Inner Emigration – Paradigms of Literary Discourse

Abstract

In certain historical periods, under specific political and social condi­tions, writers and artists may be compelled to alter their lifestyles, distance themselves from the state, and withdraw from public life. Such resistance frequently represents a response to a dominant ideology they find unaccep­table. This condition, often referred to as inner emigration, typically emer­ges in the presence of authoritarian or totalitarian regimes. When noncon­formist thinkers face such repressive environments, they may experience psychological or emotional distress, prompting a retreat inward in order to preserve personal integrity, authenticity, and intellectual freedom. Parado­xi­cally, it is during such periods of enforced isolation that many creators pro­duced some of their most valuable works.

The paper notes that the term inner emigration has changed meaning depending on the historical context. The concept originated in 1830s France and is associated with the writer Delphine de Girardin (Vicomte de Lonnes). From the 1920s onward, the term began to describe representatives of the progressive intelligentsia in the Soviet Union—particularly writers who oppo­sed the policies of the ruling regime. The paper emphasizes that the frag­mentation of the monolithic Soviet literary space began relatively early in Georgian literature, signaling a cultural shift toward Western literary tra­ditions. While some independent-minded writers and artists were forced into exile under the constraints of Bolshevik cultural policy, many others chose the path of inner emigration rather than compromise with the autho­rities. Such intellectuals rejected the restrictive norms imposed by official ide­ology and instead explored new horizons of thought, producing works intended for future generations and unbound by the political demands of their time. Many of these works remained unpublished during their authors’ lifetimes due to censorship and political repression.

The study discusses Notes, Personal Letters (vol. 4) by the writer and cri­tic Otia Pachkoria, a victim of communist persecution, published in 2015 by the Giorgi Leonidze Museum of Georgian Literature. This volume con­tains original, often laconic reflections on literary and philosophical issues, illuminating creative phenomena in both Georgian and world literature. Pachkoria’s observations are noteworthy for their intellectual independence and absence of ideological bias.

The paper also examines Geronti Kikodze’s Modern Notes, a documen­tary prose work that chronicles key events in Georgia over the course of roughly forty years – from the restoration of Georgian independence to the death of Stalin. The text remained unpublished during the author’s lifetime and first reached readers only in 1985, with a subsequent edition issued in 2003. Kikodze offers a sober and objective analysis of one of the most diffi­cult periods in twentieth-century Georgian history.

In 2015, the Museum of Literature published for the first time the com­plete text of Akaki Beliashvili’s documentary narrative To America via Paris, which records the author’s impressions of his 1960 journey to France and the United States. Beliashvili introduces readers to the landscapes, social environments, cultural achievements, and daily life of the countries he visited, as well as to Georgian émigré communities living abroad.

As the article argues, many works created by talented and professional authors under conditions of internal emigration and enforced distancing from an unacceptable reality best capture the intellectual and moral atmos­phere of a difficult era. At the same time, these texts testify to the civic and creative heroism of their authors.