A Man Was Going Down the Road

"I’m sure … But despite the fact that Chiladze actually lived most of his life in the Soviet regime, he neglected the regime and its ideology entirely. He was interested in the philosophy of life, mythology, history. The novel Avelum is a prime example, with Chiladze telling the story of a writer who, in an attempt to escape the Empire of Evil (no prizes for guessing what that’s a stand-in for), creates an alternative world, his own empire of love. Support Five Books Five Books interviews are expensive to produce. If you're enjoying this interview, please support us by donating a small amount . When he published his debut work in 1952 he was immediately recognized as a brilliant and prolific poet, but it wasn’t until 1973, when a text originally conceived as a poem about the myth of the Argonauts could no longer fit into verse, that he wrote his first novel, A Man Was Going Down the Road . Then came five more novels, all outstanding— Everyone that Findeth Me , The Iron Theatre , The March Rooster , Avelum , and The Basket— as well as plays ( Tsete’s Red Boots , The Labyrinth ), and more poetry. The novel is a sophisticated text, laden with profound mythic elements, subtexts and symbols, the most important of which is the sea, which gradually recedes, signalling the coming of misery. Generally, while reading Childaze, it is necessary to read between the lines. These days, A Man Was Going Down the Road is among the most loved books in Georgia, however, it has to be mentioned that reading and understanding this book requires a well-prepared reader. Precisely. The novel is divided into three parts: Aeetes, Ukheiro, and Parnaoz. It is a brilliant interpretation of the myth of Medea and the Argonauts, arguably one of the best both in Georgian and world literature. One of the first mentions of the Argo and the Argonauts, who sail to the land of Colchis (which is the western part of contemporary Georgia) to steal the Golden Fleece, are found in the Iliad and the Odyssey , of course. Jason, the leader of the Argonauts is assisted by Medea, the daughter of the Colchian King Aeetes, who is known in Greek mythology as “the greatest witch of the world”, a great knower of herbs and potions; so they steal the Golden Fleece and take it away from Colchis. Medea is the first character in literature to be from Georgia. A Man Was Going Down the Road is a novel about Medea, Aeetes and his kingdom, love, betrayal, and the destruction of the world. Some critics believe that all this is an allegory for the destruction and degradation of Chiladze’s homeland, first by the Russians and then by the Soviet occupation. Chiladze, writing the novel in the early 1970s, seems to have sensed that the mythic universe of the Soviet era was—like King Aeetes’s rule—coming to its end, and the time would come for Georgia to begin writing a new history."