The first comprehensive and objective history of the literature of Georgia, revealed to be unique among those of the former Byzantine and Russian empires, both in its quality and its 1500 years' history.

Part I The Making of the Classical Age; Chapter 1 Laying the foundations; Chapter 2 Lyrical poetry: hymnography; Chapter 3 Original prose: from homilies to hagiography; Chapter 4 The Lives of the Fathers: Serapion Zarzmeli, Grigol Khandzteli; Chapter 5 Chronicles: The 'Conversion' & 'Life' of Georgia; Chapter 6 The dawn of secular literature: 'Balahvar & Iodasap'; Part II The Golden Age, The Fall, and The Resurrection; Chapter 7 Prose romance: Rustaveli's precursors; Chapter 8 Rustaveli & 'The Knight in the Panther Skin'; Chapter 9 Religious literature of the Golden Age; Chapter 10 The later chronicles; Chapter 11 Rebuilding on a 'tabula rasa'; Chapter 12 The authorial persona: King Teimuraz I; Chapter 13 Kings & enlightenment; Chapter 14 Three great poets: Guramishvili, Sayat-Nova & Besiki; Chapter 15 The last gasps of the eighteenth century; Part III Romantic & Civic Literature; Chapter 16 Exiled royalty: the Bagration writers; Chapter 17 Romantic poets: Chavchavadze, the Orbelianis, Baratashvili; Chapter 18 The birth of modem prose & drama; Chapter 19 The luminaries: Ilia Chavchavadze & Akaki Tsereteli; Chapter 20 Lesser luminaries: populists & pedagogues; Chapter 21 Melodrama, revolt & commercial literature; Part IV The Rediscovery of Roots; Chapter 22 Vazha-Pshavela; Chapter 23 Folk poetry & its relevance to literature; partV The Age of Internationalism; Chapter 24 Two theatres: the political arena & drama; Chapter 25 Narrative prose & Mikheil Javakhishvili; Chapter 26 Dreaming poets: Grishashvili, Robakidze & the Blue Horns; Chapter 27 Mythmakers under Socialism: Shanshiashvili, Konstantine Gamsakhurdia; Chapter 28 The poetry of Galaktion Tabidze, Giorgi Leonidze & Simon Chikovani; Chapter 29 Beria's Holocaust; Chapter 30 Literature after the Great Terror; Chapter 31 From thaw to deluge;