Arthur Leist (8 July 1852 – 22 March 1927) was a German writer, journalist and translator of

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

and

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

literature. He was born and educated at Breslau. During the

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 ( tr, 93 Harbi, lit=War of ’93, named for the year 1293 in the Islamic calendar; russian: Русско-турецкая война, Russko-turetskaya voyna, "Russian–Turkish war") was a conflict between th ...

, he got interested in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

. After his three visits to

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

between 1884 and 1892, Leist decided to permanently settle in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

. He regularly wrote on the history, ethnography and culture of Georgia, and translated many pieces of classic Georgian and Armenian literature. He compiled the first anthology of Georgian poetry in

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

in 1887 and, with the help of the Georgian writer

Ilia Chavchavadze Prince Ilia Chavchavadze ( ka, ილია ჭავჭავაძე; 8 November 1837 – 12 September 1907) was a Georgian public figure, journalist, publisher, writer and poet who spearheaded the revival of Georgian nationalism during the ...

, published the complete German translation of the medieval Georgian epic poem ''

The Knight in the Panther's Skin ''The Knight in the Panther's Skin'' ( ka, ვეფხისტყაოსანი, tr literally "the one with the skin of a tiger") is a Georgian medieval epic poem, written in the 12th or 13th century by Georgia's national poet Shota Rustav ...

'' by

Shota Rustaveli Shota Rustaveli ( ka, შოთა რუსთაველი, c. 1160 – after c. 1220), mononymously known simply as Rustaveli, was a medieval Georgian poet. He is considered to be the pre-eminent poet of the Georgian Golden Age and one of th ...

in 1889. From 1906 to 1922, he edited '' Kaukasische Post'', the only newspaper of the Caucasian German community. He died in Tiflis and was buried at the Didube Pantheon.

Works

*''Georgien: Natur, Sitten und Bewohner''. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1885 *''Litterarische Skizzen''. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1886 (Hrsg. Abgar Johannissiany) *''Drei Erzählungen von Raphael Patkanian''. W. Friedrich, Leipzig 1886 *''Georgische Dichter''. W. Friedrich, Leipzig, 1887 *''Armenische Dichter''. E. Pierson, Dresden 1898 *''Schota Rustaweli: Der Mann Im Tigerfelle'' (translation) E. Pierson, Dresden 1898 *''Das Georgische Volk''. E. Pierson, Dresden, 1903 *''Kacheti''. Tiflis, 1927 *''Sakartvelos guli'', Tbilisi 1963 *''Das Bildungsstreben der Georgier und Armenier''. In: ''Gazeta Polska'', Nr. 66, 1882 *''Eine vergessene Literatur''. In: ''Magazin für die Literatur des In- und Auslandes'', 20.1.1883 *''Kolchidaschi'', In: ''Iveria'', Nr. IV-V, 1885, S. 164-211 *''Georgische Sprichwörter''. In: ''Aus fremden Zungen'', Nr. 9, 1900

References

* Schota Rewischwili: ''Arthur Leist und die georgischen Schriftsteller''. Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift / Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Gesellschafts- und sprachwissenschaftliche Reihe, 26(1977)1, S. 97-103 {{DEFAULTSORT:Leist, Arthur 1852 births 1927 deaths Burials at Didube Pantheon German journalists German male journalists Russian and Soviet-German people Armenian studies scholars Kartvelian studies scholars German translators Translators from Armenian Translators from Georgian Translators to German German male writers