Symposium Review

* II International Symposium “Contemporary Issues of Literary Criticism”

On December 16-18, 2008 Institute of Georgian Literature organized the Second International Symposium “Contemporary Issues of Literary Criticism”. The Symposium was scheduled to take place in September, but due to the recent tragic events that occurred in , the scientific forum had to be postponed. The thematic scientific conference “Sulkhan- Saba Orbeliani and Georgian European Tradition. Literature, Culture, Consciousness” was conducted within the frameworks of the symposium. This event was organized with the support of the Foundation of Georgian Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences (Rustaveli Foundation). (The review of the above mentioned conference is available on this website). The symposium was opened on December 16, 2008 at the meeting room of Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature. The opening ceremony was attended by the following invited guests: Nodar Surguladze, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Georgia, Tinatin Bochorishvili, Director of the Foundation for Georgian Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences (Rustaveli Foundation), Iago Kalandadze, Head of the Department of Science, Ivane Javakhishvili State University. Professor Irma Ratiani, the Director of Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature, Chairman of the Organizing Committee, opened the symposium and welcomed the audience. Rusudan Tsanava, Senior Scientific Member of Staff made the presentation at the Plenary Session. A Board of Experts has approved 123 participants out of 200 applicants. The applications have been submitted from Georgian Universities and Scientific Research Centres (Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State Univerity, Ilia Chavchavadze State University, Akaki Tsereteli State University, Shota Rustaveli Batumi University, Iakob Gogebashvili State University, Gori State University, Giorgi Tsereteli Institute of Oriental Studies, National Centre of Manuscripts), as well as Scientific Centres and Institutions from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Latvia, Bulgaria, Russia, US, Germany, Sweden. In spite of the political situation, foreign participants managed to arrive and participate in the symposium. Four parallel sessions worked in Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature from 16th December till 18th December. The following sections were in operation: Comparative Analysis of a Text and Cultural Typology; Intercultural Communications; Mythos, Ritual, Symbol; Medieval Studies; Contemporary Literary Processes; Boundaries of a Novel; Text and a Reader; Round Table Discussions on the following topics: Functional Models of Artistic Images in a Text; Literary Processes of 20-30s of XX century. The closing ceremony was held on December 18, 2009 at 7:00pm at assembly hall of Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature. Programme and Theses were published prior to the symposium (in Georgian and English languages). Symposium materials will be published in the near future. English version of the presentations will appear in electronic journal “Litinfo”. A special cultural program was offered to foreign participants of the symposium: The guests have been taken to see the sights of Tbilisi and Mtskheta. International Symposium “Contemporary Issues of Literary Criticism” hopes to welcome the participants again in September, 2009.

For further information contact: Mariam Nebieridze Phone: (99532) 99 63 84; Fax: 99 53 00; E-mail: [email protected]