Niko Nikoladze
Biography
The book explores the life of a remarkable Georgian public …
Republication of Works
We aim to republish Akaki Bakradze’s texts and return them to Georgia’s public sphere. Most of his important writings are no longer in print and are nearly inaccessible to the younger generation. The project will focus on republishing these texts in both print and digital formats. We also hope to begin translating key texts into English so that his voice may reach new audiences. To meaningfully reintroduce these works into public life, events and book clubs will also be organized to engage the public with their content.
Note: Please refer to the Georgian version of this page to learn more.
Books We Wish to Republish and Bring into Print
Selected Essays and Public Commentary
Essays
The book brings together critical essays that were published in …
The Tergdaleulebi did not seek to shape Georgian life and freedom with borrowed ideas. Instead, they aimed to study deeply the history, character, customs, and temperament of the Georgian people and to build the future on the foundation of that understanding.
— Akaki Bakradze, Niko Nikoladze
European culture nurtured the ideal of personal and national freedom among the conquered peoples of Africa and Asia—it awakened them. Russian culture, on the other hand, offered no such ideal. It produced instead new forms of enslavement, of both the individual and the nation, and found a new path to Russification, under the banner of socialism.
— Akaki Bakradze, The Taming of Literature
“What our ancestors did, we must do the same”—that is a philosophy of Chinese culture. If we follow that, we too will become like the Chinese: stagnant in one place, unable to move forward. If we truly want progress and victory, we must not shy away from naming our flaws. We must speak the truth and call out whatever is false and unworthy. How can we improve ourselves if we do not know where our shortcomings lie?
‘We have been left three sacred inheritances from our forefathers: our homeland, our language, and our faith. If we fail to protect even these, what will we say to the generations that follow?’
‘If we look back, it should only be to better see the road ahead. History is a great teacher because it shows us the missteps of our ancestors, and with that, provides us with the lessons to act wisely.’
— Akaki Bakradze, Ilia Chavchavadze