Georgian Literature

No where can you find international issues more quickly anthologized through literature than in literary journals. Readers wanting to educate themselves on cultures and issues, and teachers wanting to engage students in global issues have instant access through numerous print and online publications. International Poetry Review* is one such journal, devoting its most recent issue to Georgia (v35n1). Guest Editor Dominik Irtenkauf introduces the issue with his comments, “Mythology in Georgia Today.” It begins:

“In global terms, Georgia has become more popular because of the Caucasus conflict. When it comes to attracting the attention of the media, all too often, only bad news is good news. However, the newspaper headlines aside, Georgia is a country whose rich cultural history repays our careful attention…Nowadays, Georgian writers, poets most of all, suffer from financial and cultural deprivations in their country. Nevertheless, literature is strong there because of its rich heritage and voluptuous poetic language.”

The issue includes the original poems, written in a Georgian alphabet Irtenkauf calls “all its own, not to be confused with the Cyrillic,” and Bela Tsipuria, PhD in Georgian Literature, Tbilisi State University, provides an introduction worthy of its own study for the value of Georgian history she provides readers.

This issue of IPR is an outstanding example of the importance of literature in developing a broadly informed view of world cultures.

*The IPR website it a bit outdated, but Editor Mark Smith-Soto assures me updates are in the near future.