The subject of the article "Wine, Opium, Hashish in Georgian and European Symbolism" is the identification of the cultural links between Georgian and European (primarily French and, German) symbolism. Our goal is to determine the role and place of Georgian symbolism in the world literature context and study the cultural-aesthetic ties that have influenced the art of the Georgian symbolist group, the process of forming their aesthetic taste and worldview. In this article, we focus on the genesis of the symbolist theory of the myth, its specific nature and the motivation for the creation of a new mythology. In addition, we consider the theme of wine, opium and hashish in Georgian and European cultural areas, and analyse the conceptual sense and function of this new mythology.
In 1929, just eight years after the establishment of the Soviet regime in Georgia, a writer and a playwright Polikarpe Kakabadze publishes his famous play Qvarqvare Tutaberi, thus throwing into disarray the leaders of the fledgling Soviet government. The play narrates the "revolutionary" adventure story of Qvarqvare Tutaberi, an idle, cowardly, uneducated and cunning man, over a short period, in the early months of the establishment of the Soviet regime. Occasionally Qvarqvare is a supporter of the Russian Emperor, occasionally a representative of the so-called "interim government", occasionally – a supporter of the Bolsheviks. His position is always determined by one main principle: Who is in power? If the Emperor holds power, Qvarqvare is his supporter, if the "interim government" rules, Qvarqvare are the commander of its army, and if the Bolsheviks win, Qvarqvare is their "comrade". A young Soviet censorship was very confused by the humorous character of the play: the scenes are full of comic situations, and dialogues, with absurd, unbelievable "logic", the characters are caricatured and often exaggerated. On the one hand, the play mocked a foolish and flattering person (and people like him), politically immature and mentally unprepared for the "new times", which was quite acceptable for Soviet criticism; on the other hand, the satirical-grotesque mocking of the existing environment was not picked up on, by Soviet censorship due to the humoristic attitude of the text. Thus, humor, for the first time performed the artistic function of a mechanism protecting from ideology. ; 1929 m., praėjus aštuoneriems metams po sovietinio režimo įsigalėjimo Gruzijoje, rašytojas ir dramaturgas Polikarpe Kakabadze išleido savo garsiąją pjesę "Qvarqvare Tutaberi" ir taip sugniuždė ką tik atsiradusius ir dar neįsitvirtinusius tarybinės valdžios lyderius. Pjesėje pasakojama apie "revoliucinius" tingaus, bailaus, neišsilavinusio ir klastingo jaunuolio, Qvarqvare Tutaberi, nuotykius. Qvarqvare pasitaikius progai remia Rusijos imperatorių, kartais prisideda prie vadinamosios "laikinosios vyriausybės", kartais tampa bolševikų rėmėju. Jo poziciją visada lemia vienas pagrindinis principas: kas yra valdžioje? Jei valdo imperatorius, Qvarqvare palaiko jį; jei "laikinoji vyriausybė" Qvarqvare tampa jos vedamos kariuomenės vadas, o jei laimi bolševikai, Qvarqvare – jų "draugas". Jaunoji sovietų cenzūra buvo labai sumišusi dėl pajuokiančio žaidiminio pjesės pobūdžio: scenos pilnos komiškų situacijų ir dialogų, absurdo, neįtikėtinos "logikos", simboliai karikatūriški ir dažnai perdėti. Viena vertus, spektaklis išjuokė kvailą ir įsiteikiantį asmenį, politiškai nesubrendusį ir protiškai nepasiruošusį "naujiems laikams", kas buvo gana priimtina sovietinei kritikai; kita vertus, sovietinės cenzūra neįveikė teksto satyros ir grotesko. Taigi, humoras pirmą kartą atliko apsaugančią meną nuo ideologijos funkciją.
