Titsian Tabidze (Georgian: ტიციან ტაბიძე, simply referred to as Titsiani; Georgian: ტიციანი) (21 March [O.S. 2 April] 1890 – 16 December 1937), was a Georgian poet and one of the leaders of the Georgian symbolist movement. He fell victim to Joseph Stalin's Great Purge, was arrested and executed on trumped-up charges of treason. Tabidze was a close friend of the well-known Russian writer Boris Pasternak, who translated his poetry into Russian.
Tabidze was the son of a Georgian Orthodox priest in the province of Imereti, western Georgia, then part of Kutais Governorate, Imperial Russia. Educated at the University of Moscow, he returned to Georgia to become one of the cofounders and main ideologues of the Blue Horns, a coterie of young Georgian symbolists founded in 1916. Later, Tabidze's work combined European and Asian trends into eclectic poetry which significantly leaned towards Futurism and Dadaism, while also paying tribute to the classics of Georgian literature, which had been attacked by the early Blue Horns. After the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia in 1921, he chose a conciliatory line towards the Bolshevik regime, but did not abandon his Futuristic and decadent style despite half-hearted attempts at praising the "builders of socialism". His poetry on the history of the Caucasus, particularly Imam Shamil, propounded "an avant-garde aesthetic of transgressive sanctity".[1]
Tabidze was a close friend of the Russian writer Boris Pasternak and the correspondent in his Letters to Georgian Friends. Pasternak knew Titsian as "a reserved and complicated soul, wholly attracted to the good and capable of clairvoyance and self-sacrifice",[2] and translated his poetry into Russian.
The Great Purge
Early in 1936, the Soviet press published several articles critical of formalism in the arts. Titsian Tabidze and fellow Georgian poets Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, Simon Chikovani, and Demna Shengelaia came under fire for their "failure to free themselves from the old traditions and forge closer contact with the people." Many poets and writers, horrified by the emerging political purges in the Soviet Union, accepted the criticism and made public recantations. Tabidze refused to do so and counterattacked.
Foreseeing the consequences of Tabidze's defiance, Pasternak, in a private letter, urged his friend to just ignore the attacks on formalism: "Rely only on yourself. Dig more deeply with your drill without fear or favor, but inside yourself, inside yourself. If you do not find the people, the earth and the heaven there, then give up your search, for then there is nowhere else to search."[3]
Arrest and execution
On 10 October 1937 Tabidze was expelled from the Union of Georgian Writers and then arrested by the NKVD. He was charged with anti-Soviet agitation and betraying the Motherland. Broken under torture and denial of sleep, Tabidze "confessed" to all the charges. When interrogators demanded to know the names of his co-conspirators, Tabidze, with bitter sarcasm, named only the 18th-century poet Besiki.[4] Within two months he was shot, although no announcement of this was leaked.
Legacy
Tabidze's arrest and disappearance was a shock to all who knew him. His lifelong friend and fellow symbolist poet, Paolo Iashvili, had already been forced to denounce several of his fellow poets as enemies of the people. But after Tabidze's arrest, Iashvili shot himself with a hunting rifle inside the Writers’ Union in Tbilisi.[3]
For almost two decades, however, Tabidze's family and friends believed that he was still alive. In 1940, Boris Pasternak helped Nina Tabidze draft a petition to Lavrenty Beria on her husband's behalf. However, it was not until the mid-1950s, during the Khrushchev thaw, that the truth about Tabidze's fate emerged.[5]
Tabidze's poetry has been translated into many languages, including Russian and English. Russian poets Boris Pasternak and Osip Mandelstam translated him into Russian. Rebecca Ruth Gould's translations of Titsian Tabidze into English have appeared in Seizure, The Brooklyn Quarterly, Tin House, Prairie Schooner, and Metamorphoses. Gould also interviewed Titsian Tabidze's daughter Nita in the Tbilisi home Nita shared with her father in 2010.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Titsian Tabidze.
References
^Gould, Rebecca Ruth (2016). Writers and Rebels: The Literature of Insurgency in the Caucasus. New Haven: Yale University Press. p. 193. ISBN9780300200645.
^Lang, David M. (1962), A Modern History of Georgia, London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, p. 255.
T. Tabidze. Okroqana (Golden Field) (audio) (English)
T. Tabidze. Slowly Walking To and Fro (audio) (English)
January 29, 2023
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Titsian Tabidze Georgian ტიციან ტაბიძე simply referred to as Titsiani Georgian ტიციანი 21 March O S 2 April 1890 16 December 1937 was a Georgian poet and one of the leaders of the Georgian symbolist movement He fell victim to Joseph Stalin s Great Purge was arrested and executed on trumped up charges of treason Tabidze was a close friend of the well known Russian writer Boris Pasternak who translated his poetry into Russian ტიციანი TitsianiTitsian by Irakli GamrekeliBorn21 March 1895Chkvishi Kutais Governorate Russian EmpireDied16 December 1937 1937 12 16 aged 42 killed by NKVD Tbilisi Georgian SSR Soviet Union or SiberiaOccupationpoetLanguageGeorgianNationalityGeorgianGenrepoetry symbolismLiterary movementBlue HornsSpouseNino MakashviliChildrenNita TabidzeRelativesGalaktion Tabidze Contents 1 Early life 2 The Great Purge 3 Arrest and execution 4 Legacy 5 References 6 LinksEarly life Edit Titsian Tabidze at age of 19 1914 Tabidze was the son of a Georgian Orthodox priest in the province of Imereti western Georgia then part of Kutais Governorate Imperial Russia Educated at the University of Moscow he returned to Georgia to become one of the cofounders and main ideologues of the Blue Horns a coterie of young Georgian symbolists founded in 1916 Later Tabidze s work combined European and Asian trends into eclectic poetry which significantly leaned towards Futurism and Dadaism while also paying tribute to the classics of Georgian literature which had been attacked by the early Blue Horns After the establishment of Soviet rule in Georgia in 1921 he chose a conciliatory line towards the Bolshevik regime but did not abandon his Futuristic and decadent style despite half hearted attempts at praising the builders of socialism His poetry on the history of the Caucasus particularly Imam Shamil propounded an avant garde aesthetic of transgressive sanctity 1 Tabidze was a close friend of the Russian writer Boris Pasternak and the correspondent in his Letters to Georgian Friends Pasternak knew Titsian as a reserved and complicated soul wholly attracted to the good and capable of clairvoyance and self sacrifice 2 and translated his poetry into Russian The Great Purge EditEarly in 1936 the Soviet press published several articles critical of formalism in the arts Titsian Tabidze and fellow Georgian poets Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Simon Chikovani and Demna Shengelaia came under fire for their failure to free themselves from the old traditions and forge closer contact with the people Many poets and writers horrified by the emerging political purges in the Soviet Union accepted the criticism and made public recantations Tabidze refused to do so and counterattacked Foreseeing the consequences of Tabidze s defiance Pasternak in a private letter urged his friend to just ignore the attacks on formalism Rely only on yourself Dig more deeply with your drill without fear or favor but inside yourself inside yourself If you do not find the people the earth and the heaven there then give up your search for then there is nowhere else to search 3 Arrest and execution EditOn 10 October 1937 Tabidze was expelled from the Union of Georgian Writers and then arrested by the NKVD He was charged with anti Soviet agitation and betraying the Motherland Broken under torture and denial of sleep Tabidze confessed to all the charges When interrogators demanded to know the names of his co conspirators Tabidze with bitter sarcasm named only the 18th century poet Besiki 4 Within two months he was shot although no announcement of this was leaked Legacy EditTabidze s arrest and disappearance was a shock to all who knew him His lifelong friend and fellow symbolist poet Paolo Iashvili had already been forced to denounce several of his fellow poets as enemies of the people But after Tabidze s arrest Iashvili shot himself with a hunting rifle inside the Writers Union in Tbilisi 3 For almost two decades however Tabidze s family and friends believed that he was still alive In 1940 Boris Pasternak helped Nina Tabidze draft a petition to Lavrenty Beria on her husband s behalf However it was not until the mid 1950s during the Khrushchev thaw that the truth about Tabidze s fate emerged 5 Tabidze s poetry has been translated into many languages including Russian and English Russian poets Boris Pasternak and Osip Mandelstam translated him into Russian Rebecca Ruth Gould s translations of Titsian Tabidze into English have appeared in Seizure The Brooklyn Quarterly Tin House Prairie Schooner and Metamorphoses Gould also interviewed Titsian Tabidze s daughter Nita in the Tbilisi home Nita shared with her father in 2010 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Titsian Tabidze References Edit Gould Rebecca Ruth 2016 Writers and Rebels The Literature of Insurgency in the Caucasus New Haven Yale University Press p 193 ISBN 9780300200645 Lang David M 1962 A Modern History of Georgia London Weidenfeld and Nicolson p 255 a b Suny Ronald Grigor 1994 The Making of the Georgian Nation 2nd edition p 272 Indiana University Press ISBN 0 253 20915 3 Tarkhan Mouravi George 19 January 1997 70 years of Soviet Georgia Retrieved on 14 May 2007 Barnes Christopher J 2004 Boris Pasternak A Literary Biography p 147 Cambridge University Press ISBN 0 521 52073 8 Links EditT Tabidze A Poem Landslide audio English T Tabidze Okroqana Golden Field audio English T Tabidze Slowly Walking To and Fro audio English Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Titsian Tabidze amp oldid 1126401750, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
