ესმა მანია
ფილოლოგიის დოქტორი
კორნელი კეკელიძის სახელობის საქართველოს ხელნაწერთა ეროვნული ცენტრი
უფროსი მეცნიერ-თანამშრომელი
თბილისი, საქართველო
ესმა მანია
ფილოლოგიის დოქტორი
კორნელი კეკელიძის სახელობის საქართველოს ხელნაწერთა ეროვნული ცენტრი
უფროსი მეცნიერ-თანამშრომელი
თბილისი, საქართველო
Tracing the Vectors of Raphiel Eristavi’s Bibliophilic Aspirations
The bibliophilic aspirations of the renowned Georgian figure – Raphiel Eristavi encompass various facets of his public life and creativity, including: 1. The search for handwritten books; 2. Utilizing authoritative recommendations for the selection of books to be acquired; 3. Initiating new editions; 4. Ensuring the structural and conceptual refinement of books; 5; working towards the institutional efficiency of library activities; 6. Striving to elevate the quality of bibliophilic interests within society, etc.
The report is based on three primary research sources: Raphiel Eristavi's personal archival fund, manuscripts, and periodicals from the collection of the Literacy Society.
It is crucial not only to restore and reconstruct the facts of Raphiel Eristavi's activities within various organizations but also to trace the facts mentioned in his letters that trigger us toward the research. These sources reveal Eristavi's extensive network of informants, bibliophiles, and agents, as well as his keen interest in collecting manuscripts of diverse content and origin. His archive indicates that he sought approximately three dozen handwritten books on topics such as hagiographic and liturgical monuments, the history of Georgia, translated texts, and linguistic works…
Raphiel Eristavi exhibited a detailed interest in the identities of the manuscript owners and the preservation history of these artifacts, as evidenced by the meticulous notes from one of his informants. The information about the owners, distributors, and sellers of manuscripts, such as Kiko Tadiashvili, Grigol Makashvili, Svimon Makashvili, Ekvtime Nikolishvili, and some Kobulashvili, stored in Eristavi's archive, is invaluable. One focus of our report is the identification of these manuscripts based on the identification data provided in Eristavi's sources. This will help elucidate another significant role of this multi-faceted figure.
Keywords: Bibliophile; Manuscript; Personal Archivе; Raphiel Eristavi.