Kiacheli, Leo

(pseudonym of Leon Mikhailovich Shengelaia). Born Feb. 7 (19), 1884, in the village of Obudzhi, present-day Tsalendzhikha Raion; died Dec. 19, 1963, in Tbilisi. Soviet Georgian writer; came from a noble family.

Kiacheli studied in the department of law at the University of Kharkov (1904–05). He participated in the Revolution of 1905–07 in Kutaisi Province. In 1907 he escaped from prison in Kutaisi and lived and studied illegally in Moscow. In 1912 he went to Switzerland, where he studied at the University of Geneva. After the February Revolution of 1917 he returned to Georgia.

Kiacheli was first published in 1909. His novel Tariel Golua (1917) is one of the best works in Georgian literature dealing with a historical-revolutionary theme. His novel Blood (1927) describes the transition of the revolutionary peasantry to the side of the Bolsheviks. In the novel Gvadi Bigva (1938; State Prize of the USSR, 1941), he portrays the life of the Georgian kolkhoz countryside with great artistic skill. The novel Man of the Mountains (1948) is dedicated to the theme of the Great Patriotic War (1941–45). Kiacheli was also the author of the short stories “Princess Maiia” (1927), “Almasgir Kibulan” (1928), and “Khaki Adzba” (1933). His works have been translated into many languages of the peoples of the USSR and many foreign languages. He was awarded the Order of Lenin and two other orders, as well as medals.