The theatre of the coryphaei in Georgia: types and forms of ukrainian-georgian literary relations in the nineteenth century

Abstract

The article aims to interpret the activity of the Theatre of the Coryphaei in Georgia from a literary studies perspective, rather than a traditional theatre studies approach. It aims to assess the role of this theatre in the development of Ukrainian- Georgian literary and artistic relations and in the formation of new, previously unaccented types and forms of interliterary interaction, such as Ukrainian-language performances and non-translated works, which contributed to the reception of the Ukrainian word.

The study is grounded in Ukrainian-Georgian relations of earlier periods, including personal contacts, translations, especially Taras Shevchenko's Testament, and historical events, for example the life and creative work of D. Guramishvili, the activities of M. Hulak, particularly his interpretation of Shota Rustaveli's The Knight in the Panther's Skin, as well as the work of O. Navrotskyi. During the period of the Theatre of the Coryphaei in Georgia, special attention is paid to D. Mordovets, whose novel The Descendants of Prometheus was widely known among the Georgian intelligentsia, and to T. Sakhokia, a prominent public figure, linguist, and literary scholar who maintained close contacts with Ukraine, among others.

As the analysis of the material demonstrates, education, particularly at the Kyiv Theological Seminary, as well as the presence of representatives of the Georgian intelligentsia in Ukraine for various purposes, including K. Kekelidze, P. Melikishvili, and D. Uznadze, later renowned scholars and cultural figures, played a significant role in the specific reception of the Theatre of the Coryphaei's performances, which were staged in the original language. Performances of the Theatre of the Coryphaei in Georgia testified that, despite numerous prohibitions, the Ukrainian word continued to live and develop.

Almost all members of the theatre were also engaged in literary activity. An important factor in shaping the specific features of the reception of Ukrainian- language works was the fact that, to renew and expand the theatre's repertoire, actors, including M. Starytskyi, not only wrote their own plays but also adapted works by Ukrainian and foreign authors, such as E. Franzos, E. Orzeszkowa, Yu. Kraszewski, and M. Gogol. As a result, what emerged was an encounter with one's own translated material through the prism of another, foreign-language work, most often reworked individually. These practices proved more powerful than any attempts to prohibit the Ukrainian word and to discredit the very existence of Ukrainian theatre. Our task is to demonstrate the role and functions of new types and forms of interliterary and artistic relations in the reception of Ukrainian literature.