PROJECT SUMMARY

Project number FR/262/1-20/13

Project Title Georgian Modernism

1-20 Georgian Literature; Research subdirection/ subdirections 2-110 Literature Studies; 2-151 Culture Studies;

Name of the leading organization Ivane Javakhishvili State University

Web tsu.edu.ge

Name of the co-participating organization

Web

Project Budget (Lari) 95333

Project duration (in month) 24

Personnel

Surnam e, nam e (affiliation, Position in the project Academ ic degree Date of bitrh position)

1 Gaga Lom idze Principal Investigator Doctor 1973-01-06 2 Irakli Kenchoshvili Participant Doctor 1936-10-29 3 Lali Avaliani Participant Doctor 1939-07-20 4 Konstantine Bregadze Participant Doctor 1974-03-16 5 Maia Nachkebia Participant Doctor 1965-03-07 6 Rusudan Turnava Participant Doctor 0000-00-00 7 Nino Gagoshashvili Participant Master 1966-12-22 8 Solom on Tabutsadze Participant Master 1954-12-14 9 Shorena Sham anadze Participant Master 1963-12-22

Project Summary

For decades, literary discourse under pressure from Soviet Marxist ideology was unable to conduct a fundam ental and large- scale research of Georgian m odernism – a peculiar new Golden Age – on a basis of the latest literary m ethods, even from the perspective of Com parative Studies. During the Soviet Era, Modernism was considered as a reactionary-bourgeois, anti-Soviet phenom enon unacceptable for the aesthetics of socialist realism . Georgian literary studies did not have a direct and intensive contact with the Western European literary studies. Because of that fact, they were lacking a relevant theoretical basis. Today, under conditions of cultural globalization, it is possible to conduct entirely new types of researches. The project will fill the vacuum , which still exists in term s of the research of Georgian literary m odernism . Accordingly, fundam ental conclusions drawn through the research of the present project and a prepared large-scale m onograph should be a landm ark work about Georgian Modernism and becom e a guideline for the future researches. In the project, we will discuss peculiarities of m odernism in general, m odernist paradigm , the European context and then, the relation of Georgian Modernism to it; we will also discuss m odernist tendencies and m ovem ents in Europe and . In addition to the analysis of general peculiarities of Modernism as well as historical, political and intellectual context of Georgian Modernism , the project also stipulates the research of various form al, stylistic or them atic features of Georgian Modernism . The m onograph will be com piled based on a chronological principle. Each part will be prefaced with a review-style introduction, which will include the social and political or cultural background in which this m ovem ent was developing. Additionally, for clarity, peculiarities of French, Germ an and Slavic Modernism developm ent will be reviewed briefly, which is im portant for perceiving the general context of the form ation and developm ent of Georgian Modernism . Moreover, the state of Georgian cultural centers of the tim e will also be shown as will the general cultural environm ent (cultural centers in Kutaisi and Tbilisi, Georgian writers living abroad, bohem ian life in Tbilisi/Kutaisi, the Kim erioni café, etc.). Due attention will also be given to the m ost notable figures and groups in Georgian m odernist literature (Tsisperqantselebi [The Blue Horns], futurists, , Konstantine Gam sakhurdia, ), whose lives and works will be reviewed in the conceptual context of Modernism . For instance, a culturological essay will be presented about the lives and works of the Blue Horns (a kind of culturological essay-research Yuri Lotm an m ade in his The Decem brist in Everyday Life); while the life and work Galaktion) Tabidze will be interpreted in relation to the historical figure of Stalin, in the context of the poem s (Left Hom e and Never Returned and Ephem era by Galaktion him self.. A graphical schem e will be added at the end of the m onograph, which will display the m ost notable social, political and cultural events of the period helping us observe the developm ent of this m ovem ent from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. The m onograph will also include poetic works by European (Slavic, French and Germ an texts) m odernist authors translated into Georgian by local m odernists, which will m ake the reception of European authors by Georgian readers (by poets, in this case) m ore observable. For clarity, the m onograph will contain visual m aterial as well – works of European m odernism and Georgian environm ent, in which this m ovem ent was form ing and developing (cardinal figures of Georgian m odernism , architectural works, m eeting places of Georgian intellectuals of the tim e, costum es of the tim e, visual m aterial depicting Georgian m odernist art). The Typology of Georgian Modernism m onograph will be based on the latest achievem ents in Georgian literary studies. The authors hope to create a well-grounded and conceptually new research, which becom es a textbook so necessary (and currently nonexistent) for faculties of hum anities at higher education institutions. In addition to this social and pedagogical function, the m onograph about Georgian literary m odernism will be essential both for Georgian and European specialists.