Nikoloz Baratashvili, Georgian romantic poet: biography and creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Nikoloz Baratashvili was a man with a tragic and difficult fate. Now he is considered among the recognized classics of Georgian literature, but none of his works were published during his lifetime. His first poems were published only 7 years after he passed away. And the collection of works was released in Georgian only in 1876.

Biography of Nikoloz Baratashvili

Nikoloz (Nikolai) Melitonovich Baratashvili was born on December 15, 1817 in the city of Tiflis (Tbilisi). His parents were Georgian nobles, princes: his father was Prince Baratashvili Meliton Nikolaevich; mother - Princess Efimiya Dmitrievna Orbeliani.

His mother was a descendant of the famous Georgian king Heraclius II (Kartli-Kakhetian ruler). The well-known poet Grigol Orbeliani, who acted for some time as the Russian governor in Transcaucasia, was Nikoloz's uncle. His spiritual mentor during his studies at the gymnasium was a well-known representative of the intelligentsia,the author of the logic textbook Solomon Dodashvili.

The personality of the future poet was formed in the environment of educated people who were inspired by the ideas of the Decembrists, the French enlighteners. In the social circle of adults, whom young Nikoloz listened to, the ideas of Georgia's independence, sadness about the loss of its independence, memories of past greatness hovered.

Study, accident

In 1827, the family assigned Nikoloz to study at the Tiflis Noble Noble School. It was there that he fell under the influence of his mentor, the famous political figure, philosopher Solomon Dodashvili. He instilled in the future poet the ideas of humanism, the spirit of national freedom.

However, while studying at this institution, Nikoloz had an accident that affected his entire future life. One day he fell down the stairs and seriously injured his legs. As a result, Baratashvili acquired an incurable lameness, which led to the collapse of his dream - the desire to enter the military service.

Unloved job, family problems

Family problems, namely the rapid decline in the income of his family, who fell into a wild lifestyle, as well as the debts and illness of his father, led Nikoloz Baratashvili to refuse to continue his education at a Russian university. As the sole breadwinner of the family, he began working as a simple official in the Expedition of Reprisal and Judgment.

Nikoloz took this turn of fate as a humiliation. Moreover, he stopped seeing any prospects for himself, losthope for the future.

Beginning of creative activity, disappointments

This time Baratashvili was already seriously engaged in writing poetry. The vicissitudes of life were reflected in the content of his poetry. She is filled with disappointment and loneliness. However, outwardly, Nikoloz tried to give the impression of a witty person, revelers, sometimes angry with his tongue.

The worldview and work of Nikoloz was also influenced by the events of the political conspiracy of 1832, when individual representatives of the Georgian intelligentsia, among whom was his teacher Solomon Dodashvili, attempted to separate Georgia from the Russian Empire. The actions of the conspirators were unsuccessful, and Baratashvili, who sincerely supported them, realized that he would have to say goodbye to the dream of the country's independence.

Love failures, love lyrics

In his personal life, Nikoloz, who is experiencing serious financial difficulties, suffering from his acquired lameness, was also haunted by failures and disappointments. He fell in love with Ekaterina Chavchavadze, daughter of the famous Georgian writer Alexander Chavchavadze. But this love was not mutual. He did not achieve the location of the beauty. Catherine gave preference to Prince David Dadiani, the de facto ruler of Megrelia. However, Nikoloz's poems dedicated to his beloved are a brilliant example of lyrical love works.

The arrival of fame

By this time, by the beginning of the forties of the XIX century, young Nikoloz Baratashvili was already known as a poet. He was able to unite aroundlike-minded and talented young people, becoming the leader of a literary circle. After the death of Baratashvili, his comrades subsequently created a well-known Georgian theater in 1850 on the basis of the circle. In addition, they began publishing the literary magazine Ciskari in 1852.

The fame of Nikoloz as a talented poet has spread far beyond the borders of Georgia. He was also noted at the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences, offering the position of a correspondent whose main task was to collect materials on Georgian history.

However, at this time, Nikoloz Baratashvili again overtook family problems. His father was completely bankrupt. In order to somehow solve his financial problems, Nikoloz was forced to leave Georgia, to Azerbaijan.

Death of a poet

First, he continued his service in the city of Nakhichevan, and later moved to the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. In this village, he caught a serious infectious disease. According to some, it follows that it was a malignant fever. Others say that Baratashvili contracted a severe form of malaria. However, for him, it turned out to be a fatal disease. Nikoloz Baratashvili died on October 9, 1845, at the age of only 27.

Long way to eternal rest

The ashes of the poet were reburied three times. For the first time, a foreign land accepted him alone, in the absence of relatives and friends at the funeral. He was buried in a cemetery in the Azerbaijani city of Ganja.

7 years after they were published in Georgiapoems by Nikoloz Baratashvili, he immediately became extremely popular in his homeland. A public movement arose, which set as its goal the reburial of his remains in Georgia. The Georgian people were able to accomplish this in 1893. His ashes were buried in the Didube Pantheon, where figures of Georgian culture were buried.

For the third time, Nikoloz Baratashvili was reburied after another 45 years. In Soviet Georgia, in 1938, his ashes were transferred to the Pantheon of Mount Mtatsminda. The most famous and worthy figures of Georgian national culture found peace there. In this place, Nikoloz Baratashvili rightfully took his place of honor.

Poet's legacy

Baratashvili's literary heritage is small in terms of quantity. Only 36 poems and one historical poem "The Fate of Georgia" came out from under his pen. However, the significance of his work and personality for the literature of Georgia cannot be overestimated.

Researchers of the poet's work believe that after the legendary Shota Rustaveli for 600 years, no one has managed to raise Georgian poetry to such a high national and universal level as Nikoloz Baratashvili brought it to.

The Brockhaus and Efron Dictionary dedicated the following lines to the Georgian poet:

“Severe personal failures and the insignificance of the environment left the stamp of melancholy on the work of the poet, nicknamed the“Georgian Byron”. In the era of the fight against the highlanders and the general enthusiasm for military exploits, he appeals toanother, better glory - to make your peasants happy; he longs for self-sacrifice in the name of the motherland. Baratashvili's pessimism does not fit into the framework of personal discontent; it is philosophical in nature, determined by the general needs of the human soul. Baratashvili is the first Georgian poet-thinker who embodied the universal ideals of justice and freedom in his beautifully shaped works.”

Merani is considered the pinnacle of his work. It is considered the most beloved poem of the Georgian people. He is considered one of the perfect samples of the poetry of the romantic poet Baratashvili.

In Azerbaijan, Nikoloz is known for writing the poetic work “The Song of Gonchabeyim”. It is dedicated to the famous poetess of Azerbaijan - Gonchabeyim, who was the daughter of the last ruler of the Nakhichevan Khanate, Eskhan Khan. Moreover, he translated her works into Georgian.

Baratashvili came to Soviet, Russian culture at the beginning of the 20th century, already under Soviet rule. His works, published in translation from the Georgian by Boris Pasternak, immediately gained considerable fame. Songs, vocal cycles, oratorios have been written to Baratashvili's poems. Their authors are such well-known cultural figures as Sergey Nikitin, Elena Mogilevskaya, Otar Taktakishvili.

Baratashvili's works became famous thanks to the translations of Bella Akhmadulina, Evgeny Yevtushenko, Maxim Amelin.