Grishashvili Ioseb
Grishashvili (Mamulaishvili) Ioseb [April 11 (23), 1889, Tbilisi – August 3, 1965, Tbilisi], was a poet, scholar and public figure. He was People's Poet of Georgia (1959), a full member of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (1946) and a winner of the Georgian State Prize (1950).
He studied at the Georgian Gymnasium in Tbilisi but did not complete the studies. He worked as an apprentice at a printing house. Grishashvili wrote: "I am a self-taught poet, raised on the folklore of Tbilisi."
From the outset, lyrical poetry dominated Grishashvili’s work. In 1906, he compiled and published the collection Vardis Kona - "A Bouquet of Roses," made up of his own and others’ poems. In 1907, he published a small book of poems titled "Fantasy."
In 1907, V. Gunia invited him to the Georgian Theater ("this was a real university for me...") and entrusted him with the management of the journal "Nishaduri." At that time, Grishashvili met A. Tsereteli, Vazha-Pshavela, and I. Gogebashvili. He published satirical articles, sketches, and epigrams under various pseudonyms in this journal (From 1904, after the death of his father, he became widely known under the pseudonym "Grishashvili").
He wrote and staged plays in the theatre and was simultaneously an actor, director, and administrator. In 1909, he began cooperation with the editorial office of the newspaper "Iveria." Between 1909–1910, he published several literary almanacs: "Strength," "The Sentinel," and "606."
In 1910, Grishashvili's collection of love poems Otsnebis Kotsna -"The Kiss of a Dream" was published, earning him recognition as a talented poet. In 1914, a new collection of poems brought him widespread acclaim and great success. From that point onward, literature became his main field of activity.
Grishashvili authored highly significant studies on literature and history of theater, urban folklore, and Ashugh poetry, among which "Saiatnova" (1914–1918), "The Literary Bohemia of Old Tbilisi" (1926–1927), and "The Life of Alexander Chavchavadze" (1940) are especially noteworthy.
The dictionary of urban vocabulary compiled by Grishashvili is valuable. It was published under the editorship of R. Kusrashvili (1999).
Grishashvili also translated and published in Georgian the Selected Works of H. Tumanyan, as well as fables by I. Krylov and works by Shirvanzade, A. Akhmatova, V. Inber, others.
He received numerous state awards and was buried in the Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures.
Literary works: თხზულებათა კრებული ხუთ ტომად, თბ., 1961–65; ფსევდონიმების ლექსიკონი, თბ.,1987; ჩემი აღმართი, თბ., 1989; დაუბეჭდავი ლექსები, თბ., 1992; რჩეული ნაწარმოებები 4 ტომად, თბ., 2012; ბილწსიტყვაობა, შეკრიბა იოსებ გრიშაშვილმა, თბ., 2014.
Literature: ა გ ლ ა ძ ე შ., გ რ ი გ ო რ ა შ ვ ი ლ ი ნ., იოსებ გრიშაშვილი, თბ., 1989 (ბიბლიოგრაფია); აგლაძე შ., მხოლოდ სიყვარული [პოეტ იოსებ გრიშაშვილის სიყვარულის ისტორია], თბ.,2014; არველაძე ბ., იოსებ გრიშაშვილის პოეტური სამყარო, თბ., 1976; ბართაია ნ., ქართულში შემოსული სპარსული ლექსიკა იოსებ გრიშაშვილის "ქალაქური ლექსიკონის" მიხედვით, თბ., 2010; ლექსმცოდნეობა - იოსებ გრიშაშვილისადმი მიძღვნილი ლექსმცოდნეობის მეშვიდე სამეცნიერო სესია (მასალები), თბ., 2013; ლ ო რ თ ქ ი ფ ა ნ ი ძ ე ი., იოსებ გრიშაშვილი, თბ., 1990; ყოლბაია მ., იოსებ გრიშაშვილი ქართულ ლიტერატურულ კრიტიკაში, თბ., 2012; ხ ი ნ თ ი ბ ი ძ ე ა. იოსებ გრიშაშვილი, თბ., 1956; ჯ ი ბ ლ ა ძ ე გ., კრიტიკული ეტიუდები, [ტ.] 3, თბ., 1959.
R. Gverdtsiteli
