Kotetishvili Vakhtang

Kotetishvili, Vakhtang (b. October 24, 1893, village of Didi Toneti, Tetritskaro Municipality – d. 1937), literary scholar, critic, folklorist, sculptor, art historian. In 1911, he graduated from the Tbilisi Theological Seminary; in 1911–1914, he studied at the Pedagogical Faculty of the St. Petersburg Psychoneurological Institute; in 1918, he completed the Faculty of History and Philology at the University of Dorpat (Tartu, Estonia) and began pedagogical activity there. In 1919–1926, he worked as a teacher in Tbilisi schools. In 1926, he was invited to TSU [Tbilisi State University], where he initially delivered lectures on folklore, and from 1929 – on a poetics course introduced on his own initiative. In 1922–1928, he studied at the Tbilisi Academy of Arts (J. Nikoladze's group). From 1928, he lectured there on the theory and history of sculpture.

Kotetishvili's first literary article, "Sazogadoebrivi Motivebi Archil Mefisa da D. Guramishvilis Shemokmedebashi" ["Social Motifs in the Work of King Archil and D. Guramishvili"], was printed in 1912 in Sakhalakho Gazeti [People's Newspaper]. In 1918, he published Shavi Tsigni [Black Book] (a review of the works of Sh. Aragvispireli); in 1921 – Uolt Uitmeni. Proletariatis Poeti [Walt Whitman. Poet of the Proletariat]; in 1925 – Aleksandre Kazbegi da Misi Avtorobis Sakitkhi [Alexander Kazbegi and the Issue of His Authorship]. Kotetishvili was the first among Georgian scholars to create a history course of 19th-century Georgian literature (Parts I–II, 1925; Part III, 1927). He also paid great attention to ongoing processes in literature and was a member of the literary group "Akademiuri Mtserlobis Kavshiri" ["Union of Academic Writing"].

Kotetishvili is one of the founders of Georgian folkloristics. He was the first to lay the foundation for scientific-folkloric expeditions in Georgia. In 1932, a department of folklore was established at the Museum of Georgia, which served as the foundation for "Elkhi", and subsequently for the folklore department and archives of the Rustaveli Institute of Literature. Kotetishvili is the author of many articles. In 1934, he published Volume I of Khalkhuri Poezia [Folk Poetry]. In the foreword and extensive commentary many cardinal issues of Georgian folkloristics were raised for the first time.

Kotetishvili was a victim of Soviet repressions.

Literary works: ქართული ლიტერატურის ისტორია (XIX ს.), თბ., 1959; ხალხური პოეზია, გამოც. მე-2, თბ., 1961; ქანდაკების ისტორია, თბ., 1963; რჩეული ნაწერები ორ წიგნად, თბ., 1965–67; წერილები. გამოსაცემად მოამზადა, წინასიტყვ. და კომენტ. დაურთო ნ. კუპრეიშვილმა, თბ., 2016.

Literature: გამეზარდაშვილი დ., ვახტანგ კოტეტიშვილი, თბ., 1969; გაჩეჩილაძე მ., ვახტანგ კოტეტიშვილი (ბიოგრაფიული ნარკვევი), თბ., 1990; კოტეტიშვილი ვ., ჩემი წუთისოფელი, თბ., 2019.

E. Virsaladze