Arthur Leist
Encyclopedia
Arthur Leist was a German
writer, journalist and translator of Georgian
and Armenian
literature.
He was born and educated at Breslau. During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), he got interested in the Caucasus
. After his three visits to Georgia
between 1884 and 1892, Leist decided to permanently settle in Tiflis. He regularly wrote on the history, ethnography and culture of Georgia, and translated many pieces of classic Georgian and Armenian literature. He compiled the first anthology of Georgian poetry in German
in 1887 and, with the help of the Georgian writer Ilia Chavchavadze, published the complete German translation of the medieval Georgian epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin
by Shota Rustaveli
in 1889. From 1906 to 1922, he edited Kaukasische Post
, the only newspaper of the Caucasian German
community. He died in Tiflis and was buried at the Didube Pantheon.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
writer, journalist and translator of Georgian
Georgian language
Georgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
and Armenian
Armenian language
The Armenian language is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. It is the official language of the Republic of Armenia as well as in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities in the Armenian diaspora...
literature.
He was born and educated at Breslau. During the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), he got interested in the Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
. After his three visits to Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
between 1884 and 1892, Leist decided to permanently settle in Tiflis. He regularly wrote on the history, ethnography and culture of Georgia, and translated many pieces of classic Georgian and Armenian literature. He compiled the first anthology of Georgian poetry in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in 1887 and, with the help of the Georgian writer Ilia Chavchavadze, published the complete German translation of the medieval Georgian epic poem The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin
The Knight in the Panther's Skin is an epic poem, consisting of over 1600 shairi quatrains, was written in the 12th century by the Georgian epic-poet Shota Rustaveli, who was a Prince and Treasurer at the royal court of Queen Tamar of Georgia. The Knight in the Panther's Skin is often seen as...
by Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli
Shota Rustaveli was a Georgian poet of the 12th century, and one of the greatest contributors to Georgian literature. He is author of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" , the Georgian national epic poem....
in 1889. From 1906 to 1922, he edited Kaukasische Post
Kaukasische Post
The Kaukasische Post is a bi-monthly German language newspaper in Georgia in the Caucasus. The first issue was published on 18 June 1906 by Kurt von Kutschenbach and edited by the writer and journalist Arthur Leist in Tbilisi...
, the only newspaper of the Caucasian German
Caucasus Germans
Caucasus Germans are part of the German minority in Russia and the Soviet Union. They migrated to the Caucasus largely in the first half of the 19th century and settled in the North Caucasus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and in the region of Kars...
community. He died in Tiflis and was buried at the Didube Pantheon.
Works
- Georgien: Natur, Sitten und Bewohner. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1885
- Litterarische Skizzen. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1886 (Hrsg. Abgar Johannissiany)
- Drei Erzählungen von Raphael Patkanian. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1886
- Georgische Dichter. W. Friedrich, Leipzig, 1887
- Armenische Dichter. E. Pierson, Dresden 1898
- Das georgische Volk. E. Pierson, Dresden, 1903
- Kacheti. Tiflis, 1927
- Sakartvelos guli, Tbilisi 1963
- Das Bildungsstreben der Georgier und Armenier. In: Gazeta Polska, Nr. 66, 1882
- Eine vergessene Literatur. In: Magazin für die Literatur des In- und Auslandes, 20.1.1883
- Kolchidaschi, In: Iveria, Nr. IV-V, 1885, S. 164-211
- Georgische Sprichwörter. In: Aus fremden Zungen, Nr. 9, 1900