Asatiani Guram
Guram Asatiani (12 August 1928, Tbilisi – 28 June 1982, Tbilisi) was a literary critic and PhD of Philology (1974).
He graduated from Moscow M. Lomonosov State University with a degree in European languages and literature (1951). Afterwards, he completed postgraduate studies at the Moscow Pedagogical Institute (1954). From 1956 to 1957, he served as the correspondent for "Literaturnaia Gazeta" (a literary newspaper) in Georgia. He lectured at the Foreign Languages Pedagogical Institute in Tbilisi. From 1987, he worked at the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature. From 1965 until his death, he was the head of the department. Between 1976 and 1982, he was chief editor of "Literaturnaia Gazeta." He was a member of the Council of Critics at the former USSR Union of Writers. As a council member, he participated in Soviet and international symposiums. His literary-critical writings have been published since 1955 in the Georgian, Russian, and Western European press.
He published a fundamental work on the history of Georgian literature and contemporary issues. He authored monographs and essays such as "Poetry and Poets" [Poezia da Poetebi] (1963), "Georgian Lyricists" [Kartveli Lirikosebi] (1963), "Merani and Its Author" [Merani da Misi Avtori] (1969), "From Vepkhistkaosani to Baktrioni" (1974), and others. Asatiani’s literary-critical works were distinguished by meticulous analysis and artistic refinement. His monographs and studies on G. Orbeliani, A. Tsereteli, Vazha-Pshavela, G. Tabidze, T. Tabidze, P. Iashvili, S. Chikovani, G. Leonidze, I. Abashidze, and other authors represent the pinnacle of Georgian literary criticism. His last work, "At the Source" [Sataveebtan] (1982) is a particularly intriguing attempt at exploring the nature of Georgian aesthetics and character. In this book, the author extensively discusses Georgian national character and nature, based on the main characteristics of Georgian literature.
Literary works: ლიტერატურული წერილები, თბ., 1974; თანამდევი სულები, თბ., 1983; საუკუნის პოეტები, თბ., 1988; ოთხტომეული, თბ., 2002.
Literature: იმედაშვილი კ., გურამ ასათიანი, წგ.: მიჯნა, თბ., 1987.
G. Gverdtsiteli
