The Kartvelologist

The Kartvelologist” is a bilingual (Georgian and English) peer-reviewed, academic journal, covering all spheres of Kartvelological scholarship. Along with introducing scholarly novelties in Georgian Studies, it aims at popularization of essays of Georgian researchers on the international level and diffusion of foreign Kartvelological scholarship in Georgian scholarly circles.


“The Kartvelologist” issues both in printed and electronic form. In 1993-2009 it came out only in printed form (#1-15). The publisher is the “Centre for Kartvelian Studies” (TSU), financially supported by the “Fund of the Kartvelological School”. In 2011-2013 the journal is financed by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation.





A New Book on Georgian History Heinz Fähnrich. History of Georgia

 

HGThe Western Publishers Brill have issued Professor Heinz Fähnrich’s “History of Georgia” in German, in the series Handbuch der Orientalistik.

The work is written with good knowledge of the subject, scholarly, objective approach and genuine love of Georgia. In moot questions, be these ancient or recent painful issues, the author does not try to take sides, but rests on more or less widely shared views accepted in Georgian historiography, placing absolutely correct accents through his objective presentation.  

In the reconstruction of Georgia’s early history the author bases himself on Ancient Eastern (Assyrian, Urartian) and Classical sources. He presents the history of the subsequent period, beginning with that of the Parnavazids, mainly on the basis of “Kartlis Tskhovreba” and other important sources. It is advisable to have the work translated into Georgian.  


keywords:Heinz Fähnrich, Georgia Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: LEVAN GORDEZIANI


Shota Rustaveli’s “The Man in the Panther Skin” in German Schools

 

German and Georgian Kartvelologists have hitherto not been aware of the fact that the Georgian author Rustaveli and his poem “The Man in the Panther Skin” entered a German school textbook. There is no reference to this book in the last German Bibliography (Georgia -the German-language world, 2008), though they said textbook was issued in 1985 and was used in schools of the German Democratic Republic.

At the time, Rustaveli was almost unknown in the German Federal Republic. Following the unification of Germany Rustaveli was not entered in any textbook.


keywords:Rustaveli, Germany, school textbook, song of the heroes. Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: STEFFI CHOTIWARY-JÜNGER


Two Meetings with Grigol Robakidze and Kita Chkhenkeli

 

In September 1961 the tour of the Georgian Folk Dance Company (directed by I. Sukhishvili and N. Ramishvili) proved especially exciting and interesting for me: in Geneva I met Grigol Robakidze, and at Lausanne Kita Chkhenkeli.

Our tour in Geneva was coming to an end. In two days we were moving to Lausanne. I was told by the boy dancers that all our concerts, and even rehearsals, were attended by Grigol Robakidze. They took this fact as a matter of course, for during our tours of Europe Georgians, enthusiastic over our company’s success, often came to see us after the concert. However, tears welled up into their eyes when speaking about Georgia and their relations. I remember how angry I was with the boys for not telling me about Grigol Robakidze visiting the concerts. They assured me that he would surely come on the following day, for it was our last performance. Really, the next day, following the concert, dear Nino and I were told that Grigol was waiting for us… above average height, a thin man (you would not take him for a man over eighty), in a grey gabardine overcoat, with black glossy combed hair and astonishingly cold gimlet-eyes (I even thought that the boys’ story about tears in those eyes must have been an optical illusion). Upon greeting us, I was surprised that he made no mention of the dance and concerts; he must have thought the fortnight “spent” by him in the theatre with our company was sufficient proof of his enthusiasm. We told him that the next morning we were leaving for Lausanne. He promised to see us off at the pier (we were to cross Lake Leman). Then, all of a sudden he said that he was writing an article in response to one published by French journalists on Georgia. He said, two French journalists had travelled to Georgia and written many good things, but had concluded their impressions thus: “The Georgians, like the residents of Cannebierre Street in Marseilles (most French anecdotes are said to have been invented by them), believe that the world begins and ends in Georgia”. This conclusion made by the French journalists had got Dear Grigol’s goat and he had decided to write a reply.


keywords:Grigol Robakidze, Kita Chkhenkeli Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: RUSUDAN ENUKIDZE


The Unknown George (Giorgi) Papashvily

 

GPThe paper deals with the Georgian born well-known American sculptor and writer George (Giorgi) Papashvily. His works are preserved in state museums and private collections. His book “Anything Can Happen”, written in co-authorship with his wife Hellen Waite Papashvily, was acknowledged a best-seller and called an unprecedented event: George Papashviliy’s works constitute a landmark in the history of Georgian-American culture.

George (Giorgi) Papashvily is entered in such serious publications as Who’s Who in American Arts, as well as Who’s Who in American Literature of the 20th century. In Soviet space Papashvily belonged to “banned culture.” In parallel to this there also was the phrase: “unknown culture”. Although rarely, yet opportunities arose of familiarizing oneself with this culture. 


keywords:Giorgi Papashvily, Hellen Waite Papashvily, Georgian emigrant Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: Rusudan Nishnianidze


Kartvelian Folktales in German

 

HFThe well-known German Kartvelologist Heinz Fähnrich has regularly edited Georgian folklore in the form of numerous books: Epic of Amirani (1978), Georgian folktales (1963, 1980, 1995), Georgian tales (1984), Georgian tales and legends (1998), Svan folktales (1992), Laz folktales (1995), Mingrelian tales (1997), lexicon of Georgian Mythology (1999) etc. “Behind Nine Mountains. Folktales of Georgians” constitutes one more corpus of Georgian folktales in German [1]. More than 170 Georgian folktales from Georgian, Mingrelian, Laz and Svan folklore are collected in the book: magic, novelistic and animal tales with epilogue, lexicon and bibliography. Folklore and literary sources are given in the appendix as well (pp. 636-645). Specific Georgian words which are used in the German text without translation are also explained at the end of the book, for example, the names of musical instruments, money, traditional food, ethnographic things, nicknames, toponymy etc.

 


keywords:Heinz Fähnrich, folktales, Georgia, Caucasus Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: Elene Gogiashvili


Two Kartvelological Sessions at the World Congress in Medieval Studies

 

leedsThe World Congress in Medieval Studies took place in Leeds (UK) from July 5-9, 2015. This World Congress is traditionally of worldwide importance in Europe. Over 2,400 delegates from different academic or research institutions attended the 22nd annual International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds this year. It was the first time when those two Kartvelological sessions worked at the World Congress. It should also be noted that both Kartvelological sections, at the initiative of foreign colleagues, were organized by Professor Elguja Khintibidze.

According to the congress requirements, its sessions were allowed to work independently if each of them was presented by the members of different academic or research institutions as well as participants from different countries were especially welcomed. That is the reason why the organizers of the sessions invited famous Kartvelologists from Georgia and different foreign scholarly centers to be involved in the working process of these sessions.

The moderator of the session Medieval Georgian Culture was Professor Elguja Khintibidze. The papers were presented by English Professor Donald Rayfield – Religious Tolerance and Intolerance in Medieval Georgian Literature by Gaga Shurghaia, a professor from Italy - The Ecclesiastical Reform of Vakhtang I Gorgasali (c. 440-502): King of Kartli and also PH.D. student from Tbilisi State University Irma Makaradze - Revival of the Oriental Plot in English Dramaturgy: The Trace of The Man in the Panther Skin in 17th Century England.

 


keywords:World Congress, Georgian/Kartvelian Studies Category: CHRONICLE OF EVENTS Authors: Irma Makaradze