Georgia’s female poets:
Bilingual anthology celebrates literary creativity

A collection of modern pieces by Georgian female poets is earmarked to be the next sought-after publication for literary enthusiasts in both Georgian and English languages.

The bilingual anthology Georgian Female Poets will include poetry by 32 Georgian women, arranged based on birth dates of their authors.

The anthology will open with poems by celebrated late poet Ana Kalandadze (1924-2008), who first published her works in 1946.

A number of translators helped make the anthology available in two languages. Photo by the Tbilisi Centre of Cultural Events.

Other authors are prominent poets Iza Orjonikidze (1938-2010) and Esma Oniani (1938-1999) as well as new authors including 2014 Saba Literary Prize winner Lia Liqokeli.

Featuring biographies of the included poets, the collection was presented for the first time at the National Youth and Children's Palace in Tbilisi yesterday.

A number of translators were part of the project to make the anthology available in English. The collection was created based on an idea by poet Mariam Tsiklauri, who co-founded the Foundation for the Development of Children's Literature nominated for the 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award.

Publishers of the collection said its release was "especially important" ahead of Georgia's appearance at the 2018 Frankfurt Book Fair, in which Georgia is the official Guest of Honour.

The Frankfurt Book Fair is the largest global literary event staged annually in Germany, and in recent years Georgia has hosted a stall at the prominent event.

The publication of the anthology Georgian Female Poets was supported by the Tbilisi Centre of Cultural Events.