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The Snake's Skin

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Wikipedia article




'The Snake's Skin' (Das Schlangenhemd) (also referred as 'The Snake's Slough') is a novel by prominent Georgian writer Grigol Robakidze. It was written and published in the Georgian and German languages.

Background and reception



According to Grigol Robakidze's nephew, Rostom Lominashvili, "During the First World War, Grigol Robakidze was in Iran. It was there that 'The Snake's Skin' took shape".Lominashvili, Rostom, Editor. Grigol Robakidze The Truth is Everything for Me (Collected Writings), Tbilisi. 1996 Grigol Robakidze himself states that the idea for 'The Snake's Skin' was generated in Iran: The idea of 'The Snakes Skin' came to me in the summer of 1917 in Hamadan.Robakidze, Grigol. Article Lamara (a brief biography). Geneva. January 1954 In 1926 the novel 'The Snakes Skin' was published for the first time in Georgian, the language in which it was originally written.Robakidze, Grigol. The Snakes Skin (Georgian Edition), Merani Publishing. Tbilisi. 1988 In 1928 Grigol Robakidze translated it himself into German, and left for Germany thereafter for its German publication, which included an introduction by Stefan Zweig a prominent Austrian writer of the time.Robakidze, Grigol. Das Schlangenhemd (ein Roman des georgischen Volkes). Vorwort von Stefan Zweig, Eugen Diederichs Verlag, Jena: 1928

Prominent Georgian and German writers, literary critics and linguists highly appreciate not only literary part of the novel, but also its language phenomenon (Georgian as well as German) and called Grigol Robakidze a genius writer.Lominashvili, Rostom, Editor. Grigol Robakidze The Truth is Everything for Me (Collected Writings), Tbilisi. 1996

In 2005, Georgian author and researcher Tamar Injia claimed to discover that Grigol Robakdize's 'The Snake's Skin' was extensively plagiarized by Kurban Said in his novel 'Ali and Nino: A Love Story'. Injia's research findings were first published in a series of articles in the Georgian newspaper 'Our Literature'Injia, Tamar. Again, on Peculiarities of Ali and Nino. Second Letter. Newspaper "Akhali Epoqa" ("New Epoch"), insert "Chveni mtserloba" ("Our Literature"). 30 May 5 June 2003. Print.Injia, Tamar. Whether the author of 'Ali and Nino' was acquainted with 'The Snake's Skin' by Grigol Robakidze? Newspaper "Akhali Epoqa" ("New Epoch"), insert "Chveni mtserloba" ("Our Literature"). 2127 March 2003. Print. (2003) and later printed as books 'Grigol Robakidze Kurban Said Literary Robbery' (2005) in GeorgianInjia, Tamar. Grigol Robakidze. Kurban Said Literary Robbery. Meridiani Publishing. Tbilisi: 2005. / 9789994046218 / 99940-46-21-7 and 'Ali and Nino Literary Robbery!' (2009) in English.[http://geoliteka.weebly.com Injia, Tamar. Ali and Nino Literary Robbery! IM Books. Norwalk, Conn: 2009.] / 978-0-615-23249-2

The findings of professor Injia were supported and shared by the representatives from various literary circles, scholars and researchers from Georgia and the US: Gia Papuashvili documentary movie producer and philologist;Papuashvili, Gia. This Literary Cheating Has Been Revealed. Akhali Epoqa (New Epoch), insert Chveni mtserloba (Our Literature). 410 April 2003. Print. Levan Begadze German linguist, Georgian literary critic and philologist;Bregadze, Levan. He Had Read It. Newspaper Akhali Epoqa (New Epoch), insert Chveni mtserloba (Our Literature). 2026 June 2003. Print. Zaza Alexidze former Director of the Georgian National Center of Manuscripts, and discoverer and decipherer of the Caucasian Albanian written script; Betty Blair researcher of authorship of 'Ali and Nino: A Love Story' and founding editor of Azerbaijan International Magazine.Blair, Betty. [http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai152_folder/152_index_eng.html Who Wrote Azerbaijan's Most Famous Novel "Ali and Nino"? The Business of Literature.] Magazine "Azerbaijan International", Volume 15.24 (2011)

Plot summary



The novel 'The Snake's Skin' is about entire universe, where the space is complete and united. The scene takes place at the entire planet: the West and the East; Russia, Europe and finally Robakidzes motherland Georgia. Here one may also find an imaginary world of American billionaire living in his villa at Mediterranean Sea along with various prominent artists.

There is only one tense in 'The Snakes Skin' present, but it includes past and future as well. The main thing is reality, but myths and legends are part of this reality. The way of thinking is not only particularly human, but at the same time metaphysical and idealistic.

The personages of the novel do not live in the particular time period, or represent persons with concrete nationality. The author describes generalized citizen of the world that gets transformed into a particular person or in other words, returns to his roots (actual father, motherland), oneself, and the God. This is an adventure of Archibald Mekeshis soul taking place throughout the centuries.

Further reading



* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/1452891/THE_THIRD_SHORE_OF_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZE_AND_VLADIMIR_NABOKOV The Third Shore of Grigol Robakidze and Vladimir Nabokov]". 'Intellectual' 16 (2011): 1523, (in Russian).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/1453102/THE_CHRONOTOPE_OF_NATURE_IN_THE_ARTISTIC_WORLD_OF_GR._ROBAKIDZES_THE_SNAKES_SKIN_ The Chronotope of Nature in the Artistic World of G. Robakidze's 'The Snake's Skin']". 'Intellectual' 17 (2011): 2328, (in Russian).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/1453144/THE_CHRONOTOPE_IN_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZES_NOVEL_THE_SNAKES_SKIN_ The Chronotope in Grigol Robakidze's Novel 'The Snake's Skin']". 'Intellectual' 18 (2012): 3746, (in Georgian).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/5371207/THE_CHRONOTOPE_OF_REMEMBRANCE_IN_VLADIMIR_NABOKOVS_MASHENKA_AND_IN_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZES_THE_SNAKES_SKIN_ The Chronotope of 'Remembrance' in Vladimir Nabokov's 'Mashenka' and in Grigol Robakidze's 'The Snake's Skin']". Publisher: 'European Narratology Network', November 2013: 14, (in English).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/4938402/A_DIALOGUE_OF_EAST_AND_WEST_IN_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZES_NOVEL_THE_SNAKES_SKIN A Dialogue of East and West in Grigol Robakidze's Novel 'The Snake's Skin']". 'Mermisi', 2013: 9396, (in Georgian).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/16474013/THE_CONCEPT_OF_ROAD_IN_THE_NARRATIVE_SPACE_OF_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZES_THE_SNAKES_SKIN The Concept of Road in the Narrative Space of Grigol Robakidzes 'The Snake's Skin']". 'The Kartvelologist' 6 (March 2014), (in English and in Georgian).

* Avetisian, Violeta. "[https://www.academia.edu/6764936/THE_PERCEPTION_OF_TIME_AND_SPACE_CROSSING_THE_SPATIOTEMPORAL_BOUNDARIES_IN_VLADIMIR_NABOKOVS_MARY_AND_IN_GRIGOL_ROBAKIDZES_THE_SNAKES_SKIN The Perception of Time and Space: Crossing the Spatiotemporal Boundaries in Vladimir Nabokov's 'Mary' and in Grigol Robakidze's 'The Snake's Skin']". 'Consciousness, Literature and the Arts' 15, no. 1 (April 2014), (in English).


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