A Spiritual Bridge

About the Book

With this book, I wanted to give at least a glimmer of joy to my eternally tormented country, which for decades has been so preciously owed by the freedom gained through its blood. I wanted to introduce to the English-speaking world how a Georgian person thinks, primarily a Georgian poet, who are so numerous in Georgia. And poetry, after all, it is a bridge between people’s hearts. Then, walk on this bridge and connect our desires, kind people!

About the Author

I was born and raised in a part of Georgia called Abkhazia. The collapse of the Soviet Union followed by a series of wars, after which Georgians expelled from their native lands, including Abkhazia. We have not been able to enter or even visit graves there for about three decades. The country’s destruction followed by the massive migration of people to save themselves and their families. The poems I have translated from Georgian into English include interesting material written on by poets of different ages and represent our feelings, emotional experiences, and joint pain. The connection between heaven and earth, morality, and love are also topics covered in the poems. It is not easy to translate the lyrics from Georgian into English because of its peculiar characteristic grammar structure. We tried to include the rhythm and harmony in the translation as much as possible. I graduated from Tbilisi State University with a Diploma of Honour. For many years, I worked at Iliauni university as an editor and then as a Lecturer. I arrived in the UK in 2001, and here I completed study courses with Cambridge University. I am married to Mr. Ronald Lawrence, the first proof-reader and supporter of my translations in this great work.