Page 175 - Vinkler, Jonatan, Ana Beguš and Marcello Potocco. Eds. 2019. Ideology in the 20th Century: Studies of literary and social discourses and practices. Koper: University of Primorska Press
P. 175
The Forbidden Homeland: Viktor Nozadze’s Scholarly Activity 175
tions of the emigrant scholar, and offered that Revaz Baramidze should
deliver a presentation at the session of Tbilisi State University Council to
familiarize his colleagues with the contents of The Language of Colors in
The Knight in the Panther’s Skin.
However, the situation changed in 1963, after the publication of
Nozadze’s next book, The Theology of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin
(Georgian: Vepkhistqaosnis ghvtismetqveleba). Under the supervision of
Glavlit,4 censorship was exercised over printed matter and references to
material present in the list of ‘politically harmful literature’ were sup-
pressed. Repression was especially relentless for emigrants’ books, and
works by Viktor Nozadze were included on the list. Thus, the renowned
scholar Gaioz Imedashvili was heavily criticized for “trying to revive the
names of forgotten researchers of Rustaveli (N. Zhordania, V. Nozadze,
S. Dolakidze)” in his research on The Knight in the Panther’s Skin and
for “failing to pay due attention to native scholars” (A.Baramidze 1969,
122). The Georgian emigrant and well-known writer Akaki Papava, on
the other hand, demonstrates how the repression affected the existence of
the emigrants. In the journal Kavkasioni, he wrote:
The emigrant living abroad is absolutely helpless. He does not even have an
opportunity to apply to any research institute or any of its researchers, or to
write to any scholar and ask to send one or another excerpt ... Every such at-
tempt will end in deathly silence, and will very likely cause great troubles for
the addressee (Nozadze 1966, 141).
The same idea is expressed in private letters of Viktor Nozadze: “I might
have written to you concerning other issues as well, but I would not like
you to find yourself in an awkward situation because of me”; “Due to this
reason, I have ceased communication with many persons for fear that my
letters may harm someone”. In his memoirs, Aleksandre Baramidze also
touches on this issue and notes: “I suspect that his letters failed to reach
4 Glavlit (the General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press un-
der the Council of Ministers of the USSR) was established in 1966 at the Council
of Ministers of the Soviet Union. Glavlit units existed in the cities of all fifteen Sovi-
et republics. As a successor of the Main Administration for Literary and Publishing
Affairs under the People’s Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR (established in
1922), Glavlit was in charge of the list of “politically harmful” literature that was sent
to libraries and bookstores. When an order on banning a book or an author was is-
sued, this literature was kept in the “special collection” or was destroyed. It was also
prohibited to refer to the works of such authors in references and citations.
tions of the emigrant scholar, and offered that Revaz Baramidze should
deliver a presentation at the session of Tbilisi State University Council to
familiarize his colleagues with the contents of The Language of Colors in
The Knight in the Panther’s Skin.
However, the situation changed in 1963, after the publication of
Nozadze’s next book, The Theology of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin
(Georgian: Vepkhistqaosnis ghvtismetqveleba). Under the supervision of
Glavlit,4 censorship was exercised over printed matter and references to
material present in the list of ‘politically harmful literature’ were sup-
pressed. Repression was especially relentless for emigrants’ books, and
works by Viktor Nozadze were included on the list. Thus, the renowned
scholar Gaioz Imedashvili was heavily criticized for “trying to revive the
names of forgotten researchers of Rustaveli (N. Zhordania, V. Nozadze,
S. Dolakidze)” in his research on The Knight in the Panther’s Skin and
for “failing to pay due attention to native scholars” (A.Baramidze 1969,
122). The Georgian emigrant and well-known writer Akaki Papava, on
the other hand, demonstrates how the repression affected the existence of
the emigrants. In the journal Kavkasioni, he wrote:
The emigrant living abroad is absolutely helpless. He does not even have an
opportunity to apply to any research institute or any of its researchers, or to
write to any scholar and ask to send one or another excerpt ... Every such at-
tempt will end in deathly silence, and will very likely cause great troubles for
the addressee (Nozadze 1966, 141).
The same idea is expressed in private letters of Viktor Nozadze: “I might
have written to you concerning other issues as well, but I would not like
you to find yourself in an awkward situation because of me”; “Due to this
reason, I have ceased communication with many persons for fear that my
letters may harm someone”. In his memoirs, Aleksandre Baramidze also
touches on this issue and notes: “I suspect that his letters failed to reach
4 Glavlit (the General Directorate for the Protection of State Secrets in the Press un-
der the Council of Ministers of the USSR) was established in 1966 at the Council
of Ministers of the Soviet Union. Glavlit units existed in the cities of all fifteen Sovi-
et republics. As a successor of the Main Administration for Literary and Publishing
Affairs under the People’s Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR (established in
1922), Glavlit was in charge of the list of “politically harmful” literature that was sent
to libraries and bookstores. When an order on banning a book or an author was is-
sued, this literature was kept in the “special collection” or was destroyed. It was also
prohibited to refer to the works of such authors in references and citations.
