Kotetishvili Vakhushti
Kotetishvili, Vakhushti, (b. August 4, 1935, Tbilisi – d. August 7, 2008, ibid.), literary scholar, Iranist, poet, translator. Doctor of Philological Sciences (1975), Professor (1978). Graduated from the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Tbilisi State University (TSU) (1959). He delivered lectures at TSU in the same faculty. His field of research was Persian poetry and Georgian folklore. Among his scientific works, notable are "For the Understanding of the Nature of Hafez's Poetry" (1964), "The Structure of the Rhyme of Persian Lyricism" (1975); articles on Persian poetry, as well as literary-critical essays. Kotetishvili published his first poem in 1954, and his first translation in 1958. He is the author of poetry collections: Hourglass [Kvishis saati] (2005), What I Was Caused to Say [Rats metkmevina] (2007), Georgian Sonnets [Kartuli sonetebi] (2016); and a collection of essays – I Shall Speak the Truth [Martals vitkvi] (2005). He translated the lyric poetry of Persian classics – Omar Khayyam, Jami, Hafez, Rudaki, Saadi, Obeid Zakani, and others; as well as examples of German-, Russian-, and Spanish-language poetry. Popular translations include Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat, Jami's Lyricism, and Hafez's Lyricism. He compiled and published with an introduction and commentary the collection Iranian Poetry (1977).
In the 1980s, folklore evenings organized under his leadership enjoyed popularity. From 1994, he was the scientific director of the complex research of folklore, as well as the president of the Georgian department of the UNESCO Folklore Association, vice-president of the Georgia-Azerbaijan Society, and president of the folklore club "Javari". He published three collections: I Wish to Recite One Verse [Leksis tkma mtsadis ertisa] (1987), Folklore Notebooks [Folkloruli rveulebi] (1990), and O White Flower on the Edge of the Cliff [Kldis fkhaze tetro kvavilo] (2007).
In 1995, for his translation of Rainer Maria Rilke's poetic cycles, Kotetishvili was awarded the prize of the Ministry of Culture and Art of Austria (Vienna); in 2003 – the "Saba" literary award for his contribution to the development of Georgian literature; in 2005 – the "Saguramo" literary award; in 2007, a governmental commission of Iran named him among the six best translators from Iranian [Persian] and awarded him a governmental diploma.
He is buried in the Didube Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures of Tbilisi.
Literary sources: აღმოსავლურ-დასავლური დივანი, თბ., 2003; ვერცხლის საუკუნე + ბროდსკი. რუსული პოეზიის თარგმანები, თბ., 2006; ფოლკლორული ძიებანი, თბ., 2006.
M. Tushishvili
