Literary Researches
type: channel
description: "Literary Researches" is an annual scholarly review published by Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature and includes topics and problems relevant to the modern literary criticism, as well as unpublished results of important research. The mission of the journal is the internationalization of Kartvelian Studies - full integration of Georgian literature into world literary and cultural processes. Articles are published in three languages (Georgian, English, Russian), Articles are peer reviewed.
publisher: Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature
language: en-US
publication name: Literary Researches
issn: 0235-3776
items: Irma Ratiani’s book „The Poetics of Drama with Georgian Accent“
items: Political Pamphlet: A Protest Against the Centenary Celebration
items: Hermeneutic Analysis of Besik Kharanauli's Poem "Due to Lack of Words": Existential Loneliness and the Creative Burden
items: Photography as a Medium of Traumatic Narrative in Nino Kharatishvili’s Novel The Lack of Light
items: Theme of War in the German and Georgian Baroque Literature
items: Georgia in the Azerbaijani Cultural Space
items: One Figurative Masterpiece
items: Cultural Transfer in Georgian-Ukrainian Literary Relations: Hrytsko Khalymonenko – Translator of Georgian Literature
items: Some Ancient Parallels in Giovanni Pascoli’s Myricae
items: Culturological and Poetological Aspects of the Creative Work of Blue Horns
items: The Novel within the Novel
items: The Image of Shota Rustaveli in the Poetry of Galaktion Tabidze
items: Shalva Dadiani's The Yesterday’s People: The Theatrical Version of the Play in the Period of Developed Socialism
items: The Poem „Spring Evening“ by Teranti Graneli and Daoist Paradigm of Space
items: Galaktion and Cinema
items: Woman, Discourse, and Dissent: A Feminist Reading of Babilina Khositashvili's Work
items: Inner Emigration – Paradigms of Literary Discourse
items: Again about Verses by Klde-Kaneli
items: Sergei Meskhi – 180 Guardian and Defender of the Georgian Essence
items: In Memory of Rusudan Cholokashvili
items: New Books
items: The Unknown Edition of Baratashvili’s “Bedi Qartlisa” (“Fate of Kartli”)
items: “An Iron Door of Georgia”
items: Several Detective Episodes from Aleksandre Chavchavadze’s Life
items: The Relationship between Alexander and Grigol Orbelianis and the Creation of the Poem „Sadgegrdzelo“ („Toast“)
items: The Formation of Georgian Feminist Discourse
items: Plotting the Lyric
items: The Suthor, the Text and the Reader, According to Davit Guramishvili’s “Davitiani”
items: The Principle of Provoking Astonishment in the Poetry of Georgian Baroque Authors
items: "The Good Devil" by The Man in a Panther Skin
items: The Secret of “A Befitting the Three”
items: Religious-Cultural Concepts of the Hagiographic Topos of “The Life of Grigol Khandzteli”. Discourse of Russian Translations
items: Women in Christian and Mazdean Canonical Traditions (5th century)

Irma Ratiani’s book „The Poetics of Drama with Georgian Accent“
type: item
description: Who is Irma Ratiani’s The Poetics of Drama with Georgian Accent intended for? Naturally, it is written for philologists and future philologists, since drama is a literary category that demands deep understanding of its origins and historical deve­lopment. At the same time, it is equally relevant for theater professi­onals and students of theatrical arts, who must grasp the genre’s specific features and perceive the imprint of different eras within it. And of course, it is for every culturally minded reader who loves literature – not merely as a story, however stirring or tragic, but as a complex artistic structure. The book opens with the genesis of the genre of tragedy and gradually outlines the process by which tragedy evolved into a literary form. Irma Ratiani not only explains the Aristotelian essence of poetry but also clarifies its function. However, her aim is not to provide a comprehensive analysis of Aristotle’s Poetics. Her primary interest lies in the poetics of drama, which is why she focuses on the rigorously structured framework of tragedy as a form of mi­mesis. Ratiani traces the trajectory of tragedy from antiquity to modernism – a history as compelling as the course of human civi­lization itself. Even a genre as “majestic” as tragedy, she reveals, can lose its “royal” status in cer­tain epochs, only to reemerge in transformed guises in others. In describing this evolution, the author devotes special attention to William Shakespeare, recognizing his contribution as marking a new era in the history of tragic drama. Ratiani does not limit herself to examining the creative principles of dramatists across periods; she also brings in the perspectives of key theorists of the genre. The author approaches literary values from a scholarly stand­point. Her position – possibly controversial but resolutely principled – is clearly articulated in the following statement: “No­thing of value, including literary texts, is created within a set of prede­ter­mined rules…
creator: Tamar Sharabidze
creator: Tamar Tsitsishvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 487
ending page: 500
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10034

Political Pamphlet: A Protest Against the Centenary Celebration
type: item
description: In 1901, a political pamphlet titled “The Incorporation of Georgia into the Russian Empire” was published in Kutaisi in the Russian language – as a sharp protest against the pompous celebration of what was called the “uni­on” of Georgia with Russia – in reality, the centenary of its occupation. For the first time, and with considerable depth, the pamphlet exami­ned both the Treaty of Georgievsk concluded during the reign of King Erekle II, and the Articles of Petition submitted by King George XII, boldly asserting that neither the first nor the second document envisaged the com­plete abolition of Georgian statehood or Georgia’s incorporation into the Russian Empire as a territorial unit or southern province – actions through which Russia would even go so far as to abolish the autocephaly of the Geor­gian Church. By that time, the author – scholar, politician, and chairman of the Lea­gue for the Freedom of Georgia, Mikheil Kheltuplishvili – had already pas­sed away. Later, Ivane Javakhishvili would highly value his work and rein­force its legal assessments with additional arguments, yet the name of Mikheil Kheltuplishvili would gradually fade into obscurity. Now, its Georgian version has been published, translated by Miranda Tkeshelashvili, with an extensive biographical essay and commentary by Dodo Chumburidze – in a sense, bringing Mikheil Kheltuplishvili closer to Solomon Dodashvili, thereby fully illuminating the personal virtues and scholarly-political contributions of the young scholar who passed away at the age of twenty-six.
creator: Rostom Chkheidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 501
ending page: 507
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10035

Hermeneutic Analysis of Besik Kharanauli's Poem "Due to Lack of Words": Existential Loneliness and the Creative Burden
type: item
description: This article presents a hermeneutic analysis of "Due to Lack of Words“, a significant poem by the prominent contemporary Georgian poet, Besik Kharanauli. The study aims to delve into the profound thematic and figura­tive layers of the text, utilizing the hermeneutic methodology to fully grasp the author's intentions and the intrinsic value of the artistic work itself. Given that poetry often employs figurative language, a hermeneutic app­roach, as a theory of interpretation, is crucial for uncovering the poem's hid­den, subtextual meanings and achieving a deep understanding of the author's vision. Our analysis primarily draws upon Hans-Georg Gadamer's concept of the „hermeneutic circle“, a fundamental principle that emphasizes the inter­connectedness of the part and the whole within a text. This method allows for a comprehensive, rather than superficial, examination of the poem's aes­thetics, seeking appropriate explanations for the author's underlying mea­ning. Hermeneutics, as the art of interpretation, highlights the interplay bet­ween the text, the author, the reader, and the broader context, enabling us to comprehend the existential loneliness, creative burden, and the poet's alienation from the world as depicted in the poem. The hermeneutic analysis of „Due to Lack of Words“ reveals it as a deeply layered artistic text, reflecting on existential loneliness, the creative burden, and the tragic fate of the poet. By applying Gadamer's principles of the „hermeneutic circle,“ it becomes clear how individual elements of the poem – such as its title, the refrain „Don't call me, Mother“, the feeling of past burden, and the poet's „illness of foolishness“ – acquire profound signi­ficance within the overall context of the work. The analysis demonstrates that the speaker's rejection of their mother is not impulsive, but rather an expression of a heavy internal state, provoked by the sense of life's futility (echoing Ecclesiastes' vanity) and the inherent tragedy of the a…
creator: Maia Jaliashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 342
ending page: 358
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10026

Photography as a Medium of Traumatic Narrative in Nino Kharatishvili’s Novel The Lack of Light
type: item
description: This article investigates the role of photography as a communicative medium in the preservation and representation of both individual and socio-cultural traumatic memory, using the literary text “The insufficient Light by Nino Kharatishvili as the primary case study. By analysing the characters’ interactions with photography in the novel, the research explores how pho­tographic images can serve not only as visual representations of past events but also as active agents in reawakening, processing, and ultimately working through trauma. The theoretical framework draws upon Roland Barthes’ concepts of studium and punctum to highlight the differing ways in which photographs are experienced. The image may be seen merely as an object of historical ob­ser­vation (studium) for the casual viewer, while for someone with personal ties to the moment depicted, the photograph may act as a “wound” (punc­tum) that reopens buried emotional experiences. This distinction becomes central in the analysis of how the narrator, Keto Kipiani, engages with the pho­tographs taken by her friend Dina. For Keto, these images are emotio­nally charged representations of painful, personal moments that reawaken her suppressed simply as visual documents. Building on Cathy Caruth’s theory of trauma as unclaimed experience, the research demonstrates that the characters in Haratischwili’s text suffer from a delayed or deferred recognition of their trauma. Rather than conf­ronting the emotional weight of past events directly, they initially attempt to suppress or forget. However, trauma continues to haunt them in unack­nowledged ways until a later moment provokes its re-emergence. In the no­vel, such a moment arises when Keto attends Dina’s photo exhibition, which becomes the catalyst for her to recall and reflect upon each traumatic me­mo­ry. Through this encounter, she begins a process of self-understanding and healing. Dominick LaCapra’s theory on working through trauma further in­forms the analysis, …
creator: Manana Eremashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 359
ending page: 377
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10027

Theme of War in the German and Georgian Baroque Literature
type: item
description: The fierce Thirty Years' War in 17th century Germany (1618-1648) and the internal political chaos in 18th century Georgia (political fragmentation), the foreign aggression of the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Iran against Georgia became the subject of poetic creativity, in particular, in the works of the famous German Baroque writer Andreas Gryphius (1616-1664) and the poem "Davitiani" by the representative of Georgian Baroque, Davit Guramishvili (1705-1792). War is considered here as an apocalyptic event that not only destroys the homeland politically and economically but also war is regarded as a universal catastrophe, because it destroys all perspec­tives on human existence, making the course of history lose its meaning. The ly­rical characters of these authors reflect this hopelessness and meaning­lessness with the baroque characteristic of Baroque, the deep sense of vanity, and the high style of Baroque poetry (genus grande), which makes the theme of war more apocalyptic than apocalypse itself. Thus, if Gryphius' sonnet “Thränen des Vaterlandes. Anno 1636” is set within the framework of the thirty-year war, where the apocalyptic visions of an objective universal catastrophe and the expectation of this apocalypse are conveyed, then in Guramishvili's lyrical poem we have reflections on the subjective existential fate, which is caused by a priori objective existences - political destabilization (historical factor) and the perfidy of "life" and "exis­tence'', that is, by the spontaneity and unpredictability of existence (ontolo­gical factor) - "it is not in the hands of the one who holds it, but if you hold it with a fist". And here, the subjectivism of the lyrical hero of Gurami­shvi­li's poem, i.e. his subjective reflections on his existence, suddenly turns into an objective existential situation, namely, using Sartre's terminology, the existence of the lyrical hero of "Davitiani" can be perceived as "being" (Fr. en-soi, Germ. An-sich-ein, Existenz) and "esse…
creator: Konstantine Bregadze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 378
ending page: 392
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10028

Georgia in the Azerbaijani Cultural Space
type: item
description: Georgians and Azerbaijanis have been living side by side in the South Caucasus since ancient times. Despite the fact that Georgia is an ancient Orthodox country, and Azerbaijan is a part of Islamic civilization, ethnic and religious differences have never become the cause of wars caused by mutual hatred. Not only in ancient times, but also in the following centuries, our ancestors considered Azerbaijani-Georgian cultural relations as spiritual kinship. The text of Shota Rustveli's poem confirms this cultural closeness: in the intertextual space of "The Knight in the Panther’s Skin" we not only hear the characters of "Leyli and Majnun" (1188) by Nizami Ganjavi, but also the allusions of the poem's episodes: (1327.4). Nizami's heroes are also mentioned in "Tamariani" by Chakhrukhadze (1170-1212). The heroes of Nizami never evoked the feeling of "stranger" in Georgian readers: Georgia was not a "stranger" country for Azerbaijani poets (Khaqani Shirvani, Falaki Shirvani, Mola Vali Vidadi, Mola Panah Vagif itc.) In the 19th century the Russian Empire conquers the North Caucasus; the kingdoms and khanates of the South Caucasus gradually lose their independence. In the 40s of XIX century Tbilisi (Tiflis) became the political-administrative, socio-economic and cultural center of the Caucasus. Almost all prominent figures of Transcaucasia lived and worked in Tiflis (Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Abasquli Agha Bakikhanov, Ismail Bey Gutgashinli and many others. Famous Azerbaijani writers Nariman Narimanov Abdullah Shaygi Talibzade and others were born here. As a result, different, the so-called "Literary space of Tiflis" was established. The work of Azerbaijani writers in the literary space of Tiflis had a great impact on the development of Azerbaijani writing and contributed to its Europeanization. Literary enlightenment that began at the turn of the 19th-20th cen­turies was of special importance for the Azerbaijani literary process, in the development of which the literary environ…
creator: Irine Modebadze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 393
ending page: 414
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10029

One Figurative Masterpiece
type: item
description: Literary masterpieces stand out for their timelessness and, often, for crafting figurative language so skillfully that their meaning transcends any specific era. To achieve this, the author must be a virtuoso – mastering the magic of words and conveying profound artistic and philosophical depths. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s the Little Prince exemplifies such exquisite figurative language, even though it is commonly described simply as a literary fairy tale. However, the fairy-tale quality lies in the intense and unusual nature of this literary masterpiece. At the same time, it reveals a uniquely rich ar­tis­tic symbolism. Through this, the author leads the reader into an associative labyrinth, teaching them to confront loneliness by befriending the “smiling star” – the Little Prince. Here we must also take into account that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's "The Little Prince" captivates its readers with a completely irresistible charm, because he himself, all his life (before the appearance of The Little Prince), was looking for a companion who would understand the world with an irrational vision. An unusual friend would appear, to whom dreams would not pose a threat, who would always manage to "make connections" with his heart, and most importantly, would definitely distance himself from the false pathos of wit. Based on this set of thoughts, it is quite appropriate to "reread" the biography of "Land of Men". At the same time, we should not forget that just as the little prince returns to his tiny planet thanks to the snake, so too, when leaving the world, he finds us in a completely unusual space of thought. There, where the snake puts our whole life in mystical chains and wraps it in an incomprehensible taboo haze... This esoteric rebus became easily recognizable to Saint-Exupéry, be­cause he contrasted the serpent's seductive essence with a fox - distinguished by his "life-giving wisdom." It is through his insight that the little prince will master the incomparable art…
creator: Zaza Abzianidze
creator: Ketevan Elashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 415
ending page: 422
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10030

Cultural Transfer in Georgian-Ukrainian Literary Relations: Hrytsko Khalymonenko – Translator of Georgian Literature
type: item
description: Translation as an interdisciplinary field is the subject of research in various branches of the humanities. Theoretical reflections on interme­di­aries, through which literary-cultural relations evolve, have always been and remain highly relevant both to translatology and comparative literature criticism. The work of the Ukrainian Georgian scholar and translator, Hryts Khaly­monenko, has unjustly remained underappreciated by researchers. As highlighted in the selected analytical sources for this presentation, his trans­lation work is one of the most significant segments in the development and diversification of Georgian-Ukrainian literary relations in the second half of the 20th century. In 2021, an interview with the elderly scholar and translator Hryts Khalymonenko was published in the 17-18th and 19th issues of the journal „Literary Ukraine“, with the title "The Patriarch's Autumn." This long interview features a subtitle: "I am 100% Ukrainian and 100% Georgian." The article includes many important and unknown facts that have never been analyzed in either Georgian or Ukrainian literary studies concerning their literary relations. Consequently, using the methodology of cultural tran­sfer, the presentation will be based on the information presented in the interview. By generalizing the information, we will analyze the so-called "third force," which, according to this methodology, refers to preparing the foundation for the acceptance of a foreign cultural context in the recipient culture, analyzing literary-cultural processes, supra-literary factors, reve­aling cultural specifics and intercultural differences, translation norms, and more. Research sources also include journalistic materials related to the tran­s­lator in Georgia, as well as Ukrainian-language translations by Khaly­mo­nenko that I have collected, whose theoretical translational research shows the hermeneutic paradigms for understanding foreign texts and cultures. The methodology of cultural transfer …
creator: Ivane Mchedeladze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 423
ending page: 448
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10031

Some Ancient Parallels in Giovanni Pascoli’s Myricae
type: item
description: When studying the reception of classical themes in the literature of any given nation, scholars first seek out passages where ancient historical figures, places, or characters from ancient Greek and Roman mythology are explicitly mentioned. In such cases, the link between the modern and the clas­sical texts – whether direct or indirect – is undeniable. Yet it remains essential to consider what deeper significance the writer’s invocation of classical material conveys. Far more intriguing – and more challenging – is uncovering subtler resemblances that surface in a particular poetic image, a narrative detail, or even a single epithet echoing the motifs of classical literature. True, in these instances the author does not name ancient Greek or Roman characters or locales, but the more striking the parallel to classical forms or tropes, the more justified it becomes. Revealing these parallels allows us to read not on­ly the new work with fresh insight but also to rediscover the ancient source itself from a renewed perspective. In this light, Giovanni Pascoli’s oeuvre is especially revealing, for Pascoli was, by training and profession, a classicist. He not only taught Greek and Latin grammar and Roman literature at the universities of Bologna, Messina, and Pisa at various times, but also was a pro­lific translator of classical texts. His first symbolist poetry collection – which he continued to enrich with new poems throughout his life, just as Petrarch kept augmenting his Book of Songs – holds a singular place in Italian verse. The poet deliberately chose the Latin word “myricae” rather than the Italian “tamerici” (“tamarisks”). Even the title of this collection is inspired by classical literature: Pascoli takes “myricae” from a passage in Virgil’s Bucolics: Sicelides Musae, paulo maiora canamus! Non omnis arbusta iuvant humilesque myricae. The poet prefaced not only Myricae but also two other collections – Canti di Castelvecchio and Poemi Conviviali – with this quotat…
creator: Nikoloz Shamugia
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 449
ending page: 463
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10032

Culturological and Poetological Aspects of the Creative Work of Blue Horns
type: item
description: The Knightly ethos of Blue Horns is based on a system of values that represents the creative-intellectual unity of like-minded individuals. These individuals are united socially through friendship, citizenship, and family tradition, as well as by a common creative idea. In terms of creativity, the aim of Blue Horns is to fully utilize the creative potential of Georgian cul­ture, overcome epigonism, and restore the deep tradition of poetic word-ma­king, strengthening it further by incorporating global traditions. The entire legacy of Blue Horns is the result of conceptually organized and well-thought-out activities. The concept of service, serving as the primary objective and hallmark of the knightly ethos within Blue Horns, can be seen as the fulfillment of a historic role through poetic dedication, akin to the brotherhood of devoted, self-sacrificing knights. At the core of this service lies an unwavering belief in the poetic mission as the guardian and driving force of national culture. The profound dedication to this pursuit, elevated to the level of faith, is articulated in the words of Titsian Tabidze: "Just as the 13 Assyrian fathers planted Orthodox Christianity in Georgia, so too did the Blue Horns for true poetry." The main quality of knightly ethos is bravery, which is confirmed by the ability to strive. In order to renew Georgian poetry, the ecstasy of the fight is well seen in the daily life of Blue Horns as well as in their poetic and essayistic creations. Together with the readiness to fight, it's openly declared the memory of historic and future sacrifice as well as premonition (Titsian Tabidze: "We also should be killed somewhere"). Blue Horns are a type of demilitarized knights with a living knowledge of knightly attributes but, due to epochal reality, lacking the social-cultural context of knights ("and there is not seen the field for knights"). So, along with devotion to knightly norms, we can observe the rupture of its boun­daries and sometimes p…
creator: Manana Kvachantiradze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 206
ending page: 221
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10017

The Novel within the Novel
type: item
description: “Text within the text” is a specific rhetorical and narrative construc­tion in which the differentiation in the coding of various textual layers be­comes a consciously revealed factor – shaping both the author’s compositi­onal strategy and the reader’s interpretive experience. In their article On the Semiotic Mechanism of Culture, Lotman and Uspensky (1971) observed: “The 20th century has produced not only metalanguages of science, but also a metaliterature and meta-metapainting and apparently is creating a meta­cul­ture – an all-encompassing metalingual system of a secondary order.” In literary theory, Lotman's model has developed along two main directions: 1. Texts that openly display traces of their own creative process – what can be called, conditionally, a “novel about a novel”; and 2. The so-called “novel within a novel,” in which real and fictional narrative planes are juxtaposed within a single textual framework. Narrative theorist Ryan (2005) notes that “tellability is at least partly a matter of conceptual and logical complexity of a situation, or of a sequence of events,” and that this depends on “an underlying system of what we can call ‘embedded narratives’ – story-like representations produced in the mind of a character and reproduced in the mind of a reader”. Accordingly, a strong structural and conceptual connection exists between the “main text” and the “embedded narratives,” including their characters, events, and chronotope. Zaira Arsenishvili’s novel “Images under the Moonlight” exemplifies the “novel within a novel” structure. The frame narrative centers on Tiko, a junior research fellow at the Telavi Regional Museum of History and Ethno­graphy. The inner narrative – Tiko’s fictional work – recounts the final days of King Erekle II. This second narrative also follows the tradition of the ποιούμενον novel: it is written by Tiko, who simultaneously appears as various characters within it. Fowler (1982) notes that “the imaginary work being composed…
creator: Maka Elbakidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 222
ending page: 243
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10018

The Image of Shota Rustaveli in the Poetry of Galaktion Tabidze
type: item
description: This paper identifies and examines, with relative completeness, the poetic works of Galaktion Tabidze in which the figure of Shota Rustaveli is represented. As it turns out, Galaktion refers to the great Georgian poet with considerable frequency. For Galaktion, Rustaveli is the highest, most mag­nificent, and unparalleled creator in poetry – “the glory of Georgia,” “the pri­de of the nation,” “sublime,” “the genius of a solar people,” “a titan,” “lau­re­ate with a wreath of laurels,” “immortal,” “the sun among suns,” “divine.” Galaktion consistently elevates Rustaveli and presents his greatness alon­gsi­de that of the world's most distinguished poets – Virgil, Eschenbach, Pet­rarch, Dante, Shakespeare, Shelley, and Byron. For Galaktion, Rustaveli is the point of origin and the foundational figure of Georgian poetry. In por­traying the glory of Georgia, he almost exclusively invokes Rustaveli. The poet describes Rustaveli as the "light of the eye" of the ancient Georgian people, a spiritual beacon, and the creator of "mighty, heroic" poet­ry. For Galaktion, Rustaveli’s poetry embodies the “great celebration of cre­ation,” a joy akin to communion with the divine. The “rhythm of words,” “the inner movement of thought,” “the diversity of sounds,” and harmony –all of these are defining features of Rustaveli’s verse. Galaktion regards Rustaveli as a creator of “pure conscience,” and The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, a guide and a mirror for life’s path, as a “book that triumphs with ho­nest conscience.” In Galaktion’s view, among all creators of the world, only Rustaveli possesses the power to save. Rustaveli is a medium – firmly grounded on earth yet reaching into the heavens, heir to the old and father of the new, standing at the intersection of horizontal and vertical dimen­sions of time and space. Hence, he is both redeemer and savior. Galaktion bows before and gives thanks to the “genius” of the past. In Galaktion’s poetry, Rustaveli is frequently associated with Mes…
creator: Nana Gonjilashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 244
ending page: 267
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10019

Shalva Dadiani's The Yesterday’s People: The Theatrical Version of the Play in the Period of Developed Socialism
type: item
description: Shalva Dadiani's play The Yesterday’s People was written in 1917, long before the establishment of the Socialist Realism method and the Soviet Union itself. In the 1930s, Georgian literary critics put the writer's early works in the Soviet ideological context and compared them to the works of Maxim Gorky, the founder of Socialist Realism. What do one of the best examples of Georgian drama and the works of a classic of Russian literature have in common? Why was Shalva Dadian's dramaturgy denounced as one of the earliest examples of Socialist Realism? Why are the characters of the play unique, and why did the author judge them? To what extent was the fate of the play determined by the time fac­tor? These issues will be discussed in the paper. In 1972, by then a well-known theatre director, Temur Chkheidze sta­ged The Yesterday’s People at the Rustaveli Theatre. What created his inte­rest towards the play written in 1917 during the period of so-called Deve­loped Socialism? How was realism understood in the 1970s, and how did this understanding differ from the realism of the literary works of the beginning of the century? The Yesterday’s People is a satirical comedy in which Shalva Dadiani’s goal is to criticise the social reality, and he indeed succeeded. Shalva Dadi­ani's characters are the objects of the writer's harsh criticism, these features of critical realism are abundant in the play. However, Temur Chkheidze reinterpreted the play and created a tragicomedy, which he considered among his top three productions. At the same time, he was deeply emotional about it and had a painful attitude; even after some time had passed, he still avoided watching the recorded material. In the paper, we will discuss the main messages of the theatre director, communicated through the play by Shalva Dadiani, and their consistency with the playwright's concept. In the performance, the stage space was occupied by only one long tab­le. This pictorial solution, proposed by the stage des…
creator: Lela Tsiphuria
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 268
ending page: 276
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10020

The Poem „Spring Evening“ by Teranti Graneli and Daoist Paradigm of Space
type: item
description: The depiction of space in poetry merges psycho-emotional and mate­rial dimensions. Cultural heritage delineates different types of spaces; in Eas­tern painting and poetry, there exists a distinct model influenced by Chinese philosophy. Here, nature holds a dual significance, being both a constant and continuously evolving material entity. Our aim is to observe how spatial construction is formed, and conse­quently, how poetic imagery is built in the poem; we also seek to highlight its similarities with various principles of spatial perception and image const­ruction found in Eastern traditions. It is also noteworthy that in Chinese painting, the bird is a significant artistic motif, and the "birds and flowers" genre emerges as a distinct style within landscape painting. In the first stanza of the poem ,,Spring Evening’’ by Terenti Graneli a model of space is realized that begins with the flutter of a small bird and, passing through the soul of the poet merges with infinity ("its flight crosses the boundary of the soul’’). Within this minimalist yet self-contained image the poem’s entire spatial logic and aesthetic are encoded. The introduction of the soul as a category and its fusion with the image of nature is the foun­dation of a Daoist worldview. It is significant that for the author, the image of the universe necessarily implies the presence of the Other (,,I still remember your address"). In Graneli’s poem the main element of poetic matter is lightness, which serves as an important instrument for creating a spiritual dimension. The effect of lightness is strongly shaped by the linguistic style: the landscape is rendered minimally, with no descriptive details. In Chinese painting this function is fulfilled by the empty background of the painting, which is filled with Dao and seems to merge with the air that fills the universe.This back­ground is not a passive, secondary element but rather an active component, a kind of broad and deep screen upon which the spiritu…
creator: Ketevan Jishiashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 277
ending page: 286
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10021

Galaktion and Cinema
type: item
description: Throughout his lifetime, Galaktion Tabidze appeared on film twelve times – these were either film recordings organized specifically for him or the documentation of important events in which the poet personally participated. Based on sources related to Galaktion Tabidze’s life and work, his rela­ti­onship with cinema can be conditionally divided into three main categories: Galaktion on Screen – newsreels and film recordings produced during his lifetime. In addition to preserving Galaktion’s moving image and voice, these materials serve as valuable cultural heritage of their time. Galaktion’s Attitude Toward Cinematography – insights into this aspect are primarily gleaned from scattered references in his diaries, where the poet shares impressions of the films he watched or comments on events related to cinema. These sources are important for understanding the role cinema played in his everyday life and for reconstructing his taste and sensibility as a film enthusiast. Galaktion’s Creative Work and Cinematic Themes – this category includes poems either dedicated to the theme of cinema or in some way connected to cinematography. These works can be collectively classified as a cinematic cycle within his poetry. The study of these aspects leads to the conclusion that Galaktion Tabidze’s broad creative interests encompassed cinematography in all its dimensions. His engagement with film literature and his habit of under­li­ning specific passages in such texts indicate an intellectual curiosity that extended beyond a purely aesthetic appreciation. The poet participated in dis­cussions surrounding the crisis of cinema, evaluated films, offered recom­mendations to young filmmakers, and even wrote for the screen himself. His diary entries reveal a sustained interest in film; he regularly attended cine­mas and made notes on the films that left a strong impression on him. Galaktion was drawn to both fiction and documentary/scientific cinema. Particular significance is attached to…
creator: Levan Gelashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 287
ending page: 304
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10022

Woman, Discourse, and Dissent: A Feminist Reading of Babilina Khositashvili's Work
type: item
description: The early 20th century marks a transformative era in Georgian litera­ture, particularly for women writers who emerged not only as literary voices but also as agents of feminist protest. Babilina Khositashvili (1884–1973), a Georgian poet, translator, memoirist, and activist, stands out as a prominent figure whose work embodies the intersection of literature, gender politics, and social critique. This paper explores Khositashvili’s poetic legacy as a pio­neering expression of feminist consciousness within Georgian modernism. Drawing on her poetry, autobiographical writings, and publicistic texts, the study examines how Khositashvili constructs a nuanced portrayal of wo­men’s lived experiences, motherhood, labor, emotional isolation, and politi­cal marginalization, thereby shaping a uniquely Georgian feminist discourse. Khositashvili’s work is characterized by its bold confrontation with patriarchal norms and social injustice. Her poetry often centers on female protagonists – particularly working mothers – whose struggles reflect the socioeconomic conditions of early 20th-century Georgian society. In poems like “The Mother Goes to Work,” the speaker is torn between maternal res­pon­sibility and the economic necessity of labor, expressing deep anxiety, psy­chological exhaustion, and emotional fragmentation. The internal con­flict reaches a climax when the mother character voices fears of harm to her unattended child, highlighting the impossible burdens women face within domestic and public spheres. Through emotionally raw and formally rest­rained verse, Khositashvili foregrounds the mental toll of caregiving under precarious economic conditions. Her poem “To Women” deploys irony and satire to critique gender stereotypes and domestic servitude. The seemingly didactic tone—urging wo­men to “sit at home like hens” – reveals its subversive intent through ab­surd metaphors and caricatures of male privilege, exposing the exploitative dynamic at the heart of traditional famil…
creator: Naira Beridze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 305
ending page: 320
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10023

Inner Emigration – Paradigms of Literary Discourse
type: item
description: 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 L…
creator: Manana Kvataia
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 321
ending page: 341
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10024

Again about Verses by Klde-Kaneli
type: item
description: This article responds to Dr. Julieta Gabodze’s polemic letter, where she does not share my view about two verses printed on the paper, that are main­tained at the National Archive of Georgia. The verses are submitted to Censorship Committee by the editors of newspaper Theater in 1886 for issu­ance of publication permit. They are written under the pseudonym Klde-Ka­ne­li. Below this pseudonym we see surname Palavandishvili. Publication of mentioned verses is banned by the Committee. Klde-Kaneli’s poetic woks are stylistically very close to the Nikoloz Baratashvili’s works (one of Klde-Kaneli’s verses is titled as Baratashvili’s poem – I Found the Temple). In my opinion, these verses may have been composed by Baratashvili. According to the memoires of Baratashvili’s contemporaries, young poet has concealed his identity and sent critical verse to Palavandishvili, Tbilisi Governor; he also wrote verses about 1832 plot (plot for liberation of Georgia was betrayed by Palavandishvili and his brother). In the verse I Found the Temple Klde-Kaneli insults certain person and glorifies the heroes which sacrificed themselves to great idea. I suppose that this is the critical verse sent by Baratashvili to Palavandishvili and it is about Georgian plot of 1832; Palavandishvili was known as manuscripts’ collector and probably he kept these verses and later they occurred at the editor’s office of the Theater. It seems editors did not know the author’s identity or they thought that Palavandishvili was the author and submitted the verses to the Committee under the surname of a person, from whose library they came… I cannot share Gabodze’s view that these verses were written by Bara­tashvili’s epigone. Baratashvili’s poetry was not published in his lifetime, but many families had his manuscripts and if anyone decided to write and pub­lish imitation of the poet’s verses, this would be easily opened and re­garded as literary plagiarism... I also cannot offer that the verses were writ­ten …
creator: Gocha Kuchukhidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 464
ending page: 486
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10033

Sergei Meskhi – 180 Guardian and Defender of the Georgian Essence
type: item
description: Sergei Meskhi's main concern, his sorrow and pain, the main purpose of his work and existence was his homeland and nation, which had their freedom and dignity taken from them by Russia. Everything he wrote and covered on the pages of “Droeba” was a kind of campaign aimed at awake­ning and bringing his poor nation out of its mental crisis. From a patriotic point of view, he was an invaluable phenomenon – always steady, with a pure conscience and a heart burning with love for his country. Slavery made Georgian people forget and become unaccustomed to many things. Ioane Sabanisdze’s warning in the 8th century, that we were mixed in a foreign nation and had forgotten our ancestral path, was already an established fact in Georgia at the time of Sergei Meskhi. Time and cir­cum­stances put many traditional and national identity-defining events in dan­ger. In the face of the worldview-aesthetic paradigm of the generation of the new era, going against tradition or fighting it was considered the pri­mary sign of the nation’s degeneration. It is precisely this danger that S. Meskhi saw in the life of Georgian people and wrote that there was almost nothing left that connected us with the old life and reminded us of the deeds of our ancestors, as if we wanted to throw away all traditions, get rid of them, and couldn't introduce anything new in their place. Every generation leaves its own style. Sergei Meskhi couldn't adapt to this as well. He was fascinated by everything Georgian, he saw historical context and purpose in it. Fashion is a determinant of the consciousness and taste of society. For S. Meskhi, there was also a discourse expressing the idea of ​​freedom, which was related to fashion, but innovation should be directed towards national culture – he evaluated the tradition and innovation from this perspective. Sergei received his higher education in St. Petersburg, spent 14 months observing life in Europe and had his eyes on America – taking all this into account, he fe…
creator: Saba Metreveli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 508
ending page: 524
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10036

In Memory of Rusudan Cholokashvili
type: item
creator: Ketevan Sikharulidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 525
ending page: 526
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10037

New Books
type: item
creator: Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 527
ending page: 533
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10038

The Unknown Edition of Baratashvili’s “Bedi Qartlisa” (“Fate of Kartli”)
type: item
description: In the second section of Bedi Kartlisa, King Erekle II converses with Solomon Lionidze and discloses his intentions – he is prepared to “offer his inheritance” to the Russian Tsar so that “he may bring prosperity to Kartli.” The judge’s attempt to dissuade the monarch (“What has happened to us so far that we should sell our freedom?”) proves almost futile, as Erekle’s foremost desire is to “see Georgia in peace.” In the end, the king ostensibly accepts the judge’s advice, yet still declares: “I will take heed of your advice And will silence my heart’s desire, But do not forget my words, That whether today or tomorrow, The Russian Tsar will protect Kartli.” In this context, the king’s compromise appears paradoxical. On the one hand, he renounces his own aspiration (“I will silence my heart’s desire”) and acknowledges the judge’s concern about losing national freedom; on the other, he expresses faith that Russia will soon become Georgia’s protector. If Erekle is confident that Russia will safeguard the country, why is he still troubled? What “heart’s desire” does he suppress? The answer lies in a previously unknown edition of the poem, which was most likely transcribed from one of the poet’s autographs by Dimitri Kipiani in 1847. This manuscript, catalogued as H-1430, is preserved at the Korneli Kekelidze National Centre of Manuscripts. In the earliest version of the poem, the king’s statement differs slightly: “Whether today or tomorrow, the Russian Tsar will seize Kartli.” This alternative reading sheds new light on the king’s anxiety and his political decision. Erekle realizes that peace may come at a heavy cost. He under­stands that Russia’s growing ambitions in the Caucasus entail an inevitable threat of annexation. Therefore, he seeks to act preemptively –preferring a controlled integration to a forced conquest – and to preserve Georgia’s sove­reignty while allying with a more powerful neighbor. Within the poem, it appears as though the king’s defeat at Krtsanis…
creator: Julieta Gabodze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 102
ending page: 119
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9966

“An Iron Door of Georgia”
type: item
description: The year 1898 marked 100 years since the death of King Erekle II. Ilia and Akaki dedicated several letters to the hero king on the anniversary of the king's death. This date was solemnly celebrated by the Georgian society. In his "Collection" Akaki Tsereteli published an article "February 22" which in connection with the Treaty of Georgievsk puts forward the most important political issue through the mouth of Erekle II – “"Are they jus­tified ?!" and he himself answered: jus-ti-fied! Why did Akaki raise this ques­tion? He knew that the part of society took the king’s decision ambi­guously. Already in 1901, after the so-called celebration of the incorporation of Georgia into the Russian Empire, the poet wrote the letter “The Truth”, which, due to the acute national-political nature, became a victim of censorship of all eras and which has not been published to this day. And this should not be surprising, since Akaki sharply and without embarrassment threw the hard truth of a centuries-old Russification policy to everybody – the nation, the clergy and the enemy. In the article, Akaki once again answered the question of the distressed king – Are they justified? The author, as an experienced publicist, correctly assessed the steps taken by Erekle II and Solomon I regarding Russia, their contribution, all the reasons that made the King to put Georgia under the protection of Russia. These were: the treacherous policy of the Tsarist government, to which were added the endless invasions of external enemies, the domestic rift, the di­sorder, betrayal, an old age of Erekle and his disease. The "Truth" justly states that the “treaty” envisaged quite different conditions, and what we see today was not Erekle's wish. He wanted the kingdom to be independent and subordinate to Russia only in foreign policy, but as soon as she entered Georgia, she violated all conditions and turned to violence. When evaluating the king, Akaki states that Erekle II restored Georgia, which was on the …
creator: Elisabed Zardiashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 120
ending page: 130
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9976

Several Detective Episodes from Aleksandre Chavchavadze’s Life
type: item
description: The biography of some writers appears to us as a chronicle of great political and state events. This becomes particularly noticeable when this or that episode of the creator's life relates to the struggle for a great humani­tarian idea or to save the country and involves self-sacrificial action. Literary history is well acquainted with the life of English poet George Byron. It is also known that he directly participated in the Italian people's struggle against Austrian rule, then the poet went to Greece to participate in the Greek people's national liberation struggle, where he became ill and died. The life of Hungarian poet Sandor Petofi remains a symbol of heroism and self-sacrifice. He was one of the leaders of the national liberation strugg­le directed against Austrian rule and died on the battlefield, so that his com­rades could not even find his body. In both the first and second cases, the biographers of these poets speci­fically note these episodes of their lives and give very high praise to their decisions. We think it is also admirable that our romantic poet Alexandre Chav­cha­vadze participated in the national liberation struggle in his youth, regardless of how his life continued afterward, how faithful he remained to his youthful aspirations. Unfortunately, today's Georgian reader somehow passes indifferently by this episode of the poet's life, as if it was an ordinary story - an eighteen-year-old young man from the highest aristocratic family fleeing from home and joining the rebellious Mtiulian units. Geronti Qiqodze wrote: "Alexandre fled from his father and sided with the rebellious Mtiulians, who were led by Prince Pharnaoz." However, we do not know what the researcher meant by "fleeing from his father" - should these words be understood literally or does it mean leaving home without permission; was this protest momentary or was there some internal confron­tation between father and son, between Garsevan and Alexandre Chavcha­vadze; was fleeing to Mt…
creator: Gia Arganashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 131
ending page: 154
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9977

The Relationship between Alexander and Grigol Orbelianis and the Creation of the Poem „Sadgegrdzelo“ („Toast“)
type: item
description: The House of Orbeliani, one of the most powerful and influential feu­dal nobility in Kartli, played a consistently significant role in the poli­tical, military, ecclesiastical, and social life of the region. In addition to holding high-ranking political positions – including military commanders, court dig­nitaries, household officials, judges, etc. -members of the Orbeliani family made substantial contributions to Georgian culture as writers, intellectuals, and scientists. The Orbelianis frequently appear in the artistic and and non-fiction works of major Georgian writers and public figures, such as Nikoloz Baratashvili, Grigol Orbeliani, Alexander Chavchavadze, Alexander Orbeli­ani, Solomon Dodashvili, Platon Ioseliani and others. They are featured as characters, addressees and dedicatees in their diaries, personal letters, me­moirs… As such, research into their biographies, activities, and creative le­ga­­cies remains an important and timely area within the broader field of Georgian literary history. The presented article is devoted to the study of the relationship bet­ween two great representatives of the Orbelian family, prominent figures of the 19th century, Georgian romantic writers Alexander (Puplia) Orbeliani (1802-1869) and Grigol Orbeliani (1804-1883), whose life and work have been thoroughly studied by Georgian literary scholars and historians (I. Me­u­nargia, Ak. Gatserelia, J. Chumburidze, I. Evgenidze, R. Chkheidze, N. Va­kha­nia, T. Jologua...), but our research is based on newly discovered archival materials and recently published scholarly editions. In particular, the re­search draws on the five-volume academic edition of Aleksander Orbeliani’s collected works (published in 2023), as well as the academic editions of Grigol Orbeliani’s personal letters prepared within the framework of the multivolume of Epistolary Legacy of Georgian Writers and Public figures of the 19th–20th Centuries (2012–2024). These publications have made accessible and scientif…
creator: Maia Tsertsvadze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 155
ending page: 172
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9978

The Formation of Georgian Feminist Discourse
type: item
description: The first wave of feminism, which was formed in the West from the se­cond half of the 19th century, aimed at the political, social, and economic eman­cipation of women, the rethinking of traditional gender roles, and cultural stereotypes, was also responded to by fiction, mainly by female authors. Simultaneously with the emergence and development of Western feminism, the generation of the sixties in Georgia activated the idea of ​​the Europeanization of Georgian culture and the modernization of literary and social thought. One of the strategic directions of this process was the struggle for women's civil rights and support for their creative emancipation. One of the themes of the publicistic works of Ilia, Akaki, Giorgi Eristavi, Niko Nikoladze, Archil Jorjadze, and others was the importance of women's self-realization. Based on the study of the journalistic letters, personal correspondence, autobiographical notes, and public activities of Georgian women authors active in the second half of the 19th century and the 10s of the 20th century, and at the same time, an analysis of Ekaterine Gabashvili's play "The Wing­breaker", we can conclude that Georgian women used all public platforms to voice their opinions. Although a large part of the problems raised by women writers (desacralization of women, misinterpretation of women's mental abi­lities and their psycho-emotional nature, unfair distribution of gender roles) remained unresolved, the struggle of women ended with concrete results in the late 10s of the 20th century. After the establishment of the First Democ­ratic Republic of Georgia, 17 women ran for office in the Constituent Assem­bly elections held in 1919 on behalf of various parties, of whom 5 – Minadora Ordzhonikidze-Toroshelidze (1879-1967), Elisabeth Nakashidze-Bolkvadze (1885-1937), Eleonora Ter-Parsegova-Makhvidze (1875-date of death unk­nown), Anna (Ola) Sologashvili (1882-1937), Kristine (Chito) Sharashidze (1887-1973) – were elected members. Two of th…
creator: Lili Metreveli
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 173
ending page: 188
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10014

Plotting the Lyric
type: item
description: The poem “Nightfall on Mtatsminda” is a structurally complex lyrical text built upon the alternation of the narrator's and the experiencer's voices. The analysis is based on the identification of schematas and their correspon­ding cognitive scripts (Peter Huhn), which help to establish the principles of plot construction and to identify underlying mental processes. Two core thematic templates are revealed in the poem: Escaping sorrow and melancholy through immersion in nature Recalling past experiences for the purpose of their narrative reconstruction The first template aligns with the philosophy of Romanticism, where nature serves as a meditative space spiritually akin to the human self, as both are seen to emanate from the Absolute (Schelling). The second is rooted in cognitive theory and relates to mechanisms of autobiographical memory. These templates help the reader determine the poem’s narrative structure and understand how episodic memory is reconstructed through narration. The narrator not only describes a specific episode but also reflects the men­tal processes related to the act of remembering, which gives the poem dis­cursive depth and creates a high level of narrativity. The experiencer func­tions on the story level, while the narrator operates on the discourse level. Their alternation shapes the dynamic of narration and simultaneously ref­lects a lyrical process of self-reflection. Ultimately, the analysis reveals that the text embodies complex intellectual processes – an effort to define perso­nal identity through memory. Considering the lyrical genre’s fragmentary and segmented nature, it is difficult to sharply distinguish between narrator and character, but the use of templates and scripts aids this interpretation. Based on the theoretical foundations of Romanticism and cognitive science, the poem is revealed to express a process of remembrance, where the re­ca­lled event is vital for the narrator's identity. The narrative act of remem­bering serves…
creator: Ketevan Khubulava
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-03
publication date: 2025-12-03
volume: 45
starting page: 189
ending page: 205
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.10016

The Suthor, the Text and the Reader, According to Davit Guramishvili’s “Davitiani”
type: item
description: The author’s spatiotemporal vision is outlined on the background of the relation between the real and the eternal. The empirical present is opp­re­ssed and severe. It requires perfection, transformation and spiritual con­tent. According to the author, this is achieved solely by means of literary creativity. Like the creator of the world, Guramishvili creates and forms a new artistic reality. In the poem, the author communicates with the reader in a self-confident manner which resembles Rustaveli’s style: ”My name being Davit Guramishvili, I have told “Davitiani...“. The almighty author of “Davitiani” knows from the very start that he is writing the poem for the salvation of the reader. According to Davit Guramishvili, there must be mutual assistance bet­ween the author and the reader. Both should feel responsibility and ob­li­gation. The didactic character of the poem proves that the reader is inferior to the author. They occupy different positions. According to “Davitiani”, all the readers are an object of the author’s care and aid. It is impossible to fulfill the creative mission without the reader’s re­adiness and participation. The reader created and educated by Guramisvhili should be the basis for the author’s salvation and immortality. Guramishvili managed to use poetry for achieving the communion between his pain­ful/sinful life and God. The creator/man could not have done anything more important than sharing his experience with others. He has been saved by the book, and now he has to assist the world with the book; he feels and predicts this intuitively. According to Guramisvhili, it is the reader who “makes a book”, granting life and vitality to a literary work and turning it into the book which is read. “I am asking the wise man to baptize my orphan child“ (10. 11). Guramishvili introduces the concept of baptizing the text. This is a supreme expression of the perfect union between the author and the reader. The communion of readers of every epoch with the …
creator: Khatuna Nishnianidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 64
ending page: 81
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9962

The Principle of Provoking Astonishment in the Poetry of Georgian Baroque Authors
type: item
description: The 17th century was a period of significant cultural and artistic tran­sformation, characterized by the collision of traditional and emerging forms. This cultural shift gave rise to a diverse and eclectic style in various artistic disciplines, including painting, architecture, and literature. The prevailing ar­­tistic ideas and aesthetic perspectives of the time underwent a transfor­ma­tion, giving way to a new and distinctive style known as Baroque. A foun­dational principle of the prevailing European Baroque culture is the broa­dening of the aesthetic function of literature, which is founded on figurative thinking and the integration of diverse artistic forms within the context of a single work (verbal text, fine art, music). The Baroque pe­riod was distingui­shed by a pursuit of astonishment through imagination, wherein elements of strangeness, unusualness, unconventionality, and bizar­reness played a pivotal role in its aesthetic principles. As demonstrated in the following ana­lysis, Georgian literature of the 17th-18th centuries serves as a prime example of the aforementioned general principles. The present work examines such poetic texts in Georgian Baroque poetry that surprise and amaze the reader due to their unusual form and multiplicity of mea­nings. They are as follows: ‘rvuli’, pattern poem, acrostic, telestic, and the cryptogram. The present article concerns precisely such poetic texts, which are perceived simultaneously by sight and sound. These texts are built on the principle of wit and aim to stunning their readers. Sulkhan Saba Orbeliani’s verse form ‘rvuli’ (რვული) is a four-line poem that exhibits eight identical internal and external rhymes: four before the caesura and four at the end. In the Baroque context, the ‘rvuli’ verse form is notable for its capacity to en­gender multiple interpretations, aligning with the Baroque era's fascination with poetic play, sometimes using the principle of mirror reflection, popular in Baroque poetics. This p…
creator: Maia Nachkebia
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 82
ending page: 101
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9963

"The Good Devil" by The Man in a Panther Skin
type: item
description: The Man in a Punther Skin mentions Eros from Greek mythology. In one episode, he (Eros) is Love as a person. In the second episode, he is the feeling of love. This reference is based on Plato's Symposium, where Eros is presented as a good demon or a wise demon. The context in which Rustav­eli speaks of love as a good devil is unclear to researchers and translators. In this context, Avtandil speaks to Tariel, who is depressed because of his Inconsolable love: Who has heard of a good devil without evil? Researchers have understood the poem's devil (ეშმაკი) in a modern sense. In the old Georgian translation of the Gospel, the Greek demon (δαίμον) is translated by the word devil (ეშმაკი). Therefore, according to Rustaveli’s philosophical source, Plato’s Symposium, the text should be understood as follows: in every good devil (in love), there is evil. And the point of view, that in every good devil there is evil, is the position of Neoplatonic philosophy. Dionysius the Areopagite, The Divine Names (4,34): „...And, as for the demons, what they are is both from the Good, and good. But their evil is from the declension from their own proper goods, and a change – the weakness, as regards their identity…”. Rustaveli is based on the translation by Ephraim Mtsire of The Divine Names, where demon (δαίμον) is translated as devil (ეშმაკი), as in The Man in a Panther-Skin.
creator: Elguja Khintibidze
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 38
ending page: 49
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9953

The Secret of “A Befitting the Three”
type: item
description: The fourth line of the tenth stanza of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin’s prologue – “samta perta saqebelta lamis leqsta unda vlena” – has al­ways sparked diverse opinions among commentators. In manuscripts and printed editions, this line can be read in different ways. The most significant variation is the alternation between „vlena“ and „levna“ which modifies the meaning of the line to some degree. However, researchers have primarily focused on decoding “samta perta.” Taken in its literal sense, “three” refers to the poem’s three principal protagonists: Tariel, Avtandil, and Fridon. In the dictionaries and commentaries accompanying editions of the poem, “three” is interpreted allegorically as the Holy Trinity; the beloved’s beauty, virtue, and merciful heart; the interplay of celestial rays, a gleaming shimmer; the rainbow; three kinds of poetry; the three voices of song, and more. Some scholars interpret “peri” (“color”) as a noun (which, apart from its direct meaning, may denote shape, genus, essence, face, or hero), while others understand it as meaning “fitting,” “appropriate,” or “deserved.” Nana Gonjilashvili expresses the view that “three colors” allegorically represent the loftiest ideals: specifically, Tariel stands for love, Avtandil for faith, and Fridon for hope. Yet the interpretation of “samta perta” alone does not unequivocally elucidate the entire line’s meaning. For some reason, less attention is paid to the word “lamis”. What does “lamis” (“hlamis”) mean? it is a verb meaning “desires, intends.” Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani defines “lamis” as “(h)nebavs” (“he/she wishes”). The root of the verb is “lama.” According to I. Abuladze’s definition, it signifies “wanting, intent, desire”. In Akaki Shanidze’s Lexicon of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, we read: “shelama: shehlamis, moun­do­mebs, daupierebs” (“he/she sets out to do, makes up one’s mind to do”). We encounter this verb in precisely this sense in the tenth stanza of the poem. It is noteworthy how …
creator: Lia Karichashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 50
ending page: 63
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9957

Religious-Cultural Concepts of the Hagiographic Topos of “The Life of Grigol Khandzteli”. Discourse of Russian Translations
type: item
description: This article is dedicated not only to the difficult issue of adequately conveying the historical-cultural contexts of translations of Georgian hagi­og­raphic monuments, but also to the etymology of a particular word in the monument under consideration and what meaning the translator prefers. Despite the fact that hagiographic texts are fulfilled with clichés and Russian language itself seems to be well processed on parts of orthodox-theological concepts, still serious defects can be detected in within translated texts on Russian. In our opinion this is caused by several factors: Consciously, made mistake. Inappropriate scientific level or subject approach. Context understanding problem on native old Georgian language. Translators incompetence. Perhaps nobody has paid attention so far to one passage from Niko Mars discovered, published and translated to Russian text “Life of Grigol Xan­dzteli” but this presented part of Russian translation Xandzta monastery ty­picon part in particular, casts doubt on the Tao Klarjeti monasteries chal­cedonic orientation problem, as on such serious matter of monastery mode of life like, no chalcedonic reglamentation referring fasting.
creator: Liana (Lia) Basheleishvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 11
ending page: 28
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9947

Women in Christian and Mazdean Canonical Traditions (5th century)
type: item
description: ქალისა და მამაკაცის თანასწორობას, რომელიც ადრექრისტი­ანული სამყაროსთვის სრულიად ახალი და უცხო კონცეფცია იყო, „შუშანიკის წამების“ ერთ ეპიზოდს უკავშირდება. აქ ვკითხულობთ, რომ ქრისტიანი ვარსქენ პიტიახში, თავისი მეუღლის, შუშანიკისგან, ფარულად იღებს მაზდეანობას და მეორე ცოლსაც გამოითხოვს „სპარ­სთა მეფისაგან“. „შუშანიკის წამების“ ქართული ტექსტის მიხედვით, ეს „ცოლი“ შეიძლება ყოფილიყო სპარსეთის მეფის ასული, სომხური ვარიანტით – სიდედრი, ხოლო ვრცელი სომხური ვერსიით – თვით ვარსქენის ქალიშვილი. მოხმობილი ფრაგმენტი წარმოშობს რამდენიმე მნიშვნელოვან კითხვას: რა ადგილი ეკავა ქალს ქრისტიანობასა და მაზდეანობაში? არსებობდა თუ არა ამ რელიგიებში მრავალცოლიანობა? დაიშვებოდა თუ არა სისხლის აღრევა? რას ფიქრობდა V საუკუნის ქართლის ორი მთავარი რელიგიის კანონიკური წიგნები – „დიდი სჯულის კანონი“ და „ავესტა“– ამ საკითხებზე? ცხადია, ყოველი ტექსტი დაკავშირებულია არა მხოლოდ თავისი ეპოქის, არამედ წარსულის მითოსურ, რელიგიურ თუ კულტურულ-ესთეტიკურ აზროვნებასთან. აქედან გამომდინარე, კვლევის მიზანი, გაანალიზდეს ქალის სოციალური, რელიგიური და სამართლებრივი მდგომარეობა V საუკუნის ქართლში და პასუხი გაეცეს ჩვენ მიერ დას­მულ კითხვებს, ეპოქებისა და კულტურული კონტექსტებისგან მოწყ­ვე­ტით ვერ განხორციელდება. ზოროასტრიზმის მთავარი წიგნის, „ავესტას“, კანონთა ანალიზი გვაჩვენებს, რომ ზარათუშტრა თავის ჭეშმარიტ მიმდევრებს, კაცებს თუ ქალებს, nā gәnā vā -ს, ანუ თანასწორს უწოდებს, მაზდეანთა ქორ­წინება მონოგამიურად ითვლება, კატეგორიულად იკრძალება ოჯახის შექმნა ნათესავებს შორის და ა. შ. თუმცა წესები ალბათ ირღვეოდა კი­დეც ან დროთა განმავლობაში სხვა ინტერპრეტაციით ვრცელდებოდა. ამას ადასტურებს ე. წ. იშობოხტის სამართლის კოდექსი (VIIIს.), რომ­ლის თანახმადაც, ზარათუშტრა „შეაჩვენეს დედასთან, დასთან და ასულთან შეუღლების წესის შემოღებისთვის“. მაზდეანობაში მსგავსი წესის არსებობა ვრცელი სომხური რე­დაქ­ციის ავტორისათვის, სავარაუდოდ, ცნობილი უნდა ყოფილიყო, თუმ­ცა არც ზარათუშტრასა და ვარსქენის შესახებ შემორჩენილი ინ­ფორ­მაცია, არც პიტიახშის სასტიკი ბუნება თუ პოლიტიკური გავლე­ნე­ბისადმი სწრაფვა არ იძლევა იმის მტკიცების საფუძველს, რომ ვარს…
creator: Nino Gagoshashvili
rights: Copyright (c) 2025
date: 2025-12-02
publication date: 2025-12-02
volume: 45
starting page: 29
ending page: 37
doi: 10.62119/lr.45.2025.9949