ალექსანდრე ორბელიანი როგორც ახალი ქართული ლიტერატურის კრიტიკოსი

Abstract

Alexander Orbeliani is one of the most interesting representatives of Georgian literature of the nineteenth century. He has worked in several fields of literature - poetry, prose, drama, criticism and journalism. Alexander Orbeliani’s literary abilities were most clearly revealed in his critical works. Since the 1850s, he has published a number of letters on both general literary issues and the works of particular writers. Alexander Orbeliani’s letter about Grigol Rcheulishvili’s story “Widow’s Lemons” is noteworthy. In this article, the critic discusses the specifics of the historical fiction in general and points out the inconsistencies that greatly diminish the artistic value of Rcheulishvili’s story. In the letter “Attached to the Attachment”, the critic discusses Daniel Chonkadze’s “Suram Fortress” and does not share the artistic concept of the story. Alexander Orbeliani does not consider it right to criticize the nobility as a separate social stratum. According to him, the writer should be interested in more general, ethical problems. It is noteworthy that Alexander Orbeliani notices the emergence of two main currents in Georgian public thought, the birth of two groups, which he conventionally calls “conservatives and progressives.” The critic considers this event as a completely lawful and welcome fact. The fate of the Georgian language, its present and future was one of the main thoughts of Alexander Orbeliani. In his letter “A Few Words on Divorce Comedy”, Alexander Orbeliani questions Platon Ioseliani’s views on Giorgi Eristavi’s linguistic innovation. Orbeliani points out that it is impossible to generalize the language of Giorgi Eristavi’s comedies in all spheres of written speech, as it is suitable for works of the comedy genre and in no case can it claim a common literary language. At the same time, the critic acknowledges the need for a unified literary language. Alexander Orbeliani is one of the most prominent figures in Georgian literature of the 1850s, and together with Nikoloz Berdznishvili and Mikheil Tumanishvili, he stands at the forefront of nineteenth-century Georgian literary criticism.