Precolonial Period Political and Sociocultural State in “Davitiani” and the History of its Study in Socialist Realism Era

Abstract

The history of the study of „Davitiani" counts almost more than a century and a half. Davit Guramishvili created not only own self-portrait but also a self-portrait of the whole nation. During his time living in Georgia, Russia and Ukraine he has never been distant form political and historical events. The goal of our research is to answer the following questions: Under Soviet rule when nationalism was received as a thing of the past, how were the national and personal troubles represented in „Davitiani” perceived in scientific literature? How is the political and sociocultural state reflected in „Davitiani” and how was it received in Soviet period? Were the political and sociocultural relations between Georgia, Russia and Ukraine described in "Davitian" being studied based on the information in various literary sources and archival materials? What indicators did Soviet comparative literature provide us with for analyzing „Davitiani”? Was Davit Guramishvili generally thought of as a uniting symbol of three nations or was it a Soviet propaganda? How was Davit Guramishvili’s artistic face portrayed across Georgia, Ukraine and Russia during the Soviet Union?