ქართული სამოგზაურო ლიტერატურის უცხოენოვანი თარგმანები

Abstract

Travel literature, proceeding from the genre specificity, is essentially interpreted in the format of the dialogue of cultures. The author-narrator of a travelogue, familiarizing with a foreign country, is making notes, is writing a diary and is describing everything he sees… Georgian travel literature often contains descriptions of foreign countries Irrespective of the objective of the author’s journey (visiting holy places, finding out the international situation, fulfilling of diplomatic missions, political objectives and interests, military and trade affairs, bringing to light Georgian antiquities, etc.), writer- travelers described customs and beliefs of one or another country, ethnography, folklore... Generally, the travel genre is that sphere of literature which establishes itself in literary processes of various countries by means of mutual supplementing of cultures. Hence, translation and promotion of travel literature is of great importance. Georgian travel texts contain information about a number of European and Oriental countries, but, unfortunately, these texts have not been translated and properly disseminated in foreign languages. They are unknown even to the readers of the countries about which these travelogues are written. Of the numerous old Georgian travel texts, only three have been translated and only in the Russian language (Orbeliani, 1969: 21-121. Translated by P.Tvaltvadze; Orbeliani, 1985: 138-148. Translated by I.Bakhtadze, N.Dimitriadi; Ratishvili, 1986: #3: 131-150; #4: 115-136; 1987: #3: 86-131. Translated by I.Bakhtadze, N.Dimitriadi). In our opinion, this translation deficiency should be overcome and the texts of our writer-travelers should be made available to non-Georgian readers, which appears to us as an urgent task.