Ledi Antidze

Sokhumi State University (PhD Student)

East European University (Invited Lecturer)

Tbilisi, Georgia

ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0531-6768

lediantidze27@gmail.com

Shorthand Novels by Elene Bochorishvili in terms of multiculturalism
and Notable Concepts of Hybrid Literature

The basis for the study of hybridity as a socio-cultural phenomenon was laid in the second half of the 20th century and is actively being continued to this day. One of the distinctive features of hybrid literature is blurring clear ethnic and cultural boundaries and the creation of a new multicultural phenomenon containing diverse cultural and literary values. It should be noted that it is impossible to divide hybrid literature and writers into categories, in terms of national affiliation. In modern times, literature is becoming more multifaceted, and heterogeneous, it is enriched with a new, interconnected, hybrid concept. Multiculturalism is caused by political and economic changes. In the 20th century, many empires collapsed, which changed both the political and cultural map of the world. A post-colonial culture of a hybrid nature was created, which is obtained by the mutual influence and transformation of the characteristics of the cultures of the metropolises and colonies. These most important geopolitical changes laid the foundation for the formation of "colonial" and "postcolonial" discourses in many fields – political science, sociology, art studies, cultural studies, literary studies, etc.
While talking about the hybrid literature, together with the colonial and post-colonial discourses, it is necessary to raise and review the issue of migration, since it is the modern world trend of large-scale migration that gave rise to this type of literature. There is a large group of modern writers who write in non-native, foreign languages. Logically, these are languages that are spoken by a particularly large part of the population of the planet – English, German, French, etc. We, Georgians, have authors who write in foreign languages including these three languages. One of them is Elene Bochorishvili, who is an interesting phenomenon because she belongs to three worlds at the same time – Georgian, Russian, and Canadian. The writer is Georgian by nationality, lives in Canada, and writes in Russian Language. Her works are translated from Russian to French and this is how the readers are introduced to them. Elene Bochorishvili is a representative of a new genre, she proposed a new type of novel – a shorthand (stenographic) novel.
In our work, we review the shorthand novels of Elene Bochorishvili in terms of multiculturalism. In these novels, the writer revives her childhood memories with short phrases: Georgian environment, family situations, specific characters – all this freely “travels” in time and comes to life in the reader’s imagination as clear and colorful images. Stalin and the Soviet era, conflicting relations between fathers and sons, destroyed native houses, unbuilt and unorganized country houses, a brief and accurate analysis of the Soviet reality, the difficulties of the post-soviet era, the ambush of the socialist camp and the terrible regret of not being able to escape from this closed circle. The train of life seems to be going away, but you finally analyze, as it turns out, that the train is going nowhere.
Elene Bochorishvili’s shorthand novels perfectly depict multiculturalism – Georgian ethnic themes in the context of world globalization. Georgian theme symbols in these works are interestingly assimilated with world themes and faces.
Keywords: Hybrid Literature, Hybridity, Multiculturalism, Elene Bochorishvili.