Konstantine Gamsakhurdia, one of the most influential Georgian writers of the 20th century.
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia (May 3, 1893 - July 17, 1975) was a Georgian classical writer of
the 20th century and a famous public benefactor, Academician of the Georgian Academy of Sciences
(GAS), Ph.D. of the Berlin University, and Laureate of the Shota Rustaveli State Prize of Georgia.
Konstantine Gamsakhurdia was born in 1893, in the town of Abasha (Samegrelo, region of Western
Georgia). His father was Prince Svimon Gamsakhurdia. In 1911 Konstantine graduated from
the Georgian Gymnasium of Kutaisi (Western Georgia) and in 1918 from the Berlin University
(Germany).
In 1918 Gamsakhurdia became a member of the Board of the Constituent Society of
the Tbilisi State University (TSU) and from 1920 - 1924 served as the Associate Professor of German
literature at the same University. From 1918 - 1919 Gamsakhurdia was the 1st Secretary of the Embassy
of the Democratic Republic of Georgia (DRG) in Germany and in 1920, the Plenipotentiary Envoy of DRG
in Italy. Between 1912 - 1919 about 30 papers of Gamsakhurdia were published in the German Press. Gamsakhurdia
published two books in German; "The Caucasus and the World War" (Weimar, 1916) and "The Oriental
Politics of England and Russia" (Berlin, 1917). Konstantine Gamsakhurdia was also one of the leaders of
the national-liberation movement of Georgia 1921 - 1930's. From 1924 - 1925 and 1926 - 1928 he was jailed by
the GPU. Gamsakhurdia was the author of several outstanding Georgian novels including "The Hand of the
Great Master," "Kidnapping of the Moon," the tetralogy of " David the Builder," etc.
He was also the founder of the Georgian scientific school of study of life and works of Goethe.
Konstantine
Gamsakhurdia was the father of the first democratically elected President of the Republic of Georgia,
Dr. Zviad Gamsakhurdia.