Sandro Shanshiashvili
Encyclopedia
Sandro Shanshiashvili (1888-1979) was a Georgian
poet and playwright.
Shanshiashvili was born in the small village Jugaani near Sighnaghi
(then part of the Russian Empire
). In the 1900s, he was noted for his dramas in verse and prose. At the same time, he engaged in revolutionary movement against the Tsarist rule and was put in prison in 1908. He then began writing long poems based on Greek legends
of Colchis
and composed his conventionally titled book of lyrics, The Garden of Sadness (სევდის ბაღი, 1909) influenced by the 18th-century Georgian poet Besiki
and his contemporary French
Symbolist Paul Verlaine
. Around 1910, he was praised by critics as the most promising and the most Europe
anized Georgian poet. Study at Berlin
, Zurich
, and Leipzig
(1911-1914) brought more pronounced influence of Symbolist narrative poetry. During World War I
, he joined the Georgian National Democratic Party advocating the independence from Russia and edited the newspaper Sakartvelo and the magazine Merani. In 1925, Shanshiashvili gathered twenty years of his lyrics into The High Road I Have Travelled (გავლილი გზა), followed by a series of heroic poems. At last, in 1930, he achieved fame throughout the Soviet Union with Anzor, an adapted translation into a Caucasian
setting of Vsevolod Ivanov
’s civil-war
play Armoured Train 14-69
. Sandro Akhmeteli
, director of the Rustaveli Theatre
, transformed the play into a Wagnerian spectacle. The "left" Soviet critics immediately attacked Anzor for trivializing the revolution. In the 1930s, endangered by the Stalinist purges
due to his ties with the purged Georgian intellectuals, he made half-hearted attempts to praise Joseph Stalin
and Lavrentiy Beria
. His later dramas draw factually on the misfortunes of the 18th-century Georgia and the civil war catastrophes. He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1949.
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...
poet and playwright.
Shanshiashvili was born in the small village Jugaani near Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi
Sighnaghi is a town in Georgia's easternmost region of Kakheti and the administrative center of the Sighnaghi District. It is one of the country's smallest towns with a population of 2,146 as of the 2002 census. Sighnaghi's economy is dominated by production of wine,traditional carpets and...
(then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
). In the 1900s, he was noted for his dramas in verse and prose. At the same time, he engaged in revolutionary movement against the Tsarist rule and was put in prison in 1908. He then began writing long poems based on Greek legends
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
of Colchis
Colchis
In ancient geography, Colchis or Kolkhis was an ancient Georgian state kingdom and region in Western Georgia, which played an important role in the ethnic and cultural formation of the Georgian nation.The Kingdom of Colchis contributed significantly to the development of medieval Georgian...
and composed his conventionally titled book of lyrics, The Garden of Sadness (სევდის ბაღი, 1909) influenced by the 18th-century Georgian poet Besiki
Besiki
Besarion Gabashvili , commonly known by his penname Besiki was a Georgian poet, politician and diplomat, known as an author of exquisite love songs and heroic odes as well as for his political and amorous adventures....
and his contemporary 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...
Symbolist Paul Verlaine
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the fin de siècle in international and French poetry.-Early life:...
. Around 1910, he was praised by critics as the most promising and the most Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
anized Georgian poet. Study at Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
(1911-1914) brought more pronounced influence of Symbolist narrative poetry. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he joined the Georgian National Democratic Party advocating the independence from Russia and edited the newspaper Sakartvelo and the magazine Merani. In 1925, Shanshiashvili gathered twenty years of his lyrics into The High Road I Have Travelled (გავლილი გზა), followed by a series of heroic poems. At last, in 1930, he achieved fame throughout the Soviet Union with Anzor, an adapted translation into a Caucasian
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...
setting of Vsevolod Ivanov
Vsevolod Ivanov
Vsevolod Vyacheslavovich Ivanov was a notable Soviet writer praised for the colourful adventure tales set in the Asiatic part of Russia during the Civil War.-Biography:...
’s civil-war
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a multi-party war that occurred within the former Russian Empire after the Russian provisional government collapsed to the Soviets, under the domination of the Bolshevik party. Soviet forces first assumed power in Petrograd The Russian Civil War (1917–1923) was a...
play Armoured Train 14-69
Armoured Train 14-69
Armoured Train 14-69 is a 1927 Soviet play by Vsevolod Ivanov. Based on his 1922 novel of the same name, it was the first play that he wrote and remains his most important. In creating his adaptation, Ivanov transformed the passive protagonist of his novel into an active exponent of proletarian...
. Sandro Akhmeteli
Sandro Akhmeteli
Sandro Akhmeteli was a Georgian theater director whose innovative conceptions and skill at mass scenes profoundly influenced the evolution of Soviet and post-Soviet Georgian theater tradition...
, director of the Rustaveli Theatre
Rustaveli Theatre
Rustaveli National Theatre also referred to as Rustaveli State Drama Theatre, is found in Tbilisi, Georgia. The theatre is conveniently located at 17 Rustaveli Avenue, one of the main streets in Tbilisi...
, transformed the play into a Wagnerian spectacle. The "left" Soviet critics immediately attacked Anzor for trivializing the revolution. In the 1930s, endangered by the Stalinist purges
Great Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
due to his ties with the purged Georgian intellectuals, he made half-hearted attempts to praise Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
and Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Beria
Lavrentiy Pavlovich Beria was a Georgian Soviet politician and state security administrator, chief of the Soviet security and secret police apparatus under Joseph Stalin during World War II, and Deputy Premier in the postwar years ....
. His later dramas draw factually on the misfortunes of the 18th-century Georgia and the civil war catastrophes. He was awarded the Stalin Prize in 1949.