Discussion 18 March 2018

ROMANIAN - GEORGIAN LITERATURE MEETING

11:00 Location: Leipzig Leipziger Buchmesse, Forum OstSüdOst: Halle 4, Rumänischer Stand E501, Messe-Allee 1, 04356 Leipzig, Germany Organiser: Georgian National Book Center, POP-Verlag Authors: Dato Barbakadse, Steffi Chotiwari-Jünger, Maja Lisowski, Traian Pop und Barbara Zeizinger
Moderator: Horst Samson
Publisher: POP-Verlag
Partner: Konrad Adenauer Foundation Regional Program Political Dialogue in South Caucasus

Georgian poet, writer, essayist and translator Dato Barbakadze studied philosophy and psychology at the Tbilisi State University (1984-92) and holds a Masters degree in Philosophy. He pursued his post-graduate studies in the Department of Sociology (1992-94), but left a standard academic career to lead independent projects in Georgian and German literature. He has followed a non-traditional academic path for the past twenty years. In 1991, he founded a literary video-magazine Dato Barbakadze’s Magazine, which for two years was regularly performed at the Tbilisi State University. From 1991 to 2001, he taught courses in logic, the history of philosophy, aesthetics and introductory philosophy courses in several universities in Tbilisi. From 2002 to 2005, he lived in Germany and earned for living as a freelance writer, thereby studying philosophy, sociology and ancient history at the University of Münster. After returning to Tbilisi in 2005 Dato Barbakadze launched the project '20th Century Austrian Poetry', serving both as an editor and contributor. Dato Barbakadze has received prizes and literary scholarships outside Georgia. He is member of several international literary unions and societies, namely he has been a member of the European Writers’ Union - “Kogge” since 2007. He has published more than twenty books (poetry, prose, essays and translations). His books are published in German-speaking countries; some are translated into English and French, as well as in languages of post-Soviet countries.