Rafiel Eristavi and Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani

Abstract

Rafiel Eristavi is a great name in the history of Georgian culture. He left his mark on 19th century Georgian public opinion, poetry, writing, dramaturgy, journalism, folkloristics, ethnography, lexicology-lexicography… He is a devoted servant of the national ideals of the Georgian people;

He surprised his contemporaries with his incredible multifaceted work and gained unprecedented respect and love during his lifetime.

On the 70th anniversary of his birth (for the first time in the history of Georgian culture), the Georgian nation celebrated the jubilee of his writing and public work. This fact was equated to a secular holiday and thus started the tradition of paying anniversaries for national figures in Georgia. It happened on October 22, 1895. Ekvtime Kheladze collected the jubilee materials and published them as a separate book. This is how the Georgian nation immortalized the merits of its famous figure.

We are already 200 years away from this glorious date. Unfortunately, time has forgotten many aspects of Rafiel Eristavi's character and has given him a place in the annals of history