AN UNKNOWN MANUSCRIPT OF THE FIRST GEORGIAN TRANSLATOR OF HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN’S FAIRY TALES

Abstract

In the late 19th century, in Georgian periodicals and journals for children were printed Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytales translated from German and Russian. This paper deals with unknown Georgian translations in the 1870ies. The manuscripts were found among folklore materials in the Folklore Archive at Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature. An overview of sources and philological research reveals the consecutive order of Georgian translations of Andersen’s fairy tales. The unknown Georgian manuscript discussed in this paper was created earlier than the published translations of Andersen’s fairy tales. The unpublished manuscript belongs to the folklore collection of the Society for the Spreading of Literacy among Georgians. The critical analysis of the sources reveals the translator’s name and biographical notes. At the beginning of the history of Georgian translations of Andersen’s fairy tales stays Levan Cherkezishvili, one of the public figures of the 19th century.

“The Snow Queen” and “The Nightingale” are the most highly acclaimed fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen. They are regularly included in selected fairy tales of his work and frequently reprinted in illustrated storybook editions for children. The unknown Georgian text includes translations of these fairy tales. The translations of fairy tales surpass literary circles to enrich other cultural representations and require study from the interdisciplinary perspective of philology, history and cultural anthropology.  

Keywords: Fairy Tale, The Snow Queen, The Nightingale, Children’s Literature, Folklore Archive.