HISTORY OF THE NATIVE COUNTRY FOR GEORGIAN EMIGRANTS (S. PIRTSKHALAVA'S "HISTORICAL SHADOWS")

Abstract

 Until the 1930s, introducing the younger generation to the historical past and exemplary heroes of their native country depended on the level of knowledge of the “Life of Kartli”, Iv. Javakhishvili’s “History of the Georgian Nation” and the teacher himself, to which were added the requirements of the so-called “conjunctural framework” of socialist realism. Moreover, for almost a dozen years, the families of representatives of the exiled government of independent Georgia and the already grown-up younger generation did not have the appropriate material, a source of knowledge about the history and heroic past of the unknown homeland. This noble task was undertaken by one of the signatories of the Act of Independence, a figure passionately devoted to his country, Samson Pirtskhalava (1872-1952). His work was studied and researched only 30 years after his death. S. Pirtskhalava who was in emigration, was engaged in pedagogical activity, teaching the Georgian language and literature, the history of Georgia to the new generation of emigrants, which was followed by the publication of “Historical Shadows” in Paris in 1934, which was important for young readers to read and understand, and which was compiled into small main episodes of Georgian history. In the 1990 edition, “King Tamar” was added separately, published in Paris in 1939.

The life and work of S. Pirtskhalava as a Georgian book publisher, politician, and journalist has been studied at various times both in print and online, but S. Pirtskhalava’s methodical approach to providing historical passages to the emigrant generation will be presented and discussed for the first time in this article. In turn, it is a unique phenomenon in the teaching of the history of one's native country in emigration and creates new perspectives for the future, which is also the purpose of our article.

Keywords: Historical shadows; Chronicle; Fantasy; Legend.