Georgian-Russian Relations of Postcolonial Period in Georgian Fictional Prose and Public Essays

Abstract

The study is focused on post-Soviet Georgian-Russian relations as reflected in Georgian literature: fictional prose and public essays. Two centuries of Russian domination in Georgia was ended in 1991, with declaring by Georgia it’s independence from the USSR on April 9, and with the official dissolution of the USSR on December 26. Like other Soviet Republics, as well as Eastern European states, Georgia started to face a new political and societal reality, and this was adequately reflected in the area of literature/culture. Keeping in mind that during the whole period of Russian colonialism in Georgia, Georgian literature used to be the main area for the resistance to the Russian domination, it seems logical that also by the time of national protests against the USSR in the 1980s, as well as in post-Soviet times, Georgian literature was representing most topical issues, preparing the nation for a new reality, and carrying a mission of cultural reorientation.

However, for almost three post-Soviet decades, Georgian-Russian relations is still the most topical and problematic issue, which influences the political, societal and cultural reality of the sovereign state of Georgia.

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