Count
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York ...
Akaki Tsereteli ( ka, აკაკი წერეთელი) (1840–1915), often
mononymously known as Akaki,
[Sometimes mistakenly rendered in Russian as Akakiy. Georgian spelling Akaki and Russian spelling Akakiy are both derived from the Greek name Akakios/Acacius, anglicanized as Agathius] was a prominent
Georgian poet and national liberation movement figure.
Early life and education
Tsereteli was born in the village of Skhvitori,
Imereti region of western Georgia on June 9, 1840, to a prominent Georgian aristocratic family. His father was Prince Rostom Tsereteli, his mother, Princess Ekaterine, a daughter of
Ivane Abashidze and a great-granddaughter of King
Solomon I of Imereti.
Following an old family tradition, Tsereteli spent his childhood years living with a peasant’s family in the village of Savane. He was brought up by peasant nannies, all of which made him feel empathy for the peasants’ life in Georgia. He graduated from the
Kutaisi
Kutaisi (, ka, ქუთაისი ) is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the third-most populous city in Georgia, traditionally, second in importance, after the capital city of Tbilisi. Situated west of Tbil ...
Classical Gymnasium in 1852 and the University of
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
Faculty of Oriental Languages in 1863.
Career and legacy
Tsereteli was a close friend of
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 th ...
, a Georgian progressive intellectual youth leader. The young adult generation of Georgians during the 1860s, led by Chavchavdze and Tsereteli, protested against the
Tsarist
Tsarist autocracy (russian: царское самодержавие, transcr. ''tsarskoye samoderzhaviye''), also called Tsarism, was a form of autocracy (later absolute monarchy) specific to the Grand Duchy of Moscow and its successor states ...
regime and campaigned for cultural revival and self-determination of the
Georgians
The Georgians, or Kartvelians (; ka, ქართველები, tr, ), are a nation and indigenous Caucasian ethnic group native to Georgia and the South Caucasus. Georgian diaspora communities are also present throughout Russia, Turkey, ...
.
He is an author of hundreds of patriotic, historical, lyrical and satiric poems, also humoristic stories and autobiographic novel. Tsereteli was also active in educational, journalistic and theatrical activities.
The famous Georgian folk song
Suliko is based on Tsereteli’s lyrics. He died on January 26, 1915, and was buried at the
Mtatsminda Pantheon
The Mtatsminda Pantheon of Writers and Public Figures ( ka, მთაწმინდის მწერალთა და საზოგადო მოღვაწეთა პანთეონი, ''mtats'mindis mts'eralta da sazogado mo ...
in
Tbilisi
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 had a son, Russian opera impresario
Alexey Tsereteli. A major boulevard in the city of Tbilisi is named after him, as is one of Tbilisi's metro stations.
See also
*
Aneta Dadeshkeliani
*
Tsereteli
*
Tsereteli (Tbilisi Metro)
The Tsereteli station ( ka, წერეთელი) is situated intermediate on Saburtalo Line in Tbilisi, Georgia. It's named after Georgian poet Akaki Tsereteli
Count Akaki Tsereteli ( ka, აკაკი წერეთელი) (1840– ...
References
Bibliography
Georgian Information Portal biography*
Donald Rayfield (2000), ''
The Literature of Georgia: A History'', pp. 159–168: "The luminaries: Ilia Chavchavadze & Akaki Tsereteli", .
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsereteli, Akaki
1840 births
1915 deaths
Burials at Mtatsminda Pantheon
People from Imereti
Writers from Georgia (country)
19th-century poets from Georgia (country)
Nobility of Georgia (country)
Male poets from Georgia (country)
19th-century male writers