Vol. 18 (2025): International Conference Emigration and Literary Discourse
Georgian Literature in Emigrant Journalism and Literary Criticism

Portrait of Ilia Chavchavadze in the Emigrant Narrative

  • Zaza Abzianidze,
  • Ketevan Elashvili
Zaza Abzianidze
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature
Ketevan Elashvili
Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University; Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62119/cils.18.2025.10923

Published 2026-02-19

Keywords

  • Spiridon Kedia,
  • Shalva Amirejibi,
  • Aleksandre Manvelishvili,
  • Noe Jordania,
  • Mikheil Tsereteli

Abstract

At this stage, we will only touch on the phenomenon of Ilia, thanks to which a suitable place was identified for Georgia on the world political map. For Spiridon Kedia, Ilia was “a rock grown from the heart of the earth”, and for Shalva Amirejibi – “the smartest Georgian”. Aleksandre Manvelishvili also perceived Ilia's contribution in the same spirit. As for Noe Zhordania, he still tried to disguise his long-standing con­frontation with Ilia and somehow covered up its scale. Mikheil Tsereteli summarizes all of the above as fol­lows: "Noe Zhordania was able to give the Georgian nation what Ilia Chavchavadze fought for..."