GALAKTION HOUSE-MUSEUM TABIDZÉ ON THE RIONI

Going to the village of Tchvichi to visit the house-museum of the poet Galaktion Tabidze is a good opportunity to make a trip to the heart of the Rioni Valley, in addition to discovering the world of a Georgian artist.

The museum is located outside the village, directly on the banks of this strange river. Windy, dusty, the Rioni valley is a place that seems far away, somewhere between the Camargue, the Hungarian plain, the valley of the Southern Alps and some Asian plain. The banks of the river are as arid as the climate is humid; the shallow river meanders through a clayey bed. The region's poor infrastructure, the harnessed carts of the inhabitants and the horses in semi-liberty often galloping along the banks accentuate an impression of time travel. There are no tourist sites or towns located right on the river. Visiting the Tabidzé Museum is therefore a unique opportunity that does not come up countless times in a visitor's life. It is also a trip to the USSR that you will make. The museum-house contains all the quirkiness of this type of institution. There is a large, well-kept palm garden where the poet's statue is enthroned. A small wooden house, very poor, where he was born. Close by, a huge, dilapidated, poorly lit, solid Soviet building containing a large, unique hall where black and white photos of the poet are displayed, without any explanation. A dozen or so women run this museum, which is hardly ever visited and yet always open, ready to welcome the courageous and curious visitor. You will discover there less the work of Galaktion Tabidze than the celebration of which he was the object during the second period of the USSR. Admission to the museum costs 1 lari, and the guards will be delighted to have a visitor to whom they can show the birthplace of the great poet.

Galaktion Tabidze (1892-1959) is a major figure of Georgian literature of the 20th century. His longevity was exemplary for the time; a member of the avant-garde, he was praised during the Soviet era and even survived the Stalinist purges, a rare occurrence for intellectuals of his type. All his work is torn between socialist ideology and deep pessimism. "Galaktion", as Georgians colloquially call him, was born in Chvichi. The son of the local teacher, he studied in Kutaisi and then in Tbilisi, before becoming a teacher in his turn. Valorous character.