🏛️ Vazha Pshavela House Museum: Life and Work of the Poet

Address: Dusheti, Chargali village

The museum contains memorial items related to the life and work of the Georgian poet Vazha-Pshavela (1861-1915), ethnographic materials of the 19th and early 20th centuries, editions of the poet's collected works of various years, paintings, graphics and sculptures dedicated to the poet, photographic material, etc.

Until he was 8 years old, Vazha grew up in Pshavi, in the village of Chargali, in a large family of his father, the village priest Pavle Razikashvili. The poet's younger brother Bachana (Niko Razikashvili) also became a poet.

He studied at the Telavi theological school, then at the two-class city school in Tbilisi and at the Gori Teachers' Seminary, which he graduated from in 1882. In 1883-1884 he was a free listener at the Faculty of Law of the University of St. Petersburg.

However, due to a difficult situation, he soon left the university; for several years he worked as a village teacher, including at the school in Didi Toneti. He then returned to Chargali and, like other peasants, plowed the land, looked after the cattle and went hunting. He enjoyed great influence among the highlanders. Rarely went down to the valley. His brilliant poems, stories and verses were written during the long nights in Pshavi.

Vazha-Pshavela's poetic style is distinguished by its great originality. The primary source of his colorful thinking was folk art. During the poet's lifetime, Vazha-Pshavela's works were rarely published as separate books (a collection of stories from 1888, 1889; "Works" from 1899; "Tears" from 1909 and others). In 1930-1956 the writer's collected works were published in Tbilisi in seven volumes. Vazha-Pshavela's masterpieces have been translated into Russian (by translators V. Derzhavin, B. Pasternak and others), English, French, German and other languages.

In 1961 the 100th anniversary of the poet's birth was celebrated. In the same year, the Vazha-Pshavela house-museum was founded in the village of Chargali.

Vazha-Pshavela Museum is located in his native village of Chargali, where he grew up and received his first impressions, which later found their reflection in his works. The museum contains many memorial items related to the life and work of the poet, including editions of his works from different years, paintings, graphics, sculptures, photographs of the poet and his manuscripts. The museum is a real treasure trove for all lovers of literature and art. Vazha-Pshavela, a famous Georgian poet, was not only a talented writer, but also a scientist. In his youth, he studied not only his native Georgian language, but also other languages, such as Russian, French and Latin. He also showed interest in law and politics. After completing his studies at the Gori Teachers' Seminary, in 1883 he enrolled as an auditor at the Faculty of Law of St. Petersburg University, but due to a difficult situation, he was forced to quit his studies and return to his homeland, where he began working as a teacher and engaged in agriculture.

However, returning to his homeland did not prevent him from continuing his literary work. He began writing in his free time and during long hunts, which were his favorite pastime. In his works, one can see the bright colors of Georgian nature, romance, love for his land and people, as well as philosophical thoughts.

Vazha-Pshavela's poetic style is distinguished by its great originality, as he drew inspiration from folk creative culture, which brought elements of folklore and folk customs into his works.

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