The 1st Tbilisi International Festival of Literature Program


    18-23 May

 

18 MAY, MONDAY

Venue: Writers’ House of Georgia, 13, Machabeli str.

 

12.00 -  Press Conference: organizers, sponsors, partners

18.00 -  Opening of the Tbilisi International Festival of Literature

18.30 - Philip Besson (France) - meeting with the public/book presentation “DE LÀ, ON VOIT LA MER” (“Intelekti” Publishing).

            Discussion language: French with Georgian translation

 

20.00 - Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus) talks with AnnaKordzaia-Samadashvili.

           Book presentation “Voices from Chernobyl” (“Artanuji” Publishing).

           Discussion language: Russian

21.30 - Poetry Jam – with the participation of all poets of the Festival

 

19 MAY, TUESDAY

 

15.00 - Philip Besson (France) meets Tbilisi State University students

            Tbilisi State University

18.00 - Raoul Schrott (Austria) - Hesiod’s “Theogony”, Homer’s “Iliad”, ancient texts, their sources and background

            Moderation by Lasha Bakradze

            Discussion language: German with Georgian translation

            Literature Museum 

18.00 - Claudio Pozzani (Italy) meets the students of Dante Alighieri Society

            Discussion language: Italian

            Dante Alighieri Society, Tbilisi Committee 

 

18.00 - Vera Pavlova (U.S.) – poetry evening

            Language: Russian

            Caucasian House 

 

19.00 - Mikolaj Lozinski (Poland) meeting with the public

            Moderation by Magda Novakovska

            Discussion language: Polish with Georgian translation

            Europe House Tbilisi 

 

19.00 - Sarah Bower (UK), Anthea Nicholson (UK) moderation by Davit Gabunia

            Discussion language: English with Georgian translation

            Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

20.30 - Caronlyn Forche (U.S.), Kimberly Johnson (U.S), Paata Shamugia (Georgia) - Poetry evening

             Language: English, Georgian

             Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

20 MAY, WEDNESDAY

 

15.00 - Sarah Bower (UK) meets students of Free University. Workshop on creative writing

            Discussion language: English

            Free University 

 

18.00 - Violet Grigoryan (Armenia), Giunel Mevlud (Azerbaijan), Eka Kevanishvili (Georgia) – poetry evening

             Language: Armenian, Azeribaijani and Georgian with English translation

             Caucasian House

 

18.00 - Raoul Schrott (Austria) – Lyric and Prose, meeting with the public.

             Discussion language: German

             Goethe Institute Tbilisi 

 

19.00 - Photo exhibition “Ukrainian Night” with photographer Miron Zownir and author of the book Kateryna Mishchenko. Serhiy Zhadan (Ukraine) talks about events in Ukraine.

            Moderation by Lasha Bakradze

            Discussion language: Russian with Georgian translation

            Europe House Tbilisi 

 

19.00 - Claudio Pozzani (Italy) – poetry reading, meeting with the public. Presentation of the translation of his book “March of Shadow”. Presentation of “Anthology of modern Georgian poetry” in Italian translation.

             Translator: Nunu Geladze

             Language: Italian with Georgian translation

             Writers House of Georgia 

20.30 - Poetry of Lithuanian poets Language: Lithuanian with Georgian translation

            Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

21 MAY, THURSDAY

 

14.30 - Josip Novakovich (Croatia/Canada) meets students of the University of Georgia.

            Moderation by David Dephy

            Language: English with Georgian translation

            Georgian University

 

18.00 - Presentation of U.S. Embassy Book translation program

            Language: English with Georgian translation

            Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

19.00 - Panel discussion: “Poetry today: off-center of literary mainstream” – Claudio Pozzani (Italy), Violet Grigorian (Armenia), Vera Pavlova (U.S.), Kimberly Johnson (U.S), Rati Amaglobeli (Georgia).

             Discussion language: English/Russian with Georgian translation

             Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

20.30  - Vera Pavlova (U.S.), Serhiy Zhadan (Ukraine) and Zviad Ratiani (Georgia) - poetry evening

              Language: Russian, Ukrainian, Georgian

              Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

22 MAY, FRIDAY

 

14.30 - Lucy Tapahonso (U.S.) meets the students of the American Academy in Tbilisi

            Discussion language: English

            American Academy in Tbilisi 

 

18.00 - Rasul Yunan (Iran) talks with Giorgi Lobjanidze

            Discussion language: Persian with Georgian translation

            Caucasian House 

 

18.00 - Panel discussion: “Writer and Citizen – civil responsibility of the author” Svetlana Alexievich (Belarus), Carolyn Forche (U.S.), Lucy Tapahonso (U.S.A), Josip Novakovich (Croatia/Canada), Giunel Mevlud (Azerbaijan), Lasha Bugadze (Georgia).

             Moderation by Levan Berdzenishvili (Georgia)

             Discussion language: English, Russian with Georgian translation

             TBC Gallery 

 

20.00 -  Kimberly Johnson (U.S.), Carolyn Forche (U.S.) and Zviad Ratiani (Georgia) In Memoriam Mark Strand

              Language: English/Georgian

              Writers’ House of Georgia 

21.00 - Final poetry night with participation of all guests

            Writers’ House of Georgia 

 

23 MAY, SATURDAY

 

13:00 - Childrens’ session with Vaso Guleuri and Davit Gabunia, 

reading of Sven Nordkvist’s picture books  “Findus and Petsson”

              Language: Georgian

 

14:00 - Workshop for students – how to write a play with Lasha Bugadze (Georgia)

            Language: Georgian

 

17:00 - Workshop for students – creative writing with Anna Kordzaia-Samadashvili (Georgia)

            Language: Georgian

 

Programm +

 

Nino Surguladze’s exhibition of Theatre Costumes

From 16 to 24 May, Tbilisi International Festival of Literature presents exhibition of theatre costumes by designer Nino Surguladze. The costumes have been created specially for the play "Demons" by F. Dostoyevsky and will be presented to the public at Writers' House of Georgia for the first time.
Nino Surguladze graduated from Tbilisi State Arts Academy. She studied scenography at New York University, was electurer of painting at the University of Tennessee in 1993-94. In 2004 she started to work with director Levan Tsuladze at "Theatre Basement" and later at Kote Marjanishvili State Drama Theatre in Tbilisi. She also works with various directors as theatre and film scenographer; together with Levan Tsuladze she participated in several international projects - plays such as" As you like it" and "Diary of a madman". "The Guardian" wrote about Nino's work: "There is a shambolic chic to Nino Surguladze's costumes and it seems that an exuberant milliner has ensured no deserving head go without a hat". Nino Surguladze has had two personal exhibitions and has participated in various group exhibitions; she has decorated more than 20 theatre plays, short and documentary films.