| Georgian Soviet writer, classic of Georgian literature of the 20th century, author of the novel “Data Tutashkhia” Country: Georgia |
Chabua Amirejibi was a Georgian Soviet writer and a classic of 20th century Georgian literature. He was born in Tbilisi to a family of lawyers who were descendants of an ancient noble family. In 1938, his father was repressed and died during the investigation, while his mother was sentenced to ten years in labor camps. In 1944, Amirejibi was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment for his participation in the student political group "White George." He escaped three times, and on his third attempt, using fake documents, he ended up in Belarus and became the director of a factory. However, he was arrested again and sent back to prison. He actively participated in the uprising of prisoners in Norilsk in the 4th camp division of Gorlag. He was then sent to Kolyma in Berlag as a "shtrafnik" (penal laborer). He was released in 1959 and started his literary career in 1960. His first book, a collection of short stories, was published in 1962.
Amirejibi's most notable work is the novel "Data Tutashkhia" (1973-1975), set in pre-revolutionary Georgia. The protagonist, Data Tutashkhia, is a "noble bandit" and a fighter against injustice, named after the pagan Georgian mythological hero Tutashkhia. He sets out to improve the world and goes through different stages in each of the four parts of the novel - enthusiasm in the fight against violence, disillusionment, and self-sacrificing struggle. The book is written in the form of interconnected novellas with a common plot. Amirejibi's writing style is reminiscent of magical realism. His second novel, "Gora Mborgali" (1994), is set in Soviet Georgia and follows the journey of the protagonist, Iagor Kargoreteli, also known as Gora Mborgali, who escapes from a labor camp six times without a clear goal, driven solely by the value of movement. His third novel, "Georgy Blistatelny" (2005), based on a plot from Georgian history in the 14th century, has not been translated into Russian.
Amirejibi also worked in cinema and journalism. He wrote the screenplay for the TV series "Berega" based on his own novel "Data Tutashkhia," for which he received the State Prize of the USSR in 1981. He was the editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Obnovlennaya Iveria" that he founded. From 1992 to 1995, he served as a deputy in the Georgian parliament. In 2010, he openly criticized the regime of Mikheil Saakashvili.
Amirejibi had six children from different wives. In his later years, he was married to Tamara Javakhishvili, a poet and translator. His daughter Manana is a writer, and his daughter Leila works for the Georgian section of the Swiss Embassy in Moscow. Unfortunately, his son Irakli died during the Abkhazian War. His son Lasha is a sculptor, his son Kutsna is a documentary film operator, and his son Shalva is a biologist. Amirejibi had nine grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. His granddaughter Irina is the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Tall Buildings" in Moscow and a member of the Union of Journalists of Russia.