Shota Rustaveli

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Shota Rustaveli, an artistic notion of the poet by Sergo Kobuladze (1937).

Shota Rustaveli (Georgian: შოთა რუსთაველი) was a Georgian poet of the 12th century, considered by many to be one of the greatest representatives of the literature of the medieval world. He is author of the literary work The Knight in the Panther's Skin ("Vepkhistqaosani" in Georgian), the Georgian national epic poem.

1 Biography
2 His work
3 External links
4 Literature

[edit] Biography

Shota Rustaveli, a painting by the French artist Fliert based on an old Georgian manuscript. 1852

Rustaveli was a Georgian noble, the treasurer ("Mechurchletukhutsesi") of Queen of Georgia Tamar and also ordered frescoes in the Georgian monastery of the St. Cross in Jerusalem. One of the pillars of this monastery bears a portrait which is believed to be the portrait of the poet. Few facts are known about Rustaveli's life; in particular dates of his birth and death are unknown.

The meaning of the surname Rustaveli is landlord of Rustavi or a man from Rustavi. Rustavi was a city in Meskheti, south Georgia.

[edit] His work

"The Knight in the Panther's Skin" has been translated into many languages. It was first printed in 1712, in Tbilisi (capital of Georgia).

Among the illustrated secular works produced in Georgia, the manuscripts of "The Knight in the Panther's Skin" occupy an important place.

Manuscript

In the Institute of Manuscripts of the Georgian Academy of Sciences (Tbilisi) are two leaves of the text of the XVI century, and some lines of the poem belong to the XIV century. All other lists of the poem belong to the XVII century (manuscript of 1653, H-54 of the Institute of Manuscripts).

Shota Rustveli (a fresco in the Jerusalem Monastery of the Cross).

The highest Prize of the Republic of Georgia in the fields of Art and Literature is the Shota Rustaveli State Prize. The main street in Tbilisi is the Rustaveli Avenue. Also existing in Tbilisi are the Shota Rustaveli State Academic Theatre, the Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature of the Georgian Academy of Sciences, the Shota Rustaveli Underground Station, etc.

[edit] External links

[edit] Literature

Tite Margvelashvili. "Der Mann in Pantherfell".- "Georgica", London, 1936 (in German)
Zviad Gamsakhurdia. "Tropology of "The Knight in the Panther's skin"" (a monograph), Tbilisi, 1991, 352 pp (in Georgian, English summary)