Georgian Literature

[Im an Animal]

were are you from eric?
good job.thnx.
"A Man Went Down the Road" by otar chiladze is my favourite book ever...

http://burusi.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/122.jpg
Famous Georgian writer and poet Otar Chiladze was born in 1933. He emerged in Georgian literature in 1950 and became very popular among Georgian readers. His most popular novels include A Man Went Down the Road (1972–73), Everyone That Findeth Me (1976), The Iron Theatre (1987) and the autobiographical The Cock of the March (1987).
Chiladze is one of the finest contemporary writers, noteworthy for his lyrical and narrative verse. His novel “A Man Went Down the Road” (1972–1973) explored the Georgian past for answers to contemporary questions. His later works include Everyone That Findeth Me (1976), which portrays a family saga in a rural setting, Rkinis teatri (1981), which explores a conflict of life and art in the 1900s, and the autobiographical Martis mamali (1987).
Otar Chiladze’s novel “Aveliumi” is an excellent example of Georgian post-modernistic prose, where we come across main post-modernistic signs: inter-textuality, essay, double coding of style, author’s “mask”, symbolism, allegory, mythology, history, irony, “hidden grin”, etc. Novel “Avelumi” is full of deep symbols and sense, where there is bound together historic state and individual tragedy of Georgia of 2nd half of the 20th century.
Otar Chiladze was awarded the Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze and many other prizes.
Otar Chiladze has died after a long illness at the age of 76 in 2009.

 

[Liam]

A new book on the legends and folktales of the Caucasus (not least of all, Georgia!) by the ethnographer David Hunt:

The one hundred and one legends included in this book reflect the cultures of fourteen different ethnic groups--their dynamism and the matters that concerned them: survival against external dangers, the risk of starvation, and the persistence of the family or clan as a coordinated group. Descended from an oral tradition, much of their knowledge was retained in memories and passed down the generations. Yet, with the introduction of the alphabet, the way of life they portray is rapidly becoming extinct.

The translation is derived from the manuscripts of Russian collectors working out of the Russian Empire in the late nineteenth century and from the Soviet Union in the mid-twentieth century. The text is a mixture of prose and verse, reflecting how the legends would have been performed by storytellers within the culture.

 

[Liam]

Eric et al might appreciate this upcoming anthology of Georgian fiction, focusing mainly on the immediate, post-independence years:

This volume brings together stories from nineteen of the most influential contemporary authors to have emerged from the Republic of Georgia.

Spanning fifty years, but with a particular emphasis on post-independence fiction, this collection features a diverse range of styles and voices, offering a window onto a vibrant literary scene that has been largely inaccessible to the English-language reader until now.

With stories addressing subjects as diverse as blood feuds, betrayal, sex, drugs, and Sergio Leone, it promises to challenge any existing preconceptions the reader might hold, and make available a rich and varied literary tradition unjustly overshadowed by the other ex-Soviet republics, until now.

 

[Eric]

Yes, I could be persuaded to buy it (or scrounge it from Dalkey on the strength of my own translations for them). I notice that, as usual, it's a Brit who's doing all the work, i.e. Elizabeth Heighway, educated at Oxford and Birmingham (not the Mississippi and Alabama ones), but it's our old friend The Dalkey Archive Press in the US of Illinois that is actually publishing it.

I wonder what the Russian reviews will look like.

 

[Eric]

Georgian literature could refer to a state in the USA, or a period in British history. But this review, which I found by accident when looking at Leyla's review of the eccentric book, is about the country on the edge of Russia:

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-e...translated-by-elizabeth-heighway-7904368.html

It's nice to see that a Caucasian country, not a Baltic one this time, is getting a bit of attention in British publishing and reviewing. But let's face it, it's the Yanks again who are publishing this book: the ever-present Dalkey Archive Press.

 

[Liam]

Some upcoming, soon-to-be-released titles translated from the Georgian: The Brueghel Moon (novella; 96 pp.), Kvachi (novel; 512 pp.), and Vano & Niko (short novel; 167 pp.)

 

[Sisyphus]

were are you from eric?
good job.thnx.
"A Man Went Down the Road" by otar chiladze is my favourite book ever...

http://burusi.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/122.jpg
Famous Georgian writer and poet Otar Chiladze was born in 1933. He emerged in Georgian literature in 1950 and became very popular among Georgian readers. His most popular novels include A Man Went Down the Road (1972–73), Everyone That Findeth Me (1976), The Iron Theatre (1987) and the autobiographical The Cock of the March (1987).
Chiladze is one of the finest contemporary writers, noteworthy for his lyrical and narrative verse. His novel “A Man Went Down the Road” (1972–1973) explored the Georgian past for answers to contemporary questions. His later works include Everyone That Findeth Me (1976), which portrays a family saga in a rural setting, Rkinis teatri (1981), which explores a conflict of life and art in the 1900s, and the autobiographical Martis mamali (1987).
Otar Chiladze’s novel “Aveliumi” is an excellent example of Georgian post-modernistic prose, where we come across main post-modernistic signs: inter-textuality, essay, double coding of style, author’s “mask”, symbolism, allegory, mythology, history, irony, “hidden grin”, etc. Novel “Avelumi” is full of deep symbols and sense, where there is bound together historic state and individual tragedy of Georgia of 2nd half of the 20th century.
Otar Chiladze was awarded the Shota Rustaveli, Ilia Chavchavadze and many other prizes.
Otar Chiladze has died after a long illness at the age of 76 in 2009.

Chilazde sounds like an interesting writer. As far as I can see Avelum is the only work available in my language, but "A Man Went Down the Road" and "The Iron Theatre" sound like better novels so I'll patiently wait until I can get hold of any of those two.
Wish you hadn't stopped posting after your first post so you could tell us more about this author and his works.

 

[Bartleby]

As per the Literary Saloon:

BNN reports that Journey to Karabakh and Obolé-author Aka Morchiladze: Georgia's Literary Gem Nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature; see also the Agende,ge report that Georgian author Aka Morchiladze nominated for Nobel Prize in Literature
Apparently that's what the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature has announced .....
This pretty much blows any chance Morchiladze might have had to be long- or shortlisted for the prize: the Swedish Academy is pretty clear about this: "Making the nomination public is not allowed". This is the kind of thing they take pretty seriously .....

Regardless of the final statement, has anyone read this author? I'd never heard of him before, I must admit...

 

[Rodica]

As per the Literary Saloon:



Regardless of the final statement, has anyone read this author? I'd never heard of him before, I must admit...

I recently finished reading The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili and looked over the Fiction from Georgia anthology mentioned here by @Liam which has a short story Once Upon a Time in Georgia by Aka Morchiladze. I haven't gotten to it yet.