Narrative Strategies of the 20s of the 20th Century

Abstract

The author's English summary from the article:

Key words: Georgian Avant-garde prose, European orientation, prose reconstruction.

The revival of Georgian artistic prose became an important event in the twenties of the 20th century. This turnabout realized on the wave of modernist avant-garde was termed by critics at that time as „prose restoration“, „awakening of the conservative“, and the prose itself - „sensi- tive seismograph of the gareskneli (another world)“. The historical-cultural precondition of such change in the tenths of the 20th century became the process of modernization started for the cre- ation of a new cultural paradigm that marked European orientation of Georgian culture. As a result of tremendous efforts creative group of Georgian symbolists managed to make a breakthrough from the viewpoint of poetics, form and content of the verse.

Now it was the turn of prose that was also waiting for reformation. The ultimate purpose of the Bolsheviks - to create controlled literature – initially seemed to be obscure and manifested itself in relatively „naïve“ initiative: „To set up a commission for elaboration of aesthetic terminology under the leadership of the „Commissariat for Educa- tion“. The first meeting that was held in the chief committee was attended by: G.Rtskhiladze, K.Makashvili, L.Kiacheli, K.Gamsakhurdia, S.Abasheli, P.Ingorokva, G.Kikodze. The material was divided according to the branches. K.Gamsakhurdia was charged to pick up the terms from the materials of the theory of poetics; Kartvelishvili - from music; the artist Shavardnadze - from painting; professor Chubinashvili – from architecture.

These individuals were required to submit their work to the Commission within 14 days“. At the same time, more and more polarized writ- ers had to produce proper response on the focus „turbidity“ set on the boundary of reality and artistic invention that caused the approximation of fictitious (invented) and non-fictitious (based on real story) texts. N.Mitsishvili, who was directly included into current events, considered that the strengthening of a genre documentary prose was necessary. It is this with pathos that today already known his works (February, Death, Epopee) having confessional character were written. However, when we deal with such literary phenomena as the novel „Jaqo’s Dispossessed“ created in the twenties, the interrelation between reality and fiction acquires somehow different dimen- sion.

The fiction here is represented as a result of investigation and the action itself that studies not the action but „intermediate motives of the action“. The narrator renders some universal models of possibility and necessity that characterize human life by means of history proper. It is seen in the novel the process of restriction of one’s own self by „all-knowing author“ and demonstration of various views. Through the variation of the view points of an author, narrator and characters the composition of a novel is created. Frequently the views of an author and protagonist come so close to each other that one can easily discover a „reflective“ personage like in Henry James.

The atmosphere of non-dogmatic thinking, experiments introduced in poetry and prose brought about revolutionary change in criticism too. The theory of prose created in the depths of the Russian formalist school made possible the discovery of more than one component in narrative artistic specimens as a complex structure of narration and consideration of social and psychological functions in relation to narrative itself. Instead of the old finished forms the sharing with the principles of the „rethinking of the form“ (V.Shklovskii), motivated by a desire to catch the rhythm of time, its „raised pulsation“ compelled Georgian prose writers to the application of different narrative structures.

There was created the whole pallete of artistic styles, means of expression classified in the twenties as: „pure realistic (M.Javakhishvili), mystical expressionist (K.Gamsakhurdia, symbolic-metaphysical XX saukunis ociani wlebis naratiuli strategiebi (G.Robakidze) and tactile (D.Shengelaya)“ – (A.Gatserelia). In special literature there are given rather reserved evaluations concerning the avant garde prose. It is believed that futurism appeared to be more fruitful in poetry than in prose the specifics of which consists in deformation of the events, sharp ironical and parody spirit, abstrusity, i.e. unconscious language; besides this, multiplicity of fonts used with hidden regularity, different sizes and number of storeys.

A group of Russian innovative writers (A.Kruchionikh, I.Terentiev, I.Zdanevich) who escaped from Russian civil war and found shelter in Tbilisi, displayed great loyalty to the leftist traditions of avant-gardism, unlike those poets (Khlebnikov, Mayakovsky, Kamenskii, Aseev, Burliuk, etc) who stayed in their motherland and led Russian futurism in dif- ferent direction. Being heterogenic from the beginning, at the verge of the tens and twenties still more heterogeneous Tbilisi was disgusted among the local intelligentsia. Their patriotic aspira- tions were alien to the requirements of manifesto of the Futurists who tended to free a word from overall diktat, moreover Dadaists.

From this viewpoint of special importance is this sample of „consultation“ of Georgian Futurists with Igor Terentiev: Georgian Futurists to I.Terentiev: „Our Tasks? Who is to be bitten? With what to scold? What to do?“ Terentiev: „Nothing, but poetic in- ternational. Handle with combination of languages“. Response: „It is impossible in Georgia, they will kill us“… Clearly, the environment so sensitive to language identity as was ours in the depth of which new literary trend was to be established made certain corrections in the plans of young futurists. In spite of this the relation of Georgian avant-garde to classical narrative artistic speci- mens is unambiguously negative.

(S.Chikovani’s „The Death of Belles-Lettres“, D.Shengelaya, „Comentaria de bello Galico“. . An aesthetic lie called „wonderful“ by A. Jorjadze, plot, composition, on which tradi- tional fiction was constructed, was announced as useless anachronism. In spite of this, making their debut prosaic writers (B.Melikishvili, S.Kasradze, M.Mrevlishvili, I.Ioseliani, P.Nozadze, A.Beliashvili) presented the principle of both „aesthetization“ and „utilization“ of the material with equal force. Such essential components of the narrative as: time and time structure, plot and fable, standpoint and vision of the characters and author, and according to Zh.Zhenet’s terminol- ogy focalization and narration focus linked with it or multifaceted narrative text, were expressed in the best specimens of narration by young prose writers in original and interesting way.

For instance, with account of ideological and stylistic peculiarities realized in Vazha’s poetry and Barnov’s prose, sharing Erekle Tatishvili’s teaching the young writer B.Melikishvili develops not only the motives of Georgian myth and folklore but displays the ability to „strive for the mystery of the world, understand religious and philosophical system, stylistic artistry“. In the novel „The White-Breasted Swallow“ inspired by tragic events of the twenties (the August revolt of 1924) we see mytho-poetic interpretation of the idea of freedom. The phrases „to save face“, Toreli can see but is blind“ contain the allusions of preservation personal and national identity.

Language archaization, tense rhythm, original syntax structure, timeless of action, interesting samples of tropic thinking – are the samples of modernist stylistic search. In this we can see the range of approximation to the depth of the language by B.Melikishvili’s as a writer. It is note- worthy being interested in rural theme before, now in urbanized Georgian prose there appears a protagonist, neurotics and terrorist, in M.Mrevlishvili’s strange novel „Inon“. S.Lasradze in his prose saturated with an unusual rhythm that is frequently constructed according to the principle of film shots, gives rise to joy of experience novelty and different perception of the environment.

As to D.Shengelaya, his brilliant novel „Sanavardo“ is a perfect specimen of stylization Georgian environment. „Sanavardo“ represents an interesting synthesis of Georgian tradition and Russian modernism. To some extent, this prose also can be called experimental. Obviously, after „overcom- ing“ such stage, the centuries-old Georgian writing turned to be an integral part of modern world literature instead of being trapped in the frames of socialist realism.

Published in the journal Sjani, vol. 12 (2011), pp. 195–202. Open the paper