You recently translated Tamta Melashvili's book ‘Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry’ into Polish, which has a female main protagonist. While searching for information about Georgian literature, I came across Princess Elizabeth Orbeliani – a poet, translator and philanthropist involved in the fight for women's rights. The feminist thread in Polish literature was also particularly visible in the cultural programme of the Polish Presidency of the EU Council. Is the situation of Georgian women also reflected in literature?
Cover of the book ‘Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry’ by Tamta Melashvili, translation: Magdalena Nowakowska, photo: press / Filtry Publishing House
Absolutely. Tamta Melashvili is the most striking example of this, but not the only one. There’s a strong representation of feminist writers, or simply strong women, who write. And Georgian women are strong! Another stage of emancipation, of claiming the public domain, is taking place with full awareness, despite the patriarchy counterattacking. These processes are close to us Polish women. Women are taking the initiative – we see this in the protests that are currently taking place, and we see this reflected in literature.
This is exactly what Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry is about. About claiming one’s own space, about the right to self-determination, the decision-making capacity. We also return to past figures of Georgian women writers: Tamta Melashvili does this, but also Salome Benidze and Nestan Kvinikadze, to name just a couple. The most obvious historical figure was Queen Tamara in the 12th century. This woman ascended to the throne of Georgia, which was surrounded by Muslim states back then. Elsewhere you have the greatest work of Georgian literature, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin by Shota Rustaveli. Brilliant in every respect, this epic tells the story of how a woman not only can, but also should. The book belongs to the literary canon, and Georgians consider it a very important element of their identity.
We can go even further: to the very first monument of Georgian literature, The Martyrdom of the Holy Queen Shushanik by Iakob Tsurtaveli. Shushanik was a Christian who opposed her husband, a follower of Zoroastrianism. Not wanting to give up her faith, she was martyred by her own husband. Of course, we also have Medea... In modern times, meaning the turn of the 20th century, a whole host of Georgian women associated with the feminist movement entered the scene. They wrote, worked for women’s education and rights, and were members of the first national assembly of independent Georgia. And then they fought the Bolsheviks.
It’s incredibly encouraging that even without knowing each other, we see the similarities of our cultures.
And it’s precisely this paradox that’s wonderful. The way in which we are drawn to each other, even though this empire that stands between us tries to distance us from each other. But the effect is the opposite every time, because both Poles and Georgians are terribly stubborn people.
The translation seminar Poezja Tu i Teraz (Poetry Here and Now) was held on April 8-11, 2025 in Tbilisi, Georgia, as part of the Literatura – nowy rozdział (Literature: A New Chapter) series, itself part of the cultural programme for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute.
Magdalena Nowakowska – kartvelologist, anthropologist, cultural animator, communication specialist and translator of Georgian and Polish literature. A graduate of the Georgian Institute of Public Affairs, she worked as a communications expert at UNDP Georgia and the Polish Embassy in Tbilisi. She has worked as a correspondent for Polish and international media in the Caucasus. She has created and managed events promoting joint initiatives of artists, curators and activists from the Caucasus, the Balkans, as well as Eastern Partnership and EU member countries. Her speciality is Georgian polyphony, on which she is writing a PhD in cultural anthropology at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
