While the recent парламентские выборы (Parliamentary elections) in Georgia are still fresh in our minds thanks to Natalie’s recent post, let’s talk some more about this country. But wait, Georgia is not Russia! Russian is not its official language. It seems that unless you are interested in geopolitics, Georgia is outside of the scope of this blog. Except Georgian influence on Russian history and culture is disproportionately large for such a small country.

Some of Russia’s most celebrated authors, including Александр Пушкин, Михаил Лермонтов и Лев Толстой (Alexandr Pushkin, Mikhail Lermontov and Leo Tolstoy) were fascinated by and wrote about Кавказ (Caucasus), a geographical region that includes parts of southern Russia and all of Georgia.

One of the bravest, most-distinguished and best-remembered of the generals from the War of 1812, легендарный Пётр Багратион (the legendary Pyotr Bagration), was the scion of the royal Bagrationi family of Georgia. In case you wonder how legendary this guy was, Napoleon once famously said that Russia had no good generals, except for Bagration. Russian soldiers played on the general’s name calling him бог рати он (he is the god of army).

As you likely know, Иосиф Сталин (Joseph Stalin) was выходец (a native of) Georgia. Some of his приспешники (henchmen), including Григорий “Серго” Орджоникидзе (Gregory “Sergo” Ordzhonikidze) and Лаврентий Берия (Lavrentiy Beria), were also from there.

Зураб Церетели (Zurab Tsereteli), the famous gigantomaniac скульптор (sculptor) whose work includes the highly controversial памятник (monument) to Пётр Великий (Peter the Great) in Moscow is also from Georgia.

Many Russians know and love the wonderful singer and actor Вахтанг Кикабидзе (Vakhtang Kikabidze) and the talented and beautiful actress Софико Чиаурели (Sofiko Chiaureli). But few know that Георгий Баланчин (Georgiy Balanchin), the famous хореограф и балетмейстер (choreographer and balletmaster) was of Georgian ancestry.

The list of famous грузины (male Georgians) and грузинки (female Georgians) can go on and on, really. It includes учёные (scientists), инженеры (engineers), генералы (generals) (including the first foreign-born soldier to become the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff), композиторы (composers), поэты (poets), писатели (writers), and world-class спортсмены (athletes).

Apart from so many famous people who influenced Russian history and culture, Georgia gave something else that most Russians know and love – грузинская кухня (Georgian cuisine). Many of its dishes are very popular in Russia, including хачапури (khachapuri, the cheese bread), сациви (satsivi, chicken in walnut sauce), цыплёнок табака (Georgian-style grilled chicken), the intensely hot аджика (adjika or ajvar sauce), and козинаки, a type of sweets that, at their best are delicious and healthy and at their worst, приторные (overly sweet) and spell death to your dental work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAVZJYrgWhY

There is much more about Грузия (Georgia) that comes to mind, including грузинские вина (Georgian wines), the real ones, not подделки (fakes) flooding the markets; philosophical грузинские тосты (Georgian toasts), beautiful песни (songs) and танцы (dances). Again, all these have, at one time or another, left their marks in Russian culture and language.

It seems only appropriate to watch, later this week, one of the kindest, most humorous and most beloved Soviet movies that was directed by a famous Georgian режиссёр (movie director) and starred a no-less famous Georgian актёр (actor). This movie is so well-remembered, that is has not one, not two, but three памятники (monuments) dedicated to it. One is in Russia; another – in Armenia and the third one is, of course, in Georgia. Can you guess this movie?