Gaston Bouatchidzé
Encyclopedia
Gaston Bouatchidzé (born October 21, 1935) is a Georgian
-French
writer and translator.
Bouatchidzé was born in Tbilisi
, of a Georgian
father and French
mother who had lived in France for ten years before moving to the Soviet Union
in 1934. Bouatchidzé graduated from the Lviv University
, Ukrainian SSR
, in 1958 and specialized in the French language
and literature
. He was a professor of French literature at the Tbilisi State University
from 1960 to 1990, and an associate professor of comparative literary studies at the University of Nantes
from 1991 to 2001. He has translated several pieces of Georgian literature into French, and vice versa. A principal subject of his research is the history of Franco-Georgian literary contacts. He was instrumental in forging sisterly ties between the cities of Nantes and Tbilisi, and in organizing the exhibition of the Georgian painter Pirosmani at the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in 1999.
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...
-French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer and translator.
Bouatchidzé was born in Tbilisi
Tbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, of a Georgian
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
father and French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
mother who had lived in France for ten years before moving to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
in 1934. Bouatchidzé graduated from the Lviv University
Lviv University
The Lviv University or officially the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv is the oldest continuously operating university in Ukraine...
, Ukrainian SSR
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
, in 1958 and specialized in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and literature
French literature
French literature is, generally speaking, literature written in the French language, particularly by citizens of France; it may also refer to literature written by people living in France who speak traditional languages of France other than French. Literature written in French language, by citizens...
. He was a professor of French literature at the Tbilisi State University
Tbilisi State University
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University , better known as Tbilisi State University , is a university established on 8 February 1918 in Tbilisi, Georgia. TSU is the oldest university in the whole Caucasus region...
from 1960 to 1990, and an associate professor of comparative literary studies at the University of Nantes
University of Nantes
The University of Nantes is a well-known French university, located in the city of Nantes. Currently, it is attended by approximately 34,000 students. 10% of them are international students coming from 110 countries.-History:...
from 1991 to 2001. He has translated several pieces of Georgian literature into French, and vice versa. A principal subject of his research is the history of Franco-Georgian literary contacts. He was instrumental in forging sisterly ties between the cities of Nantes and Tbilisi, and in organizing the exhibition of the Georgian painter Pirosmani at the Nantes Museum of Fine Arts in 1999.
External links
- Le Chevalier à la peau de panthère (Roman de chevalerie en vers) de Chota Roustavéli - Gaston Bouatchidzé’s translation of The Knight in the Panther's SkinThe Knight in the Panther's SkinThe 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 RustaveliShota RustaveliShota 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....