Georgian Literature and the World Literary Process

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Foreword

Today, at the period of ever-increasing development and deepening of intercultural communications, special importance attaches to the reception of national literatures as original models of thought, their leading out of the state of cultural isolation and their valuable inclusion into large-scale intercultural dialogue. Naturally, Georgian literature is not an exception, and, in this regard, it is necessary to offer a correct interpretation of the Georgian literary process as well as identification of its place in the common literary process. The question “Why?” would be in fact inappropriate here, as literature in Georgia has always performed the function of an intellectual leader: exactly literature is a reliable lever or a support owing to which the country has always been involved in the international cultural relations and represented a highly significant landscape of the world literary and cultural process. I believe, our epoch follows the same path and the modern Georgian literary process is as an essential link in the world literary process as it was in the past periods. This is due to the following objective circumstances: Modern Georgian literature is a part of the fifteen-centuries-old Georgian literary tradition and it belongs to the rare literary models in which modernist tendencies constantly intersect with the historically formed cultural consciousness; Georgian literature, both ancient and modern, represent an open cultural construction, which was and remains open to the current processes in the world and European literary area.

Georgian literature, fitting into the common context, at the same time, retains the status of an original thinking area, which, in its turn, expands the horizon and scale of international literary process.

The present book studies the interrelation of national literature, in particular, Georgian literature, and the World literary process. The book aims to display the development of Georgian literature as an entire national unit, facing different historical and cultural epochs, literary trends and traditions.

I hope for reader’s indulgence and goodwill. ← 9 | 10 →

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Acknowledgements

This book was written for several years and the path was not easy.

The goal would not be reached without the help and support of my colleagues and family. I would like to take this opportunity to convey my deep appreciation towards them.

It is my pleasure to expresses special gratitude to Georgian colleagues whose professional support made it possible to publish the book in Georgian: Editor – Dr. Teimuraz Doiashvili; Reviewers – Prof. Maka Elbakidze and Prof. Gaga Lomidze. Special thanks to Irene Kutsia,who translated the book from Georgian into English, and late Arrian Tchanturia who delivered the translation of some parts of the book. Thanks are also due to the Publishing Houses of Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature and Tbilisi State University for their support in the first Georgian publication of the book in 2015.

Special thanks should be expressed to my colleague and friend – Bela Tsipuria, Professor of Ilia State University, and – to my respective colleagues abroad, whose support was very important in the process of international presentation of separate parts of the book: Marco Juvan, Marijan Dović, Annette Werberger, Susanne Frank, Vsevolod Bagno. Their opinion and recommendations were essential.

And on the end, I would like to thank my dear family for being patient and supportive during more than eight years while working upon this book. ← 11 | 12 →

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Chapter Two.  Georgian Literary History and the World Literary Process: From the Middle Ages to Romanticism