125th Anniversary of the Georgian Poet Galaktion Tabidze

On November 16, 2017, London’s Asia House hosted an evening dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the Georgian poet Galaktion Tabidze. The event was initiated and co-organized by the Embassy of Georgia in London. It featured Professor Innes Merabishvili’s talk on the poet’s life and poetry, as well as the launch of her new book of Galaktion’s works’ translations - "Discover Galaktion“.

The event was opened by Pamela Kember, Head of Arts and Learning at Asia House, who talked about the successful cooperation with the Georgian side on different projects. The counsellor of the Embassy, Neli Shiolashvili, greeted the guests of behalf of the ambassador of Georgia, HE Tamar Beruchashvili, and introduced Professor Innes Merabishvili to the audience.

Innes Merabishvili is a Professor of English and Linguistics and the Head of the Translation Department at the Tbilisi State University. She is a well-known Byron scholar, founder and Patron of the Byron Society of Georgia and the Byron School of Tbilisi. Professor Merabishvili is the author of over fifteen books and monographs; she translates Galaktion Tabidze into English and Byron into Georgian.

The event was attended by members of the UK parliament, British cultural and literature institutions, foreign diplomats and representatives of Georgian diaspora in the UK.

Within the framework of the event, Professor Merabishvili conveyed the award of Georgian Union of Writers and Journalists - “Gold Feather” to British poet and dramaturge, Lord Dominic Mereworth. It is noteworthy that Lord Mereworth was an initiator of Galaktion’s 120th birth anniversary held in London’s Canning House in 2012, also with participation of Professor Innes Merabishvili.

After the talk, the guests had an opportunity to taste Georgian wine, provided by the Embassy of Georgia.

The Embassy of Georgia expresses its appreciation towards Asia House for an exceptional partnership and collaboration.

Asia House is the UK’s center of expertise, which drives political, economic and cultural engagement between Europe and Asia by bringing together relevant people and institutions to engage in discussions.