Rati Amaglobeli © Writers’ House of Georgia

Rati Amaglobeli [Georgia]

Georgian poet and translator Rati Amaglobeli was born in Tbilisi in 1977. He studied philology at the Ivane Javakhishvili State University until 2000 and has been publishing his poems in anthologies and journals since 1994. His debut »The Verb« was published in 2000. In his texts, he plays with alliteration, language ornamentation, and repetition of words and sounds. He also uses words and images from ancient Georgia, as well as topoi that spring from Oriental poetry. His verses are often built around a single sound. Amaglobeli is famous for his live performances together with electronic musician Gogi Dzodzuashvili, where he virtuously combines Western and Eastern styles. Thanks to these performances, he became a star of contemporary poetry in Georgia. Rati Amaglobeli has translated Goethe, Morgenstern, Nietzsche, and Rilke from German, and Tsvetaeva, Akhmatova, and Brodsky from Russian into Georgian. He recorded a CD with the band Post Industrial Boys. A selection of his poems was translated into German and published under the title »Kains Ernte oder: Tod der Logik« (2018; tr: Cain’s Harvest or: Death of Logic). Amaglobeli’s awards include the Zinandali Prize in 1999. From 2005 to 2010, he was the host of the literary program »The History of Voices« on Georgian Public Radio. From 2010 to 2011, he was the editor of the magazine »Hot Chocolate« and from 2011 to 2018, he was the president of the Georgian PEN Club. He also gives weekly public lectures at »Book House«. He lives in Tbilisi.

Bibliography

Angelarium

2018

The Verb

2000

If

2003

Circle

2006

Poems

2011

Kains Ernte oder Tod der Logik

Dağyeli

Berlin, 2018

[Ü: Nana Tchigladze, Sabine Schiffner, Mario Pschera]