The Poetics of the City in Aka Morchiladze's "Madatov Trilogy"

Abstract

In 21st-century Georgian prose, the city appears in two forms: 19th-century Tbilisi and post-Soviet Tbilisi. It is no surprise that Aka Morchiladze is the most prominent chronicler of both cities. Aka Morchiladze was one of the first authors to compose modern Georgian prose in full accordance with the traditions of a true urban novel, the genre: dark streets, quarrels, profanity, courage, drugs - in a nutshell, everything that characterized the Tbilisi reality in the early 1990s. Then, in the first volume of the Madatov trilogy, "Flight to Madatov and Back," he traveled to the nineteenth century and developed a unique novel full of literary allusions, intertexts, allegories, mystifications, and myths of 19th-century Tbilisi, offering the most vivid portrayal of the city in that era.

The work aims to examine the city as an artistic space and unravel its mythic fabric within the Madatov Trilogy. Aka Morchiladze’s portrayal of the city is shaped by a unique myth he created, inspired by 19th-century Tbilisi and its urban archetypes. If we understand that a city is more than just its physical form - that its essence lies in the influence it has on history, society, politics, and individual lives, then we can also examine Aka Morchiladze’s trilogy in relation to these influences.

Cities, particulalry those with a rich history, have their own myths. Tbilisi is no exception; Tbilisi's mythology is constantly evolving as some myths fade away, while the city's rhythm creates new ones in their place. Myths can be used to discuss the values ​​that unite the majority of Tbilisi residents. In the Madatov Trilogy, we come across oral traditions about Anabaji, Tato Tsulukidze, and the Kintos, along with mystical tales of Madatov Island, the mythology of the Mtkvari River, and more.

At the heart of the book’s story is Madatov Island, one of the main sources of 19th-century Tbilisi’s mythology. As Aka Morchiladze notes in the novel, the island was once the seabed, but when the sea dried up, only the Mtkvari River remained, along with Madatov Island and a slumbering whale at the river’s bottom. In the end, it is this very whale that will bring about the island’s fate. The first volume of the story is about a murder: the body of a Tbilisi resident, Khapo the artist, is discovered on Madatov Island, and the inquiry uncovers a variety of urban secrets. The second novel, "Disappear on Madatov," is set ten years after the events of "Flight" and recaptures the pre-revolutionary excitement of twentieth-century Georgia. Along with the characters from the previous book, we meet interesting heroes.

The Whale on Madatov takes us back to early twentieth-century Georgia and tells the story of Madatov Island's disappearance. The book's ending takes an unexpected turn. Instead of using an existing urban myth, the author creates a whole new myth for Tbilisi, even shaping the city itself in the process. Throughout the trilogy, it seems that Aka Morchiladze views the city as a living organism, constantly shifting its form in response to the social, political, and cultural changes of the country.