Nino Darbaiseli Straughn, born on 8 March 2961. Graduated from Tbilisi State University, with the degree in philology. Her works first were published in 1947, but the grand debut of the author dates to 1977 in the annual anthology of Georgian poetry “Poetry Day”. She is the author of poetry collections: “Newmothers” (Ed. Merani, 1987), “Line of My Love” (Ed. Lomisi, 1996), “Lullaby” (Ed. Merani, 2002), “Diotima” (Ed. Merani 2005, 2006), Vita Brevis (Ed. Sitkva, 2010).  

She was editor in chief of the academic edition of the National Science Academy of Georgia in 1990-1995; deputy director of cultural organization Caucasian House (1994-1997). Nino’s PhD thesis was "Georgian Free Verse” (1992). She worked at Shota Rustaveli Institute of Georgian Literature and Galaktionology Research Center.

Currently Nino lives in the United States and is a US citizen. She is engaged in charity work and collaborates with Georgian literary magazines. She translated works of Georgian female poets included in the Georgian-English anthology “I’m Setting it Free” (Ed. Intelekti Publishing, 2019). She is the member of American Poets’ Academy.  

PEN: You are an author, you’ve published poetry collections and in the meantime, you’ve had an academic career. Would you say that either one of them is your primary profession?

ND: I have only published five poetry collections. I know, it’s very little for the age of 60, but I guess it is enough for calling myself a poet. That’s what I would call other authors of poems, even the beginners, but describing myself with this word sounds somehow scary! I haven’t counted my scientific articles and papers, won’t be much and it doesn’t cover vast scope of interests, they are all on poetry.

As for the profession, my first and foremost duty is serving Georgian poetry, that sometimes requires writing a poem, sometimes - studying different aspects of poetry, and at times, - translating, editing, teaching (I couldn’t avoid being a mentor either). MY whole life, I have never stepped away from the field of poetry, not to count the “self-assigned” duties and responsibilities towards my family, which, to be honest, were always the priority before poetry. Maybe I was hoping that one day those duties would end and I would, with clear conscience, dedicate myself to the field that makes me myself. “Being myself”, when people by my side need not a poet, but a bearer of daily burden, seems to be an inexcusable selfishness. Isn’t selfishness same as egoism?! 

PEN: Does your knowledge and experience of a researcher affect your poetry? Is it helpful for discovering and mastering new poetic forms?

ND: There are so many doctors of philology among Georgian female poets, starting from Lia Sturua, if I start listing them all I will definitely miss several of them. I am one of them too, the difference lies in my choice for the thesis topic, “Georgian Free Verse”. Why did I choose it? I value artists who create using the genius of their intuition, but the god doesn’t punish all of us with this heavy gift. As for people like myself, we get the talent of the size proper for having it wrapped in a duffle bag, to carry it on our shoulders throughout life. If you finish it earlier than planned, not a big loss for the universe, but as it is a gift of god, there’s no way other than taking good care of it. Moreover, I need to have the best knowledge of whatever it is that I do.  

I was could write conventional poems more easily, maybe I even got the inherent pathology of memory. The words always aligned in my head as rhyme nests. But I was always more attracted to Vers Libre and its enigmatic nature. Plus, the name it had! – Bewildering for a young person from Late Soviet era – “Free Verse”.

As by profession, I study poetry and by calling I’m a poet, I have a habit of or trying things out in practice (with a pen or keyboard), things that attract my attention from the works of different authors of different times. I play with various styles. I call them études. There have been cases, while one of these études worked out well and was original enough that I could publish it as my poem.

May people start thinking about death after dislocating from home, and even more when it’s forever. Before leaving Georgia, I collected all those études from the drawers and shredded them. I feared that I might’ve died and somebody would publish these works as my original works. Mourners often behave in this frivolous manner.

PEN: In your opinion, how does the degree of openness and flexibility of a language define popular poetic forms in that language? Is it possible that language might outcast a certain form?

ND: It’s a complex question. If I figured it out correctly, you are asking, how do I understand the dynamics of the relationship between the nature of language and poetic forms, means of expression. 

There is no opinion inexpressible by Georgian language, words of Niko Marr, if I remember correctly.

I also cannot imagine anything that cannot possibly be expressed in Georgian poetry, with Georgian lyric.

There are no records of some things in a language? No problem! It will appear there the minute some talented author lacks it.

Mastery is the type of talent. Mastery will compensate the lack of talent, more or less, whereas the talent without it is just pathetic.

I’m afraid to miss the essence of the question, so I will try to give a more concrete response.

Poetry is the treasure of the language, it only contains whatever is precious in language. In order for something to get into this treasure, it should be deformed and reborn. The language of poetry is a deformed language. As we usually only use language by its basic functions. This creates an illusion that we own tools of poetry, we might as well follow the popular rhymes with inertia and there goes a poem: Does it rhyme? – it does! Is it honest? – it is! Are there poetic words and images? – there are! So nobody dare and tell us that despite all this the poem isn’t actually good.

I believe that the language is able to outcast a certain poetic form, but it doesn’t want to. Every new, successful attempt of poetry is the feast of language, celebration, that “needs not be called malice”.

The language that Galaktion [1]used in his poetry didn’t exist before him. The genius invented his own language, the kind that he wanted and needed. The epigones first grasped his poetic language (in its vast sense), later comprehended it completely and then started head-butting Galaktion. Let’s defeat him! – they say. Better to sit down and create your own, try it for once.  

And if we’re serious, if we talk about the structure of a verse, nature of the language plays the decisive part in it. Over the centuries, all the languages have their own, prevalent solid forms. Today globalization allows us to access poetic legacy and contemporary processes of different languages. The languages themselves are more open and accepting to novelties, isolation now would mean tuning off of mutual processes and freezing into the possession of the history of culture.

PEN: You have written many articles on the works of Galaktion Tabidze and dedicated big share of your academic research to him. Why do you think his poetry is such an active and popular topic of research?

ND: In the entire 15 century old history of Georgian literature Galaktion is unique by many things, one of which is his huge written heritage. Iza Orjonikidze dedicated her last years to working on his archives and finally published them in one edition.  Galaktionology studies moved to the next level after that. The valuable works that have been completed in frames f these studies required not only intellectual, but physical resources. The human energy that could be invested better, would be wasted during commuting or in expectation of an ordered book. Working is much easier now, everyone can recheck their theses before publishing it from home, without digging deep into archives and manuals. New generation Galaktionologists have the luxury in this sense. I envy them! Galaktionlogy Research Center, once under the management of Teimuraz Doiashvili and Rostom Chkherdze, created a very solid research base by publishing several volumes of Galaktionology. He is an enigmatic poet, based on his many works, by multidimensional study of his each poem, it’s possible, and even necessary to publish an encyclopedia of poetry. Even his most famous collection, Artistic Flowers, counting 100 years since the first edition, is not studied properly. There are only couple of valuable works published (the ones by T. Doiashvili first of all). Though it’s such a rich and valuable piece, with enough material for the generations of scientists, if we are meant to remain a cultural nation.

We’ve read so much, but still, there is so little known about this genius! I cannot even imagine for his works to be out of date, today or ever.

It’s a pity, I no longer participate in this process.

PEN: Did Galaktion’s poetry and style influence your poetry?

ND: For sure… But I think his legacy affected those more, who were trying to overcome his influence, for whatever it was worth, meaning they attempted to become anti-Galaktion.

It’s challenging to endure the ongoing regime of action – contra-action.

With Galaktion’s help, Georgian language “let me closer”. Identifying his style of poetic wordcreation inspired me to experiment more. He taught me how to keep being a Georgian poet and at the same time see myself as a successor of the world poetry and culture. His goliath figure stands right at the crossing point of these two lines. This only occurred with Rustaveli [2]before him.

PEN: You’ve been living in the US, away from homeland for years now. Do you, despite this have a strong emotional attachment to Georgia and its present? Do you manage to be the active member of Georgian society and get involved in local current affairs? 

ND: I truly do have a powerful emotional band with today’s Georgia!

Clearly, it’s the internet that allows me that. There have been cases when my friends from Georgia were asking me if I knew what was going on there.

I understand them. It is indeed hard to be in the same boat with everyone and try to have an unbiased opinion about this boat. Distancing helps with the clear image.

As for active engagement with current affairs, I won’t be able to be involve for two main reasons: I am physically far, across two oceans and have been here for the last 8 years; and morally I cannot dare to do give more than just simple recommendations to my compatriots, if I find something that would be useful for Georgia. 

I am an American citizen, which means that I deliberately renounced Georgian citizenship. I took a solemn oath, promising I would support and defend the interests of the United States and would serve this country. This might sound silly to some people, as for me, officially requesting double citizenship to Georgia after this (to which, I have a constitutional right of course), would mean loosing my self respect. 

PEN: In the current “digital era” information and knowledge are one of the most easily accessible services. What’s the main need and importance of classical education and academia these days?

ND: Remaining illiterate in digital era, is simply a bad decision.

A person should really try to manage and lock down the knowledge that they once acquired within some limits. IF only you knew how much I had to learn over. Though there was a time during my youth, I considered myself amongst the brilliant and educated people, chosen ones. There have been moments in my life when I had to flee from the captivity of my own self and rebuild a better self on my shells/ruins. But the internet was something that disintegrated me into the smallest gears, disoriented me and I had to reconstruct myself slowly. 

Classic, academic education that I got from the philology department of Tbilisi State University is the framework, backbone or some kind of scaffolding that I would build myself around again after every breakdown.  

PEN: The pandemic and aggressively spreading new virus put the whole world and almost every sphere up against serious challenges. The education workers need to transfer to distance, online teaching. Do you think that the system of education can be effective in these special circumstances? Are the members of academia, students and researchers ready for this?  

ND: I doubt that Georgia can be ready for this. As far as I know in the US and other progressive countries the practice of home office and online teaching has been acquired long ago.

Would be better if these processes were not enforced in Georgia during special circumstances, but to have the solid traditional base for it.

Working and teaching from home can also have positive ecological and economic effect.

I think it’s necessary to implement the practice of home schooling in Georgia after this period is over. It would cut so much costs! Here, in the US you can study home and then take the accredited test in the end of the term. If you don’t pass, it means you won’t begin the higher level. 

If they carry this practice out in Georgia, the country will have fewer expenses. Imagine how much you could do with the funding allocated to the schools. They could arrange a better public sport and cultural activities for the local community in school buildings.

PEN: It your opinion, what is the main purpose of culture and arts during such crisis? How can it serve the society?

ND: In case of any crisis the first and foremost purpose of culture and arts is to exist, - slow down sometimes, transform, at times even pretend to be dead, but most importantly, to survive!

Today, in this situation, it’s only for the best, if someone can please another person with the artistic and cultural production of their creation, comfort them and ease their mind. It will probably have this sort of utilitarian function for some time to come.

To judge by the Facebook, we can see how intensely people absorb their national and world cultural heritage documented Youtube videos or else. I’m about to finally believe that during the times of total desperation, people are hungrier for art.