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Kutaisi, one of the world’s oldest cities, boasts a rich literary heritage. In 2023, it was designated a UNESCO City of Literature. This year, under UNESCO’s auspices, the city is hosting its first International Literary Festival – Kutaisi: Myth and Literature – an event designed to foster cross-cultural dialogue and celebrate the power of literature.
The festival is organized by Kutaisi Municipality and Georgia’s Ministry of Culture. This three-day event serves as a vibrant cultural platform. It brings together Georgian and international literary scholars, writers, translators, and literature enthusiasts. The festival program features panel discussions, book presentations, and various cultural events.
Among the supporters of Kutaisi I International Literary Festival are Kutaisi International University and Akaki Tsereteli State University. These higher education institutions are hosting the festival’s academic program, which is organized into six thematic panels:
Panel I – “Kutaisi: Myth, History, Literature” – explores the literary image of Kutaisi within the framework of its historical development: from ancient mythology, through the era of the Blue Horns, to its portrayal in the writings of European travelers.
Panel II – “Georgian-Western Literary Relations” – examines the place of Georgian literature within the global literary landscape.
Panel III – “Literature and Intermediality” – explores the interaction between literature and other art forms: visual arts, cinema, music, and theater.
Panel IV – “Translation as a Dialogue Between Cultures” – focuses on the role of translation in cross-cultural understanding and enriching literary cultures. The discussion highlights translation as a form of intercultural mediation, the problems and perspectives of translating Georgian literature into foreign languages, as well as Georgia’s translation heritage.
Panel V – “Soviet and Post-Soviet Georgian Literature: Key Aspects” – explores the key stages in the development of Georgian literature from the second half of the 20th century to the present day: the tragedy and heroism of creativity under the Soviet ideological pressure; the search for personal freedom and the identity crisis of the transitional period; and the interplay of innovation and tradition in contemporary postmodernist prose.
Panel VI – “Literature in the Age of Digital Technologies” – focuses on contemporary literary trends and developments. The discussion examines the impact of digital technologies on literature, including hypertext and post-digital textuality, the relationship between literature and artificial intelligence, and identity narratives in contemporary writing.