Gela Charkviani

In the summer of 2008 a book of texts of some of Charkviani's public appearances in his various capacities over the eleven-year period from 1997 to 2008 was released (in English). The book touches upon a considerable variety of issues widely regarded as significant for the newly independent nations of Eurasia and provides vital clues for today's state of affairs in the region.

In 2013 the “Artanuji Publishers” released Gela Charkviani's “An Interview with my Dad” – a dialogue between father and son, who not only belong to different generations, but also hold contrasting beliefs and dissimilar sets of values. The text is based on actual conversations that took place in 1989 – 1992. Already past eighty by that time Candide Charkviani was the only living person who had been directly involved in, and knew first-hand the specifics of relations between Stalin's Kremlin and the Soviet Georgia. After several editions of the book were brought out by the Artanuji, it was translated into Italian and published in 2016 by Palombi Editori under the title “La Dimensione Georgiana di Stalin.”

Charkviani's next work “Nagerala” (Self-sown seedlings) is a collection of excerpts from the notebook records he made over a period of twenty years. It was first published by “Intelecti” in 2014. Its second edition became Georgia's National Bestseller #2 in 2015.

The following work by Gela Charkviani published by “Intelecti” was a historical-diplomatic memoir titled “The Round Dance of Familiar Chimeras.” It is nearly 700 pages long and provides a detailed description of events that took place over the course of eleven years when Eduard Shevardnadze ruled Georgia. It was precisely then that the foundation was laid for the post-communist transformation of the country. As Shevardnadze's foreign policy adviser Charkviani was constantly at his side, attended all his meetings and often translated open, as well as confidential conversations the President held with his foreign counterparts. The text is an insider's narrative about all he lived to witness. Aside from politics, the book contains major elements of the author's biography – his privileged childhood and the tragedies of his later life, the death of his son and the unexpected demise of his beloved wife Nana. The epilogue of the book deals with the author's solipsistic attempts to come to terms with the excruciating pain of loss by denying the reality of the material world, which to him is no more than a “torrent of moving chimeras.”

On 23 December 2016, the Publishers’ Association of Georgia named “The Round Dance of Familiar Chimeras” National Bestseller of the year.

Charkviani's last works include sequels to Nagerala – Nagerala 2 and Nagerala 80. Along with the notebook records, the latter features a play and two short stories written by the author in 1970s. Also in 2018 Artanuji Publishers issued his collection of 70 short narratives titled “In Those Times,” depicting the life in Soviet Georgia.

Charkviani's awards include Order of Honour (1998), Presidential Order of Excellence (2011) and Victory Order of St. George (2013).^[4]

Gela was married to Nana Toidze-Charkviani and had one son and one daughter.^[5] His son Irakli Charkviani was an influential Georgian musician and writer.

Charkviani died on 9 November 2021 at the age of 82 in Tbilisi.^[1][6]

Charkviani, G (2008), Lectures, Speeches and a Toast, Tbilisi, Georgia