PROBLEMATICS OF GIORGI SOSIASHVILI'S "The Piest’s Wite”

Abstract

Giorgi Sosiashvili's story "The Priest's Wife" depicts the life of a contemporary clergyman, his personal, family and worship problems. Father Antimozi is an important and distinguished artistic figure as in the old hagiographic and prose of the 19th century, as  in the writing of the 20th and 21st centuries. The artistic time of action and activity is the present, defined by our era, and the space is the church and the family. These two main problems are facing him. It is difficult to violate the church rule and the priest's duties. He is an orthodox holy priest with his soul to flesh, but it is not easy to bind his love to his beautiful wife Teo. Father Antimozi hardly copes with this tense psychological and difficult spiritual situation. The author introduces Tezia into the story, the character of an unknown soul sheltered by the priest, who criticizes priest's strict religiousness and accuses  him because of his carelessness to Teo. Which makes Antimozi jealous and makes his already dramatic situation worse. He makes a rational decision, choosing the golden mean between his wife and the church.  He decides to finish the liturgy in time and pay proper attention to his wife. With this perspective, the priest returns home, which is an indication that he will observe moderation in  worship and take  care of his family properly. He returns home before his wife goes to sleep and family relations will settle into traditional norms and worldly happiness will settle under their roof.       

Keywords: Antimozi, church, Tezia, Teo.