georgian poetry of the classical period is presented in Tamariani, the author of which, according to legend, is Chakhrukhadze, and in another poem - Abdulmesiani. Both works are laudatory odes; the first is in honor of Queen Tamar and her husband, David Soslan. The second, written, according to legend, by John Shavteli, praises David the Restorer and Queen Tamar. Both are written in a meter, which is called "chahrukhauli" - this is a 20-complex verse with a complex system of rhymes; in both poems, a virtuoso mastery of verse and word, the musicality of the verse and the richness of internal and external rhymes are manifested.
In the 11th-12th centuries. the original Georgian historiography is developing, in which national self-consciousness finds its expression. From works of this nature, the main narrative source on the history of Georgia was subsequently compiled - Kartlis Tskhovreba, which has come down to us in the lists of the 16th–17th centuries. Leonty Mroveli (2nd half of the 11th century) compiled a large historical work. Leonty used many ancient sources and hagiographic works, describing the ancient history of Georgia. Life of David the King written by a contemporary of David the Reclaimer shortly after his death in the first half of the 12th century. The life and deeds of the king, who liberated the country from foreigners and turned it into a strong, flourishing state, are described in detail; numerous literary parallels, figurative comparisons, rhetorical passages present the work not only as a historical work, but also as a classic example of Georgian prose. Stories and praises of the crowned, praising Queen Tamar in their main part, is also of interest as a work of art. It clearly shows the knowledge of both the Hellenic-Byzantine-Christian culture and the Persian-Arab cultural world. Other historical writings describe events of later times. In the 13th-15th centuries. Georgia has gone through a difficult period in its history. The devastating invasions of the Khorezmians, Mongols and Tatars devastated the country and caused its disintegration. All this could not but affect its culture. However, in the 13th-15th centuries. significant literary works appear Life of Peter Iver, Zhamtaagmtsereli and etc.).
Renaissance Literature.
From the beginning of the 16th century the Renaissance begins in Georgian culture. Despite the difficult political situation of the country, which by that time had become the scene of a clash of political interests between two neighboring Muslim countries - Iran and Turkey - Georgia began to gradually become involved in the circle of European and Russian political and cultural aspirations. In Georgian literature, the national motif is intensified, the themes are expanding; new genres and literary forms appear. In the 18th century, when contacts with Russia became closer, translations from Russian appeared. Free translations of many examples of Persian literature are becoming popular. Part Shahnameh Ferdowsi was translated into prose and then arranged in verse. The cycle about Rustam was especially popular. There are alterations and continuations of Rustaveli's poem and other romantic works (traditional Persian plots), didactic works (translated and original) are being distributed. An example of a fairytale epic - Rusudaniani- twelve "fairy tales", which contain many Christian-religious, national and didactic motifs. Written no later than the 17th century.
Teimuraz I, King of Kakheti, (1589-1663) - a man of tragic fate, who lost his throne and family (his mother was martyred for refusing to convert to Islam, two sons were castrated), died in exile in Persia. However, all his work is under the strongest influence of Persian literature. Four of his poems are written in traditional Persian poetry plots (for example, Lail Majnuniani). The original poem describing the death of his own mother is in the same style. In the lyrics of Teimuraz, religious and Christian motives are clearly traced. Archil II (1647–1713) reigned in Imereti (Western Georgia) and Kakheti. Having lost both thrones, he spent the last years of his life in Moscow. He was engaged in translations, wrote lyrical works, historical and philosophical poems. Man's dispute with life created under the influence of Russian composition Debate between life and death. In Russia, Archil was engaged in cultural activities; editing, translation and publication of books of the Georgian Bible.
Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani (1658-1725) - a representative of an aristocratic family, related to the royal family, was a writer, scientist, diplomat. In 1698 he took the tonsure under the name of Saba (Sava), but continued his active work. Trying to interest European countries in the fate of Georgia, he traveled to Europe on a diplomatic mission in 1713-1716. Visited Italy and France, was received by the Pope and Louis XIV. Together with Vakhtang VI he moved to Russia, where he died. The most important literary work The wisdom of lies, a collection of parables, built according to the traditional scheme: parables are told by different persons living at the royal court, for the edification of the young prince. The parables themselves, although they have some parallels with well-known collections of parables (for example, with Kalila and Dimna), most likely taken from Georgian folklore, in which there are many common "wandering" plots. Sulkhan-Saba described his journey to Europe (the first part of it has been preserved), wrote a collection of teachings. The language of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani is simple, clear, close to the living spoken language. An important work of Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani, which has retained its significance to this day, is the documented explanatory dictionary of the Georgian language compiled by him, the material for which he collected and edited for thirty years. Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani also edited the Georgian Bible. He also edited the collection translated by his great-nephew Vakhtang VI. Kalila and Dimna.
Vakhtang VI (1675–1737), who spent many years of his life in Persia, lived in Russia from 1724 until his death, hoping in vain to find help to free the Georgians from Persian rule. He is the author of many lyrical works; his poems, written in the traditional elegiac manner for that time, reflect a genuine feeling. Vakhtang in 1709 founded the first printing house in Georgia, where in 1712 the first edition of Rustaveli's poem was printed with textual comments by Vakhtang; under his leadership, a collection was compiled and edited Kartlis Tskhovreba (History of Georgia) and a code of laws; he also owns translations of many scientific books. David Guramishvili (1705–1792) spent most of his life outside of Georgia, as in 1729 he was kidnapped by the Lezgins and taken to the North Caucasus. He managed to escape and get to Moscow, where he ended up in the retinue of Vakhtang VI. Having become a military man as a result, he ended his days in Ukraine, in Mirgorod, in the estate granted to him. A collection of works by David Guramishvili compiled by himself, under the title Davitiani. It includes 4 poems and lyric poems. In a historical poem full of drama Sorrows of Kartli he described the suffering experienced by his homeland, and directly indicated that they were caused not only by countless invasions of various enemies, but also by internal strife and moral degradation. In his philosophical poems, the opposition of life and death, the relationship between man and the world around him are discussed.
Teaching to students- didactic and edifying work. His poems are very direct and lyrical, although the pessimism and sadness of the author deprived of his homeland are also manifested here. The form of David Guramishvili's verse is varied. Here, not only "shairi", which has been the dominant form in poetry since the time of Rustaveli; David Guramishvili uses folk meter; its versification is also enriched by Russian and Ukrainian folklore. The original meter of the poem Shepherd Katzvia, which describes in a half-joking way the misadventures of young lovers who are trying to encroach on the sanctity of the marital bed. The folk storyteller Sayat-Nova, who lived at the end of the 18th century, was an Armenian by nationality, wrote poetry and sang in Armenian, Georgian and Azerbaijani. Besarion Gabashvili, better known as Besiki (circa 1750–1791), was a poet and diplomat. His successful career at the court of Heraclius II was probably hampered by political motives, then he was engaged in diplomatic activities at the court of the king of Imereti (Western Georgia); sent for negotiations to General Potemkin, he died in Iasi, where he was buried. Love lyrics stand out most clearly in his poetry, although he also has very caustic satirical verses. His love lyrics are expressive, which is facilitated by the musicality and lightness of his poems, various poetic meters. The vocabulary is rich, the style is close to folk; however, in prose, in epistolary and historical works, he was influenced by the “high calm”, which became widespread in the Georgian literary language under the influence of the literary school of Catholicos Anthony (1720–1788).
Literature of the 19th century
The accession of Georgia to Russia in 1801 caused many changes in the cultural life of Georgian society. On the one hand, the loss of political independence caused a sharp reaction from society and led to the rise of patriotic feelings, which was reflected in literature. On the other hand, communication with Russian culture and, through Russian culture, with European culture brought new trends to all areas of art and, first of all, to literature.
In 1819, the Georgian Newspaper began to appear in Russian, in 1829 the Tiflis Vedomosti, in 1832 the journal Literary Part of the Tiflis Vedomosti, edited by one of the participants in the 1832 conspiracy, Solomon Dodashvili.
In the work of writers, especially poets, in the first half of the 19th century. both the traditions of classical Georgian literature and the moods that arose under the influence of new factors are expressed. Therefore, the Georgian romanticism that arose at that time is not homogeneous. Its origins are Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846), a representative of a brilliant aristocratic family, the godson of Catherine II, a participant in the Patriotic War of 1812. He took part in the conspiracy of 1832 (for which he was exiled to the Tambov province, but soon received forgiveness). Alexander Chavchavadze was the father-in-law of A.S. Griboyedov. The main motive of his poetry is the longing caused by the loss of national independence and the glorification of the heroic past of Georgia. Pessimistic thoughts about the futility of existence also appear in his lyrics; love lyrics also occupies a significant place in creativity. His poetics is characterized by a fourteen-syllable verse with a cross rhyme. Chavchavadze translated a lot (of Russian and French writers).
Grigol Orbeliani (1804–1883) was also from an aristocratic family; from his youth he chose a military career. He also participated in the conspiracy of 1832, but after returning from exile in 1838, he held high posts, received the rank of adjutant general, and at one time served as the tsar's governor in the Caucasus. his poem Healthy toast glorifies the former greatness of Georgia, glorifies its heroes. Elegiac moods are clearly visible in his poems, which are distinguished by literary skill and novelty of poetic forms. Nikoloz Baratashvili is the most outstanding romantic poet of the 19th century. In his work, the traditional "Eastern" artistic traditions receded into the background, thus laying the foundation for Europeanism in Georgian literature. One of the main themes of Baratashvili's lyrics is the contradiction between the high aspirations of the poet and the lack of spirituality of his everyday environment.
By the middle of the 19th century. changes are taking place in Georgian literature, prose begins to develop, reflecting real life, images of merchants (L. Ardaziani), serfs selling serfs like cattle (D. Chonkadze) appear. There is an original comedyography, the founder of which was G. Eristavi (1813-1864). Heroes of his comedies Litigation, Chapter) - impoverished nobles, merchants who came from the bottom - are depicted by the author in a realistic manner.
The name of Ilya Chavchavadze (1837–1907) is associated with significant events in the social and literary life of Georgia in the second half of the 19th century. He was educated at Petersburg University. His very first appearance in the press, which proved the relevance of the rejection of pseudo-archaic language forms and the need to bring the literary written language closer to the popular spoken language, caused a sharp reaction from the writers of the older generation. In a poem Rogue Kako and stories Beggar's Tale shows the horrors of serfdom. Social and philosophical problems of being are considered in the poem Vision. In the story Widow Otarashvili the psychological drama of social inequality in the post-reform period is drawn, the tragic fate of the peasant George, who fell in love with Princess Keso, is shown. Poem Hermit, created on the basis of a folk legend, speaks of the spiritual collapse of a person who seeks to find the salvation of the soul in avoiding real life. In his journalistic articles, Ilya Chavchavadze touches on many issues of the history and culture of Georgia, politics and public life. Chavchavadze was a publisher, editor, founder of a noble bank, chairman of the Society for the Propagation of Literacy Among Georgians. He was elected to the State Duma of Russia, where he opposed the institution of the death penalty. Because of his political and national views, he was sharply attacked by the Georgian Social Democrats; was killed in an ambush near Tbilisi while returning to his estate. The language of Ilya Chavchavadze, especially in prose, is an accurate, expressive example of a refined skill.
Akaki Tsereteli (1840–1915), known primarily as a lyric poet, whose poems were known throughout Georgia, was a writer and public figure, a faithful companion of Ilya Chavchavadze. His historical stories and poems introduced the reader to the heroic past of Georgia. In poetry that glorifies the beloved, the beloved is always perceived allegorically as the Motherland - Georgia, which is in captivity. Akaki Tsereteli's poems are distinguished by exceptional musicality and lightness, many of them have been set to music ( Suliko and etc.).
Alexander Kazbegi (1848-1893) was the author of works about the life of the Georgian highlanders, which he knew well after spending seven years as a simple shepherd (he came from a noble family). His heroes above all put honor and freedom. In the story Heavisbury Gocha the father, with his own hand, executes his son, who, carried away by a meeting with his beloved, involuntarily betrayed his own, allowing the enemy to attack them. Vazha-Pshavela (Luka Razikashvili, 1861–1915) was also brought up on mountain traditions; in his work, many subjects based on folk traditions and legends received a deep philosophical and ethical understanding. In a poem Aluda Ketelauri Aluda, who killed Mutsal, a man from a hostile tribe, in a fierce battle, did not want to cut off the right hand of the dead man as a sign of victory, as he was touched by the courage of the enemy. He brought a black calf to the local shrine, intending to dedicate it to the soul of Mutsal he had killed; when the angry hevisber (elder) refused to fulfill his request, Aluda himself made a sacrifice, for which he was expelled from the community. The tragic opposition of the will of the individual and the community is also shown in the poem Host and guest, where the Kistin Jokola, referring to the custom of hospitality, refused to extradite his fellow villagers to the blood enemy, the Khevsur Zviadauri, who turned out to be an accidental guest in his house. The pinnacle of Vazha-Pshavela's work is the poem snake-eater. Captured by wizards, Mindia eats snake meat in order to die and get rid of the hated captivity. However, this act does not bring him death, but an understanding of the language of nature. There is a tragic collision between a person who has comprehended the highest secret - the wisdom of the universe, and people acting in accordance with the needs of their daily existence. The defeated Mindia, who has lost his magical gift, has only one way out - death. The epic work of Vazha-Pshavela includes heroic, tragic and humanistic beginnings. Nature for him is a part of the universe, living its own animated life. His language, which reveals many features of his native dialect, is also one of the characteristic aspects of his artistic heritage. David Kldiashvili (1862–1931), who came from Western Georgia, described with realistic accuracy the life of the petty impoverished nobility, the comical situations that his heroes find themselves in often turn into tragic ones ( Stepmother Samanishvili).
Literature of the 20th century.
20th century brought many changes to Georgian literature. Along with representatives of the older generation, writers appeared whose work was imprinted both by new trends in literature and art, and directly by the turbulent events of the coming century. Many Georgian writers were forced to submit their talent to the demands of the communist regime, and many became victims of political repression. Mikheil Javakhishvili (1880–1937), versatile writer, brilliant stylist, was shot as an "enemy of the people". His Kvachi Kvachantiradze is a story about an adventurer whose adventures take place against the backdrop of pre- and post-revolutionary events in Europe and Russia. IN Khizanakh Dzhako shows a former prince, an educated intellectual Teimuraz Khevistavi, who, due to social cataclysms, was forced to seek shelter (i.e., became a “khizan”) with the rich, illiterate, disgusting nouveau riche Djako, who, in his aggressive ignorance, mocks the unfortunate Teimuraz, to the point which turns his wife into his concubine and servant. Historical novel Arsene of Marabda- a wide canvas depicting Georgia in the first half of the 19th century. after its annexation to Russia. The hero of the novel is the serf Arsen, who is fighting against social injustice; he "took from the rich and gave to the poor." He is a man of high morality and pure thoughts, but his defeat and death are inevitable. Numerous novels and stories by Mikheil Javakhishvili are characterized by richness of vocabulary and serve as an example of the modern literary language. Grigol Robakidze (1880–1962) was one of the most active members of the Blue Horns literary association. The poet, short story writer, playwright, Grigol Robakidze at the beginning of his work was strongly influenced by Russian poets (V. Bryusov, N. Gumilyov). He studied in Germany, spent the second half of his life in exile, died in Europe. In his works Snake skin, Palaestra tried to philosophically comprehend the essence of human existence. Many of his later works are written in German. This, together with the fascination with Nietzsche's work, made it possible for Soviet critics to accuse him of adherence to fascism. His drama Lamar staged on the Georgian stage in the 1930s and had great success in Russia.
Konstantin Gamsakhurdia (1891-1975) - the greatest prose writer and novelist of Georgia in the 20th century. His early romance The smile of Dionysus, which is autobiographical to a certain extent, is devoted to the problem of the “extra person” in the modern world. Abduction of the moon- a novel, the plot of which is outwardly built on collectivization in Western Georgia (in Abkhazia and Samegrelo); in fact, here again the conflict of the old world with the new is shown; in the new edition of 1990, in which the author's original text is reproduced, the emphasis is placed not in favor of the new one; Gamsakhurdia was forced to praise Soviet reality in flowering vine And Vozhde(describing Stalin's childhood). Historical novels, especially Hand of the Grand Master. Using the folk legend about the builder of the Svetitskhoveli temple (in Mtskheta), Gamsakhurdia created not just a “historical” novel using the names of real people, but a true work of art, showing the intensity of human passions and the tragic fate of the artist in a society based on tyranny, which gave the work a completely modern sound. Another novel by Gamsakhurdia David the Builder describes the events of the 11th-12th centuries. - the expulsion of the Seljuk Turks and the consolidation of the Georgian state. Gamsakhurdia is a great master of words, although at times not without deliberate mannerisms of writing. Leo Chiacheli (1884-1963) - author of many novels and short stories. Tariel Golua– a historical novel about the events of 1905 in Western Georgia; Gwadi Bigwa- about the transformation of the psyche of the peasant Gvadi under the influence of the process of collectivization in the countryside; however, the author deliberately leads the reader to a tragic ending: the confrontation between Gvadi and his "class enemy" leads to the fact that Gvadi becomes a murderer. IN Khaki Adzba the eponymous hero of the story, a peasant, does not understand why he should consider his milk brother, Prince Emkh, fed according to ancient custom by his mother, as a class enemy. This relationship is no less strong than blood, and, failing to protect Emh, Haki Adzba dies with him.
At the beginning of the 20th century a galaxy of young poets appears in Georgian poetry, whose work has brought a lot of new things both in the direction of creative thought and in the field of poetic technique. The poets, known under the name "Goluborovtsev" (after the name of the almanac published in 1916), were strongly influenced by Russian symbolism. Many of them later became famous lyric poets. Galaktion Tabidze (1891–1959) is undoubtedly the greatest poet of the first half of the 20th century. Thanks to the virtuoso technique of verse, he gave it a new, modern sound, the most complex poetic images are revealed in his crystal-clear, musical verses. The themes of his poetry are multifaceted: from "pure" lyrics to the motives of everyday life; thematic diversity is characteristic of the poems of all periods of his work, but in all cases the mastery and diversity of his metric-rhythmic structures, the transparency of sound are manifested. Poetry of Galaktion Tabidze ( Mary, Moon on Mtatsminda), remains the pinnacle of Georgian poetic thought; she influenced the entire development of Georgian poetry of the subsequent time. His poems were translated into Russian by many poets, there are translations into other languages. Titian Tabidze (1895–1937) is the cousin of G. Tabidze, the author of many lyrical masterpieces. There are extraordinary symbolic images in his poetry, especially in the early period.
G. Tabidze translated into Georgian Russian and other poets (Pushkin, Mayakovsky), was a friend of B. Pasternak. Fell victim of political repression. Paolo Iashvili (1892–1937), a talented poet, was driven to suicide. Georgy Leonidze (1900–1966) is a poet whose verse is full-sounding and reveals the diversity of new artistic images. He collected and researched the vocabulary of his native land, wrote literary studies and sketches. Irakli Abashidze (1911–1995) is a representative of the older generation in modern literature. It is especially popular Palestinian Cycle- poems and poems dedicated to Rustaveli; they were written under direct impressions, after the author participated in a scientific expedition to Jerusalem to discover Rustaveli's frescoes in the Cross Monastery. Lado Asatiani (1917–1943) lived a short life, shackled by a serious illness, but managed to say a lot. In his poems, which sound major, he sings of the joy of life, dates with friends, recalls the heroes of the past who gave their lives for their homeland; his poems and poems have a simple clear style and a clear rhythm. Lado Asatiani remains one of the most popular poets in Georgia.
In the 2nd floor. 20th century a new generation of poets is emerging: Anna Kalandadze (b. 1924) received universal recognition immediately after the publication of her first poems in the 1950s. They showed the almost complete absence of official Soviet themes, characteristic of her poetry; her poems, usually small, are distinguished by their unusual perception of the surrounding world and filigree decoration; many are, as it were, "still lifes", in which the appeal to flowers, trees and mountains is an expression of the mood and feelings of the author. At the same time, the transmission of subjective feelings never develops into autobiography; A. Kalandadze's poetry cannot be considered typically "feminine", it almost completely lacks a love theme. Lyrical intonations are heard in poems dedicated to historical figures (St. Nina, Enlightener of Georgia, David the Builder).
Other famous poets of the older generation: Murman Lebanidze (1922–1997), Mukhran Machavariani (b. 1929), Shota Nishnianidze (1924–1995). Many young writers were swept away by the war in 1941–45. In this war, Georgia, although the German occupation did not reach it, paid a heavy tribute: out of 700,000 young people who went to the front, more than half did not return home. The military theme was reflected in many works, especially in poetry: some poems ( Do not be sad G.Leonidze, Captain Bukhaidze I. Abashidze) became folk songs.
Beginning in the 1950s, new trends emerged in Georgian literature, which were especially pronounced in prose. New names appeared: N. Dumbadze, G. Rcheulishvili, R. Inanishvili. Some writers of the older generation, known as poets, appeared before the reading public as prose writers ( wish tree G.Leonidze). Otar Chiladze (b. 1933), who became famous as a poet, wrote several novels, very complex in their diversity, they combine realistic and mythological motifs, allegorical parables and tragic characters ( Man walking down the road 1972, Anyone who finds me 1976). A man of difficult fate, Chabua Amirejibi (b. 1921) appeared before the reading public as a writer, after many years of exile for political dissidence and repeated daring escapes. Date Tutashkhia(1972) is a large and complex novel. His main character, the truth-seeker Data Tutashkhia, becomes an outlaw, a robber. The action of the novel is moved to pre-revolutionary times; its motives are the opposition of evil to good and the personal choice of a person. Date's double is his foster brother, Mushni Zarandia, who made a different choice and became the royal gendarme. The novel shows the complex relationship of these people without any false sentimentality; many characters are given in a harsh, sometimes sarcastic manner. The novel was a great success (it came out in Russian translated by the author himself), and a television film was made based on it. Lots of autobiographical elements in the second novel Mount Mborgali(1995), describing the life of a political exile.
Natia Revishvili
Literature:
Kikodze G. (19th century.). Tb., 1947 (in Georgian)
History of Georgian Literature, Moscow, 1947
Kotetishvili V. History of Georgian Literature(19th century.). Tb., 1959 (in Georgian)
Kekelidze K.S. Concise course of ancient Georgian literature. Etudes on the history of ancient Georgian literature, vol. IX, Tb., 1963
Baramidze A.G. Gamezardashvili D.M. Georgian literature, Tb., 1968
Chila S. The latest Georgian literature, vol. 1–3, Tb. 1972–1975 (in Georgian)
Chila S., Georgian literature of the 20th century, parts 1–3, Tb., 1996 (in Georgian)
Kiknadze G.K., Compositions,
v. 3, Tb., 1999 (articles on Georgian literature, in Georgian)
Rayfield D. The Literature of Georgia: Curzon Prers. Caucasian World, 2000
Kiknadze G.K. Compositions,
v. 2, Tb., 2003 (articles on Georgian literature, in Georgian)
The team of authors. History of Georgian Literature, v. 2., Tb., 2004 (in Georgian)
Of course I'll start with A. S. Pushkin
Monastery on Kazbek
High above the mountain family
Kazbeg, your royal tent
Shines with eternal rays.
Your monastery behind the clouds
Like an ark flying in the sky,
Soaring, barely visible over the mountains.
A distant, longed-for shore!
There b, saying sorry to the gorge,
Rise to the free height!
There b, in the sky-high cell,
In the neighborhood of God to hide - me! ...
On the hills of Georgia lies the darkness of the night;
Noisy Aragva before me.
I'm sad and easy; my sadness is light;
My sorrow is full of you.
You, you alone .... My despondency
No one hurts, no one worries,
And the heart burns again and loves - because
That it cannot love.
Vladimir Mayakovsky
To our youth (excerpt)
Three different origins in me speech
I'm not one of the razin katsapov.
I am a Cossack grandfather, another Sich,
And by birth - Georgian.
Vladikavkaz-Tiflis (excerpt)
I know: stupidity - edens and paradise!
But if it was sung about it,
It must be Georgia, a joyful land,
Poets meant.
Boris Pasternak
Waves (excerpt)
Already the castle's shadow grew from a cry
Those who have found the word, and in the mountains,
Like a mother frightened stutterer,
Mooed and melted Devdorakh.
We were in Georgia. Let's multiply
Need for tenderness, hell for heaven,
Let's take the hothouse of ice at the foot,
And we will get this edge.
And we will understand how thin doses
With earth and sky come into the mix
Success and work, and duty, and air
For a man to come out like here.
So that, having formed among the fodder,
And defeats, and captivity,
He became a model, taking shape,
Something solid like salt.
Nikolai Tikhonov
I know Georgia
And in my heart I strictly cherish -
Loud avalanches rejoice,
And tours jump in the snow.
The diamond channels rumble
And all over the green world
Steps of ice hang like strings
Poems frozen in the air.
Overnight in the towers, a modest dinner
On this royal land
I slept under a half-dark vault
And I have not seen more cheerful dreams.
A wonderful photo of the courtyard with Svan towers was taken from the site http://www.risk.ru/users/veronika/4755/ and made by Veronika Sorokina.
Yakov Polonsky
Walk around Tiflis (letter to Lev Sergeevich Pushkin - excerpt)
.... A wonderful view opened up. - From here, from the baths,
I can see the castle behind Kura,
And it seems to me that the stone cornice
Steep coast, with overhanging houses,
With balconies, bars, pillars, -
Like a decoration for a magical benefit,
Luxuriously illuminated by sparklers.
From here I see - beyond the blue mountains
The dawn, like an altar, burns - and Tiflis
Greeting with farewell rays -
Oh, how glorious this hour is passing by!
Magnificent for unusual eyes
Painting! Remember the whole mass of these buildings,
All this mixture of ruins without legends -
Houses built, perhaps, from ruins -
Gardens entangled in vine branches,
And these domes, of which there is only one kind
Reminds you of the suburbs of Tsaregrad.
And agree what to draw
Tiflis is not my pen ....
Sergey Yesenin
In the Caucasus
Since ancient times our Russian Parnassus
Drawn to unfamiliar countries,
And most of all, only you, the Caucasus,
It rang with a mysterious mist.
Here Pushkin is in sensual fire
He wrote with his disgraced soul:
"Do not sing beauty with me
You are the sad songs of Georgia.
And Lermontov, curing melancholy,
He told us about Azamat,
How is he for Kazbich's horse
He gave his sister instead of gold.
For sadness and bile in your face
The boiling of yellow rivers is worthy,
He, like a poet and an officer,
Was calmed down by a friend's bullet.
And Griboyedov is buried here,
As our tribute to the Persian gloom,
At the foot of a big mountain
He sleeps to the cry of zurna and tari.
And now I'm your smooth
Came without knowing the reason:
Is it to mourn native ashes here
Or spy on your hour of death!
Yakov Helemsky
***
"Borjomi" is better to drink in Borjomi
And "Akhasheni" - in Akhasheni.
Captivates us in an open house
The source of deliciousness.
This is an unrepeatable miracle
Everything is familiar and unfamiliar .... So in the homeland of the poet
You listen to the verses - in a different way.
Magical current, born in the vines,
In the soul, in the silence of the underground vaults,
Does not tolerate complex transportation,
Does not tolerate false translations.
Vsevolod Rozhdestvensky
Batumi (excerpt)
So sometimes, light sadness wounded,
Looking at the surf lane
Here, in Batumi, an old northerner,
I carry the sun in my chest.
It's like I was born here
Or lived for years
And meets me like a brother
Lighthouse green star.
Andrei Voznesensky
Tbilisi Bazaars
Down with Rafael!
Long live Rubens!
trout fountains,
Colorful rudeness!
Holidays here on weekdays
Arbs and watermelons.
Traders are like tambourines,
In bracelets and beads.
Indigo turkeys.
Wine and persimmon.
Are you out of money today?
Drink for free!
Long live the women
lettuce vendors,
To match the baobabs
In four girths!
Bazaars are fires.
It's fiery here, young
Burning tan
Not hands, but gold.
They have reflections of oils
And golden wines.
Long live the master
What will write them out!
Alexander Kushner
***
I am in Georgia. I don't know anyone.
Alien speech. The habits of others.
As if my life was bent from the edge,
As if I'm sleeping - and I see blue
Hills. Forty walks around the yard.
If only I knew why, forgetting nesting,
Go crazy and drive so far
As the singer used to say Sophia.
Oh, you see, I like the balcony
Such a balcony, long, wooden.
Forgive me for being so evasive
Like this ledge of a guttural street.
Cheer up. because what happened to us
No more fun than what will happen to us.
Oh, you see, I like railings
And everyone wants buildings and people.
Of course, buildings and people!
But I will die - for the balcony
I'll grab - and jump out of the horror,
And wipe the dust, and crumple the handkerchief.
Love held me - collapsed.
Everyone is pulled down, so don't give up at least
Ah, Georgia, you are mercy in this life,
An annex to it, a refuge and a whim!
Alexander Griboyedov
***
Where Alazan winds,
It blows bliss and coolness,
Where in the gardens they collect tribute
purple grapes,
Daylight shines brightly,
Look early, love a friend...
Are you familiar with that country
Where the earth does not know the plow,
Forever young glitters
Magnificently bright colors
And gives the gardener
Golden fruit?
Wanderer, do you know love
Not a friend to the dreams of the dead,
Terrible under the sultry sky?
How does her blood burn?
They live and breathe it
Suffer and fall in battle
With her in the soul and on the lips.
So simums from the south blaze,
They are breaking up the steppe….
What fate, separation, death! ..
Sergei Gorodetsky
Evening
Mountains cast shadows
To my purple city.
invisible steps
Silent hours pass.
And the ringing of important cathedrals
Streams up,
Like the rustle of wet lilies,
Falling asleep.
And the smoke quietly melts
warm dwellings,
And the pilgrim month
It comes out naked and prostrate.
Birds call chicks
And mothers and children.
Here the eyelashes of the stars will flash
Streams of rays.
Here shudder near the night
cozy wing,
So that everyone who is lonely
Relieved from the heart.
Bella Akhmadulina
Dreams about Georgia
Dreams about Georgia - that's joy!
And in the morning so clean
grape sweetness,
Fallen lips.
I don't regret anything
I do not want anything -
In golden Svetitskhoveli
I put on a poor candle.
Small stones in Mtskheta
I give praise and honor.
Lord let it be
Forever the way it is now.
Let me always be in the news
And conjure over me
Sweet homeland severity,
The tenderness of a foreign homeland.
Osip Mandelstam
***
I dream of hunchbacked Tiflis,
Sazandarey groan rings,
People are crowding on the bridge
The whole carpet capital,
And downstairs Kura makes noise.
Above Kura there are dukhans,
Where is the wine and cute pilaf,
And the dukhanchik is ruddy there
Serve glasses to guests
And ready to serve the guests.
Kakhetian thick
It's good to drink in the basement -
There in the cool, there in peace
Drink plenty, drink two,
One does not need to drink!
In the smallest spirit
You will find a cheater.
If you ask Teliani,
Tiflis will float in the fog,
You will float in a bottle.
A person gets old
And the young lamb, -
And under the fried moon
With pink wine vapor
Barbecue smoke will fly.
Evgeny Yevtushenko
My Tbilisi (excerpt)
The old plane tree, barely shaking its leaves,
You are wise, as if you were karachokheli.
Galaktion beckoning with a sign,
In Tbilisi, Pushkin wanders with Pasternak.
Oh my city, smoking with khinkali,
A little crazy and homey
Give me such happiness after death
Become forever your shadow, part of ...
Tbilisi has a special charm.
The stars are staring at this city.
For some reason always close to Tbilisi
To Rome, to Athens and San Francisco.
In Tbilisi with the feeling of an old Tbilisi
I know all the pavement stones by sight.
Who left, he knows immutably
It is impossible to leave Tbilisi.
Tbilisi does not leave you,
When he accompanies you on the road.
And you will begin to forget - somewhere in the atrium
The mountain lens of Kashuety pierces.
Like the fact that the Milky Way is immortally milky
I believe that the city is eternal.
Alexander Tsybulevsky
Of course, there is no corner spirit,
Like the very corner - everything around is new,
The grinder is dead. And yet the shadow of the Maidan
I imprinted deafly into someone else's asphalt ...
Nothing from the old spirit.
How simple everything is. Here is a nimble old woman -
She hastily needs to cross the road:
Buy a bottle of lemonade in the heat.
Rinse in a glass drum
The remnants of the sky are pale blue.
The basis of life is close to the sulfur bath,
The phenomena are artless and clear.
Without a choice, sort through any,
Like a poor plastic rosary.
Bulat Okudzhava
Georgian song
I will bury the grape seed in the warm earth,
And kiss the vine, and pick the sweet bunches,
And I will call my friends, I will set my heart on love ...
Gather, my guests, for my treat,
Speak to my face, who do I call you?
The King of Heaven will forgive all my torments and doubts...
Otherwise, why do I live on this eternal earth?
In her dark red, my Dali will sing for me,
In my black and white I will bow my head before her,
And I will listen, and die from love and sadness ...
Otherwise, why do I live on this eternal earth?
And when the fog swirls, flying in the corners,
Let more and more float before me in reality
Blue buffalo and white eagle and golden trout
Otherwise, why do I live on this eternal earth?
Anton Chekhov
From a letter to S. Barantsevich
... I survived the Georgian Military Highway. This is not a road, but poetry, a wonderful fantastic story written by the Demon and dedicated to Tamara ... Imagine yourself at an altitude of 8000 feet ... Imagine? Now, if you please, mentally approach the edge of the abyss and look down: far, far away you see a narrow bottom, along which a white ribbon winds - this is a gray-haired, grumbling Aragva; on the way to it, your gaze meets clouds, woods, ravines, rocks. Now raise your eyes a little and look ahead of you: mountains, mountains, mountains, and insects on them - these are cows and people ... Look up - there is a terribly deep sky, a fresh mountain breeze is blowing ... To live somewhere in Gudaur or near Darial and not write Fairy tales are bullshit!
Alexey Tolstoy
In the Caucasus
.... Early in the morning from the balcony I saw the brown, reddish, tiled Tiflis, its eastern side. Above the houses in the clear and still air rose a multitude of smokes; on the muddy, fast Kura, floating mills slowly turned with large wheels; behind them from the Kura itself stood the old walls of houses, so high that the river seemed to flow along the bottom of a deep gorge; from the doors here and there hung ladders to the water; farther on, on the Asian side, gray minarets, domes and smokes are visible; still farther the city was surrounded by a ring of stony and brown hills, and behind them mountains, even further - snow ...
Konstantin Paustovsky
Throw to the South (excerpt)
I already knew many places and cities in Russia. Some of these cities have already captured their originality. But I have not yet seen such a confused, motley, light and magnificent city as Tiflis.
And I finish my poetic report again by A.S. Pushkin J
Alexander Pushkin
Journey to Arzrum during the campaign of 1829
I have never met in Russia or Turkey anything more luxurious than the Tiflis baths. I will describe them in detail.
The owner left me in the care of a Tatar bath attendant. I must confess that he was without a nose; this did not prevent him from being a master of his craft. Hassan (as the noseless Tatar was called) began by spreading me out on the warm stone floor; after which he began to break my limbs, stretch my joints, beat me hard with his fist; I did not feel the slightest pain, but an amazing relief. (Asian attendants are sometimes delighted, they jump up on your splash, slide their feet on your thighs and dance squatting down your back, and that’s great. After this, he rubbed me for a long time with a woolen mitt and, splashing warm water heavily, began to wash with a soapy linen bubble. The feeling is inexpressible: hot soap pours over you like air!NB: a woolen mitten and a linen bladder should certainly be adopted in a Russian bath: connoisseurs will be grateful for such an innovation.
After the bubble, Gassan let me go to the bath; and thus ended the ceremony.
The monograph is the first large-scale study of Russian-Georgian literary relations in the post-Soviet period. E. Chkhaidze analyzed the development of the literary process through the prism of changes in the political climate, starting from the pre-imperial period, continuing with the Soviet and post-Soviet ones.
The author introduces the concept of "imperial literary tradition", which means regular reference not only to fiction, but also to translation and research activities in the context of relations between Russia and Georgia.
With the help of post-imperial / post-Soviet studies, as well as studies of multi- and transculturalism, the works of both well-known and little-known Russian and Georgian writers who turned to the topic of post-Soviet conflicts, to the fate of representatives of the intercultural space were studied, as well as an overview analysis of structural changes in the scientific, translation and cultural and literary environment after the collapse of the USSR.
Me, grandmother, Iliko and Illarion (audio performance)
Nodar Dumbadze Dramaturgy from the archive of the State Television and Radio FundRadio composition performance "I, grandmother, Iliko and Illarion" based on the novel of the same name by the Georgian writer Nodar Dumbadze Zuriko - a boy from an ordinary Georgian village. The action takes place in pre-war Georgia, where Zuriko goes to school, falls in love for the first time, then escorts fellow villagers to the war and meets Victory.
Zuriko finishes school and goes to study in Tbilisi, but after studying he returns to his village, to his first love and friends. Leningrad State Academic Bolshoi Drama Theatre. M. Gorky Radio show. Directed by Ruben Agamirzyan.
Zuriko Vashlomidze - Tatosov Vladimir; Grandmother Zuriko - Volynskaya Lyudmila; Zuriko's neighbors: Iliko - Yursky Sergey; Illarion - Kopelyan Efim; Mary, Zuriko's fiancee - Elena Nemchenko; Romulus, Zuriko's friend - Calm George. In episodes and mass scenes - theater artists.
Music - Lagidze R. Recorded in 1965 © IDDC.
Alexander Mikhailovich Kazbegi foreign classics Missing No dataThe literary talent and civil courage of Alexander Kazbegi were especially clearly manifested in his creative activity in the 80s of the XIX century. In his novels and stories, the inner world of the characters, their feelings and experiences are conveyed with great artistic power.
The best pages of his novels "The Parricide", "Tsitsiya" are devoted to the life of the Chechens, and the story "Eliso" is entirely about the Chechens, to whom the Georgian writer treated with the greatest sympathy, he knew well their way of life, customs and mores. The electronic version of the work is published according to the 1955 edition.
Bashi-Achuk
Akaki Tsereteli historical literature AbsentWe bring to your attention the audiobook "Bashi-Achuk" - the historical story of Akaki Tsereteli (1840-1915), an outstanding Georgian poet, writer, thinker, public figure and educator, as well as the author of words to the famous Georgian song "Suliko".
At the beginning of the 17th century, the Persians attacked the eastern region of Georgia and occupied the kingdom of Kakheti. The Georgians rebelled against the invaders. The Georgian folk hero Glakha Bakradze, nicknamed Bashi-Achuk by his enemies, which means "horseman with bare head" in Iranian, bravely fights for the liberation of Kakheti from the rule of the Persian Shah.
Holy Mist (The Last Days of the Gulag)
Levan Berdzenishvili Biographies and Memoirs Criticism and essayEveryone in Georgia knows Levan Berdzenishvili. He is one of the founders of the Republican Party, the president of the non-governmental organization "Republican Institute", an authoritative classical philologist, a former dissident and a prisoner of the notorious Mordovian Dubravlag JK 385/3-5, and now he is the author of this book, instantly sold out in his homeland, which brought him the glory of the "Georgian Dovlatov".
When asked by a journalist why he wrote his memoirs about the years spent in prison, Berdzenishvili replied: “I am not a writer - I, as is typical for almost all Georgians, am a storyteller ... my arrest for anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda... This book is not about me, but about the people I met and fell in love with in the zone.
Some of them may not recognize themselves because this is more true about them than they know or think about themselves. “Holy Mist” is not only about the trauma of such an experience, but also about the joy of communication between very different people who had a similar fate.
The Queen's Romance (compilation of short stories)
Team of authors stories Selected foreign short storiesWe bring to your attention an audio collection of selected short stories by writers from Georgia, Ukraine, Poland, Finland, Austria, England, Sweden. Novels are read by the best performers of the ARDIS studio Vladimir Samoilov, Anzhelika Rein, Nadezhda Vinokurova, Tatyana Telegina, Viktor Rudnichenko, Vladimir Levashev.
Ekaterina Gabashvili OWNERS OF ESTATES (I. Darcho and his horse; II. Section) Trans. from Georgian Read by Nadezhda Vinokurova Adam Shimansky SRUL FROM LYUBARTOV Per. from Polish by E. and I. Leontiev Reads by Vladimir Samoilov Kijosti Vilkuna IN Severe Lapland Per.
from Finnish R. Markovich Read Vyacheslav Gerasimov Juho Reionen EXPLANATION IN LOVE Per. from Finnish R. Markovich Read Vyacheslav Gerasimov Ivan Yakovlevich Franko HISTORY OF TULUP Per. from Ukrainian by Lesia Ukrainka Read by Victor Rudnichenko Emil Peshkau NOVEL QUEEN Per.
The owner himself once again calls and scolds, threatening to count Nikita, a dapper guy of about twenty-five, a lazy and walking worker. Anisya stands up for him with fury, and Anyutka, their ten-year-old daughter, runs into the room with a story about the arrival of Matryona and Akim, Nikita's parents.
Having heard about Nikita's forthcoming marriage, Anisya attacked Peter even more viciously, thinking of upsetting the wedding by any means. Akulina knows her stepmother's secret intentions. Nikita reveals to Anisya his father's desire to forcibly marry him to the orphan girl Marinka.
Anisya says that as soon as Peter dies, she will take Nikita into the house as the owner ... The State Academic Maly Theater. Recorded in 1958. Peter, a rich man - Boris Gorbatov; Aksinya, his wife - Olga Chuvaeva; Akulina, daughter of Peter from his first marriage - Dalmatova Electra; Anyutka, second daughter - Claudia Blokhin; Nikita, their relative - Doronin Vitaly; Akim, Nikita's father - Igor Ilyinsky; Matryona, his wife - Elena Shatrova; Marina, an orphan girl - Julia Burygina; Mitrich, old worker, retired soldier - Mikhail Zharov; Kuma Anisya - Orlova Valentina; Neighbor - Anna Yartseva; Matchmaker - Sergey Chernyshev; Marina's husband is Georgian Alexander; 1st girl - Novak Valentina; 2nd girl - Schepkina Alexandra; Sergeant - Vanyukov Timofey; Matchmaker - Karnovich Natalia; Headman - Sergey Kalabin.
Theater artists and students of the M. S. Shchepkin Theater School are busy in the crowd scenes.
About the moth's honeymoon and daily bread.
Push.
This is a wonderful article by Shota Iatashvili, published in the Journal Hall in 2003.
I will gladly take the opportunity to introduce everyone who is interested in Georgian literature. At least fragmentarily. And thanks to Shota for the titanic work.
The article mentions truly great authors of Georgian prose, whose name is well known even among Russian-speaking readers. But the more interesting will be the names of purely Georgian writers.
Fragments of the mosaic of new Georgian prose
A new stage of formalistic experimentation and ideological renewal began in Georgian prose in the 1990s, so we will focus on this period of time. As a rule, new trends are found in the works of the younger generation, which is quite natural. Based on this, the main subject of our attention will be young authors. Another thing is that these experiments are often interesting as original ideas, but their artistic implementation is not of a very high level, judging by modern standards. At the same time, the old masters continue to write at a high level, but are not updated either ideologically or in form. This, however, does not apply to everyone, and therefore, from the "production" of the older generation, we single out texts that fit into the context of the era.
Of course, in modern Georgian literature there are interesting authors who keep afloat, and it would be appropriate to start a conversation with them. Diagnosis of new methods and literary technologies, with which they attract the attention of the reader, will provide an opportunity to talk about authors who are not so popular, whose experiments and ideas are no less (if not more) important for the new Georgian literature.
1.
Of the younger generation, the most popular prose writer to this day is Aka Morchiladze(b. 1966). He has already published at least a dozen novels and collections of short stories, and they are, by today's modest Georgian standards, bestsellers. Aka Morchiladze writes works of two types.
The first is the stylization of Georgian life and language in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In these texts, he successfully creates his own mythology of the city of Tbilisi, using, among other things, purely postmodernist methods. For example, in the most famous (and probably the best) novel of this type, “Flight to Madatov and back” (1998), he introduces Gendarmerie Colonel Mushni Zarandia, one of the main characters from the novel, into the detective line Chabua Amirejibi"Data Tutashkhia", and in another hero - the artist Khafo - it is easy to recognize Sergei Parajanov.
Aka Morchiladze very often he creates his works in the detective genre. It is no coincidence that critics compare it with Boris Akunin. But to attribute success only to the popularity of the genre would, of course, be wrong and unfair. And it is not yet known which of the works brought Morchiladze great popularity. The fact is that in parallel with experiments in the genre of historical detective story, he also writes novels about the present. They are talking about something completely different: about a new type of relationship in society, about elitism, snobbery, about teenagers. The manner of speaking, slang and jargon are also stylized to some extent, and often we are not dealing with a fixation of modern Georgian colloquial speech, but with its artistically sharpened refinement. In the last novel - "Down with the Corn Republic" (2003; this title is borrowed from the novel Konstantin Lordkipanidze 30s of the twentieth century) - Aka Morchiladze tried to show some profitism in this area: as you know, over the past two hundred years, many Russian words in a distorted form have entered Georgian speech. Slang speech is especially diluted with Russian borrowings. But recently, a new process has begun, such as: English is being introduced into colloquial speech. The beginnings of the new jargon were well captured by Morchiladze. The action of his novel takes place in London. The text is allegedly translated from English into Georgian, and due to poor translation, the speech of Georgian emigrants is overloaded with Anglicisms. I doubt very much that this is how Georgian emigrants communicate with each other today, rather, based on political and sociocultural trends, the writer tried to look into the future of Georgian colloquial speech.
Zuraba Karumidze(b. 1957) is often mentioned in conjunction with Morchiladze when it comes to stylizations. In principle, he began to do this earlier than Morchiladze, but due to the specifics of his stylizations, he did not become a popular author. Joycean-type modernism is a hallmark of his work, and one could even say that his latest novel, The Wine-Dark Sea (2000), is an attempt to write the Georgian Ulysses. A person who moves in the artistic and elite circles of Tbilisi, reading this text, recognizes many people. If you look deeper, the writer's desire to create a culturological picture of the city of the end of the century (and our own, native Tbilisi, and the City in general) becomes obvious. Writing method Karumidze here is adequate to the method of creating a piece of music, so the storyline is often lost, it is secondary. Sound writing, rhythm, etc. come to the fore. — Karumidze knows how to revive archaisms, his language is expressive. At the same time, this text is very (perhaps even too) intellectual, overloaded with quotations and reminiscences.
"Stylist" of a newer generation, David Kartvelishvili(b. 1976), in many ways can be compared with Aka Morchiladze, but there are also many significant differences between them. If we talk about the technique of writing, then the hallmark of Kartvelishvili is minimalism, the capacity of the phrase, montage. Like Morchiladze, he creates stylizations of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but also describes modern life and customs. But no matter what times he writes about, his texts always illuminate some amazingly pure, real sentimentalism and sincerity. Lately, he seems to have gone to "radical measures" - he began to write stories marked by Christian (more precisely, Orthodox) ethics, which falls out of the prevailing literary context. His collection of stories “Diaries for Miranda” (2003) is a vivid and highly artistic confirmation of this.
Novel Diana Vachnadze(b. 1966) “Nata, or New Julia” (2003) can be considered the first example of non-linear prose in Georgian literature. Already from the title it is clear that this epistolary novel is an attempt to recreate the problems and themes of Rousseau's novel. It begins with Nata's letter to her boyfriend Leo. She writes it on the plane half an hour before landing in New York. At this moment, Nata realizes that the distance between her and Leo is growing rapidly and sexual intimacy with him is impossible. She begins a spiritual crisis, which her friend analyzes in cold blood. But soon he falls into a severe depression. Correspondence gradually acquires diaries, records of dreams, essays (for example, Baudrillard's essay “Death in Venice” is included in the novel), etc. The text becomes multidimensional. The language of the novel is also heterogeneous: a stylization of Rousseau's manner, an exaggeratedly pretentious style and poetic prose, a parody of culturological texts overloaded with terminology, and, in addition, slang, which in different linguistic layers changes, mimics, “getting used to” another stylistic situation. In addition, the corpus of the novel included six reviews of it. The fact is that the novel, starting from 1999, was published as it was written in the newspaper "Alternative". Critics responded to the unfinished novel with reviews - they were published in the same newspaper. These reviews influenced the development of the work. It got to the point that one of the reviewers became a character in the novel, and the main characters - Nata and Leo - began to use the arguments of critics in their reasoning. In its final form, the novel can be read in different ways: first the main body, and then the reviews, or all in a row, along with reviews, to follow how the relationship between the main author and critics developed, how they created this text by common efforts.
In the 19th century, the division of art into genres took on an intensive character. This process became large-scale in the 20th century, and by the end of the century genre differentiation was actually completed. The genre spectrum has also been enriched by cinematography, which introduced such genres as “action movie”, “horror”, “thriller”, etc. into literature. Genre art in our time is by and large a craft, but at the same time genre polyphony has become very impressive. Probably, this is precisely what led some artists to the idea that by manipulating genres, these petrified structures can be revived, a new organism can be created from them. From the very beginning, the approach of the "manipulators" was ironic. More precisely, the approach to the reader, a fan of a particular genre, was ironic: for example, the work began as a detective story, but little by little the detective story disappeared, and the surprised reader found that he was reading pure erotica. Erotica was replaced by science fiction, then the detective returned, and so on. until the end of the piece. Compositionally, this is how one of the best examples of genre eclecticism, the novel by the American writer Charles Bukowski “Waste Paper” (1994), is built. This technique is also used in the novel by the Georgian writer Marsiani (b. 1953) “Moth's Honeymoon”, published in 2003, but written 20 years ago - in 1982-1983.
In the world literature of those years, it will probably be difficult to find a text that embodies the formal method so conceptually and purposefully as Marciani's novel. This is even more true for Georgian literature. Someone will remember “Water (po) loo” Guram Dochanashvili, where there are signs of “genre compote”. But we can say with confidence that this idea was fully implemented in Georgia Marsiani.
In realistic passages, this novel is electrified by the light eroticism of being. In the fantastic fragments this eroticism actually becomes "obscene", but in the fantastic areola its "obscenity" is neutralized. Marsiani works on the verge of kitsch when he uses the practice of surrealism. When dealing with “genre compote”, it is already inappropriate to ignore kitsch as a common denominator of genres – this is the position of the author. Generally a novel Marsiani— a piggy bank of archetypes with an original modernization of mythology and folklore themes.
Marsiani- from Kutaisi, I note this because this city does not cease to "supply" the renovators of Georgian literature and the innovative spirit in it has not faded. After such prose writers as Rezo Cheishvili And Rezo Gabriadze, the best representatives of the next generations, for various reasons, are less visible in the literary arena. But they continue to create texts that, I am sure, over time will significantly influence the literary process. Among these authors, Tsira Kurashvili (b. 1962) should be mentioned. In her texts, it is especially worth noting the story “Don't look back!” (2001) - shows the unbearable socio-political situation in the Georgian province of recent years. This is done with a rare inner openness and expression. The main feature of her manner of writing is the use of a stylized Imeretian dialect to achieve a greater intensity of the narrative. Such a move is rarely seen in Georgian literature, where the dialect is usually used as a humorous paint ( N.Dumbadze, R.Cheishvili and etc.). Such precedents can be found in the Georgian prose of the early twentieth century, when the Megrelian dialect served K. Gamsakhurdia and D. Shengelaya for the emotional load of the text. Of particular note in this respect is the novel Demny Shengelaya"Sanavardo".
If the conversation turned to the use of a dialect, you should definitely remember Beso Khvedelidze(b. 1972). He goes further in his experiments: his characters - native Tbilisi, busy with civil affairs and reflecting on topical and eternal topics - for some reason speak some strange dialect, similar to Kakhetian. Such incompatibility allows the author to show the inside of the soul of the characters, their internal problems. At all Beso Khvedelidze- a very prolific author, he is not focused on any one theme and style. This author's fantasy is stormy, so the characters in his stories look more like phantoms and do not fall under known psychological schemes.
There have always been taboo and sacred topics in Georgian literature, and today, when young authors turn to them, this often causes a public scandal. A year ago, the biggest scandal of recent years broke out. At the center of it was the story Lashi Bugadze(b. 1977) “First Russian” (2002). It tells about the first wedding night of Queen Tamara (she is now canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church) with Prince Yuri Bogolyubsky, who, as is known from Georgian historical chronicles, was a bestialist. But one thing is dry information, lost in the annals, and the other is its artistic description. Many Georgians took this story as an insult. Probably, if it is translated into Russian, and among Russian readers there will be those whose national pride will be hurt and who will try to explain the author's intentions by political considerations. But I do not think that when the author wrote this text, he was thinking about outrageousness, about scandal. At Bugadze stories are best obtained just where biblical stories, historical events, etc. are reworked. (Let's say his story "The Box" is about Noah's ark, the story "The Tree" is about Jesus' donkey). He constantly works in this alignment, and the story "The First Russian" was no exception in this sense. On the other hand, the author still realized that “satanic forces” pushed him to such an act, and expressed his attitude to the plot of the work in its form: the story should be read from the end to the beginning, starting from the 5th chapter and ending with 1- th, i.e. The reader must scroll through the text in reverse order. And, as the author says at the beginning (i.e., at the end) of the story, it is written this way because “everything opposite is from the devil” (Georgian proverb, which can be translated into Russian as “everything unrighteous comes from the evil one”).
In modern Georgian literature, there is a writer who is consciously oriented towards literary radicalism - this Zaza Burchuladze(b. 1973), who at the first stage of his work was published under the “Kafkaesque” pseudonym Gregor Samza. He strives just to talk about those things that in our literature it was not customary to talk about before. At the heart of The Simpsons is the problem of homosexuality. But the characters of the famous animated series "The Simpsons" are concerned about this problem. The multiplicity and phantom character of the characters make the intonation ironic and the action grotesque. At the same time, the text is riddled with, perhaps somewhat deliberate, but still some kind of acute pain.
In the novel “Letter to Mother” (2002), the main character writes to his mother from Tbilisi in Baku and frankly talks about his intimate problems since childhood. Nowhere is this directly stated, but it is felt that the mother is to blame for these problems. The premonition turns out to be true, however, what happens at the end of the novel is completely unexpected - the hero brings insults to his mother, scolds and curses her, and at the end of the last letter he puts a large black dot, which is a poop dot.
Modern Georgian literature is quite strongly focused on destruction, perhaps this is just a reflection of modern reality, a reaction to it. But often this is done for the sake of attracting the attention of readers and is not due to the internal needs of the text. In this context, the role of authors carrying positive energy and spirituality, whose texts explore eternal themes, increases. In this regard, we should once again mention the Orthodox literary modern David Kartvelishvili. I want to complete the inspection of the “new” ones by the servant of Lord Krishna Aleko Shugladze(b. 1965).
Recently, texts “made” using Buddhist, Zen Buddhist, Sufi, etc. have appeared in Georgian literature. practitioner But one gets the feeling that the appeal to these spiritual practices is for the sake of exoticism and fashion, the texts themselves are very superficial. What you can't blame Shugladze. He “adjusts” the Eastern style of thinking to the Western style of writing. The story "Answers to a limited edition" (1997) is one of the best prose stories of the 1990s. A character who considers himself Manuel suddenly discovers that everyone around him calls him Daniel, and falls into an affect. The hero begins to claim that he is Manuel. Accordingly, his family members, friends and the whole world furiously prove to him that he is Daniel, and the whole story is built as a development of this conflict. Both sides show great talent for speculative thinking. Both sides manage to counter the strong arguments of the opponent with logically and psychologically convincing counterarguments. Agree - a very original literary device for showing a split personality, thanks to which the story avoids sketchiness. On the contrary, it acquires an existential, metaphysical character, which is often lacking even in our good literature.
2. Let's move on to the older generation.
Patriarch of Georgian literature, author of more than 20 novels, wonderful storyteller and unique stylist Otar Chkheidze(b. 1920) throughout his work, he carries out a project that would seem beyond the capacity of a modern writer: he strives to become an artistic chronicler of Georgia in the 20th century. He moved purposefully, and gradually the interval between the year of writing a new work and the events reflected in it was reduced. Correspondingly, documentary quality increased, and fiction became more and more subordinate to this documentary quality, becoming its literary coloration. In the 90s Otar Chkheidze"caught up" with the chronology and his novels went side by side with time. I had to write about modern Georgia in very difficult years: the civil war, the overthrow of Gamsakhurdia, lawlessness, the return of Shevardnadze ... Otar Chkheidze followed these events, described them, starting with the novel “Artistic Revolution”. The characters of the novel were members of parliament, ministers, public figures... But the writer did not confine himself to a documentary description of events. Using the grotesque, journalistic pathos, he directly expressed his political position and his attitude towards all the characters written from nature. And it is not surprising that after the release of each of his novels, a scandal erupted. The prototypes of many characters felt offended and expressed their outrage. Of course, when a writer stands on some political platform, this can make his writings more or less tendentious. How accurate and ethical was Otar Chkheidze in their assessments - this will still have to be argued, but from a literary point of view, Chkheidze's latest novels are undoubtedly phenomenal: such a synthesis of documentary (one might even say hyper-documentary) and fiction, in my opinion, was not before in Georgian literature.
Chkheidze completed his project, becoming an artistic chronicler of the twentieth century, and took up the twenty-first century. His latest novel “2001”, as the title suggests, describes the events of 2001. In it, one of the active characters is Mikheil Saakashvili, the creator of the Rose Revolution and the current president of Georgia. I wonder if “2003” will be written and how well-known events will be described in this work? In any case, it will turn out to be very interesting and useful for Georgian literature. And I am sure that readers are looking forward to such a work.
Another classic of Georgian literature, Otar Chiladze (b. 1933), with his novels went approximately the same way as Otar Chkheidze. In the sense that he, too, was gradually approaching the artistic understanding of modernity. Chiladze started from afar: his first novel, A Man Walked Along the Road, described mythological Georgia. Then the writer made a leap into the 19th century, the beginning of the 20th century, etc., until in his fifth novel “Avelum” (1993) he reached the present. "Avelum" caused controversy, which did not cause any of his previous novels. Some considered the new novel the pinnacle of his work, others a failure. The reason was just that he first turned to the present and the readers were presented with a not quite “ordinary Chiladze”.
The novel describes the events of 1991-1992, but the main body depicts the Soviet period, the so-called Soviet intellectual, the Soviet writer, who in reality is neither a Soviet intellectual nor a Soviet writer, but not an obvious anti-Soviet element either. It seems to me that writing this text for Chiladze was an existential act. For the writer, who found himself in a new era, in a new society and in a new mental space, it became a matter of life and death to probe the past life and evaluate it in the system of such absolute categories as freedom, love, courage. Otar Chiladze managed to do this: he created a generalized image of the Soviet intellectual - his contemporary. The through model of the novel is remarkable: the “empire of love” built by Avelum as a counterbalance to the Soviet empire. The most radical manifestation of freedom for him is the creation of an "empire of love" and the presentation of himself as its emperor.
The aesthetics of the novel changes dramatically when the author begins to describe the years of the national movement and the civil war. Here, as an artistic device, Chiladze uses the loud language of the press, typical slogans. I think that such an “avant-garde” turned out to be inorganic for Chiladze. The montage of newspaper clippings does not reflect the full range of emotional and psychological moods of that time. The multidimensional “Soviet characters”, passing into the post-Soviet period as types of newspaper clichés, collages, become flat and straightforward.
After "Avelum" in 2003, a novel was released Chiladze"Godori". It also depicts a portrait of the “Soviet writer”. But the main character of "Godori" Elizbar can no longer build his "empire of love" and live in illusions. His family includes a descendant of Kasheli - a kind of monster - whose story is surprisingly compactly and expressively told by the author on the very first pages of the novel. This genus symbolizes the entire Soviet system in its most evil manifestations. And the weakness and agony of the Elizbara family is what Avelum accidentally escaped from, but many of his colleagues did not escape. Conceptually, “Avelum” and “Godori” can be considered a dilogy, which shows two paths of a “Soviet writer” and a “Soviet intellectual”.
After "Data Tutashkhia" two decades had to wait for a new novel Chabua Amirejibi(b. 1921). He appeared in 1995. “Mount Mborgali” is a hymn sung to freedom, human endurance, love of life. The novel describes another escape from a Siberian prison by Gora Mborgali, a man of about 60, sentenced to life imprisonment. In a terrible cold, in a blizzard, in ice and snow, through the tundra and taiga, Gora travels 2,500 km in 5 months and recalls his life: prison years, youth, childhood ... In addition, stories of old acquaintances, stories pop up in his memory about ancestors... All these episodes and pictures, strung on a 2500-kilometer plot axis, depict almost two centuries of Georgia's history, its way of life and customs. The huge heterogeneous material integrated in the mind of Gor Mborgali makes this fugitive a symbolic character whose fate is similar to that of his country.
There is also a second main character in the novel - the head of the search service Mytilenich, who is chasing Mborgali. The struggle between them in this context also takes on a symbolic character. The portrait of Mytilenich, his style of thinking and methods of searching are described so impressively that the counterpoint of Gora Mborgali-Mytilenich makes the story captivating.
The third novel has just been released. Chabua Amirejibi “ Georgy Brilliant”. I have not had time to read it yet, so I will immediately move on to another of our classics - Guram Dochanashvili.
Guram Dochanashvili(b. 1939) is an author who knows how to do everything with the Georgian language. And he's been doing it for decades. Influence Dochanashvili on the literary process enormously. He opened up new horizons, made the language surprisingly malleable and free. According to his texts, many have learned and are learning how to enchant the word. But Dochanashvili is not satisfied with what has been achieved and goes further. In 2003, he released a huge novel “Church Block”, where his linguistic witchcraft goes beyond all boundaries: suffixes and prefixes are not in their places, the phonetics of the word changes, composite words go in bulk, phrases are stretched out, then suddenly interrupted, a different syntax appears etc. Such a grandiose novel in terms of volume has not been written in Georgia for a long time, so, apart from language experiments, to evaluate all its semantic layers is not an easy task and requires great effort. Therefore, for the time being, I will limit myself to only this general description and, for the sake of intrigue, I will add that a significant part of the novel is the finale, and there are seven finales in it.
Rezo Gabriadze(b. 1936) as a screenwriter and director of the puppet theater is well known throughout the world, including in Russia. Everything can be expected from him, so it was not surprising that his two new small novels “Kutaisi - the city” (2002) and “Chito GK - 49-54, or the Doctor and the patient” (2003) became an event in literary life Georgia. He recreates his native city of Kutaisi, which begins to live according to strange Gabriadze laws and concepts, and even the simplest actions of the characters are unique and remain forever in the minds of readers. For example, the main character of Varlam's first novel "in the old age of his childhood" is engaged in permanent barter: he exchanges candy wrappers for bearings, then lemonade labels for Tarzan's photograph, etc. And the magic of these barters is woven into the magic of the same simple actions of other characters. These novels are read as different parts of the same novel. And they are united by a character who acts in both texts - this is Ermonia, the guardian angel of the city of Kutaisi.
The novel is extremely overloaded with Russian “barbarisms”, but this does not make their style vulgar. On the contrary, transparent, figurative speech Gabriadze together with his trademark humor uses this global “barbarization” to create another phenomenal language in Georgian literature.
Naira Gelashvili(b. 1947), author of numerous short stories and the novel Mother's Room, published the book Autobiographical, Too Autobiographical in 1999. The book combines texts of different types: the first part of the novel “Shards of a Mirror”, literary fairy tales, poems, poems, etc. It can be said that in modern Georgian literature it is a pronounced follower of the existential, psychological prose of the European type. Interestingly, the protagonists of her works were almost always men. And this is no coincidence: she always tried not to proceed from her “I” or even from the female “I”, but to objectify, generalize the problems posed, analyze them in the philosophical and ideological discourse of our time. Therefore, at first glance, this book, as an orientation to the "I", is a radical change in the author's position. But if you look deeper, it turns out that the creative vector Naira Gelashvili remained the same, only this time she used her personal experience to achieve her artistic goals.
Shards of a Mirror is a novel about childhood and adolescence. There are many such novels in world literature, but Naira Gelashvili managed to create a text that does not look like these beautiful examples. The novel consists of small "shards", and each "shard" is a parabola. The “too autobiographical” episodes narrated emotionally and authentically suddenly develop into something else, and childhood becomes material for the artistic illustration of moral and philosophical principles.
Nugzar Shataidze(b. 1944) is a great storyteller, one of those writers who knows how to revive the language of grandparents, convey the flavor of Georgian peasant speech. It can be considered the best successor of that line in Georgian prose, the classic of which is Rezo Inanishvili. In 1999 Shataidze published "The Tale of Bread", and this text, written in his characteristic "elastic" language, has become one of the strangest phenomena in Georgian literature of the last decade. This story tells how to bake different types of bread. It tells in detail, with all the nuances: how to sift flour, what kind of firewood to melt the oven, how to knead the dough, etc.
Formally, all this looks like a textbook, a scientific work, or even an ethnographic study, because many tools and objects, names and actions associated with baking Georgian bread no longer exist or are on the verge of extinction, and many of them in literary Georgian in general never showed up before. I think that over time the encyclopedic significance of this story will become enormous, but at the same time it is an example of how it is possible today to expand the boundaries of an already unimaginably expanded territory of literature. In “The Tale of Bread” there is no plot at all, there is only daily bread and a person who has accumulated a huge body of knowledge about it. This harmony, this dynamics of the relationship between man and daily bread creates literary, creates experimentalism, which, in its essence, is natural.
In my opinion, it will be symbolic if we end our brief review with this story and wish Georgian literature to always be the daily bread for its people.
