Poet Givi Alkhazishvili dies aged 77

Georgian poet Givi Alkhazishvili, known for his use of varying forms of poetry structures and his teaching of literature, has died at age 77.

Working in poetry, prose and translation, Alkhazishvili authored a range of collections including the 1999 Exodus from Timelessness, for which he was awarded a state prize. Alkhazishvili also became a recipient of the 2011 Saba Prize - one of the two current major literary awards in Georgia - for the poetry collection A Reversed Gaze.

The 2006 collection Koronikoni by the Georgian poet was praised by critic Zaza Shatirishvili, who called it "the first thought-out collection in Georgian poetry where poems represent an imitation of a narrative."

Beside working on published poetry, Alkhazishvili was editor-in-chief of Merani Publishing between 1989-1999, before becoming its director-publisher, and later director until 2006. He also founded Lomisi Publishing.

Alkhazishvili translated a range of foreign-language works, including a collection of poetry by Romanian poet Tudor Arghezi and Pages of Moldavian Poetry. His own poetry was also translated into a number of languages.