Even in Georgia, as in neighboring Armenia, literature begins only with the introduction of Christianity and remains exclusively ecclesiastical for many centuries. Although the oldest preserved Georgian manuscripts, except for a few fragments, date back to the maximum century. IX, however, the Bible began to be translated, probably from Armenian, perhaps as early as the century. V. At first it translated mainly from Syriac and Armenian; later there was an intense translating activity from Greek, through which various works by the Fathers of the church were preserved, for example, Ippolito di Roma, lost in the original. Among the translators stand out Euthymius (died 1028) and George (died 1065) of the Iberian convent on Mount Athos, as well as Efrem Mc̣ire (died before 1103). Joane Petrici made known to the Georgians between the century. XI and XII Aristotelian and Neoplatonic philosophy. In comparison with the translations the original literature is not very copious; apart from religious poems, it is mainly hagiographic. The oldest monument is the description of the martyrdom of saint Šušaniki (which took place in the year 472), perhaps due to her confessor Iacopo Khuc̣esi; valuable for the history of culture is the biography of St. Gregory of Khandzt‛a, written by Giorgio Merčuli in the 10th century. XI Leonti Mroveli wrote a history of Georgia from the time of Noah, which formed the core of the chronicle The oldest monument is the description of the martyrdom of saint Šušaniki (which took place in the year 472), perhaps due to her confessor Iacopo Khuc̣esi; valuable for the history of culture is the biography of St. Gregory of Khandzt‛a, written by Giorgio Merčuli in the 10th century. XI Leonti Mroveli wrote a history of Georgia from the time of Noah, which formed the core of the chronicle The oldest monument is the description of the martyrdom of saint Šušaniki (which took place in the year 472), perhaps due to her confessor Iacopo Khuc̣esi; valuable for the history of culture is the biography of St. Gregory of Khandzt‛a, written by Giorgio Merčuli in the 10th century. XI Leonti Mroveli wrote a history of Georgia from the time of Noah, which formed the core of the chronicle K ‛ art ‛ lis c̣ khovreba (The life of Georgia), ended in the 10th century. XVIII.

According to Smartercomputing.org, a new period for Georgian literature began when there was a brilliant chivalrous culture with the unification of Georgia and the strengthening of its political power: chivalric culture, which brought together Christian and Islamic elements in an original way. Then began to develop a profane poetry linked to the court of kings and great vassals. Odes are preserved in a very contrived language, in praise of King David the renovator, and Queen Thamar. The Persian epic poem was welcomed in Georgia: The Amiran Dare ǧ aniani is the remake of a Persian chivalric novel, under the title Visramiani the epic poem V ī s u R ā m ī was translated into prose n of Fakhr ad-dīn As‛ad Giurgiānī (v.) and large parts of Firdusi ‘s Sh ā h – n ā meh were translated into verses (v.). Free from Persian influences, on the other hand, is the material of the chivalric novel Vep ‛ khis tqaosani (The man in the panther skin); its author Šotha Rust‛veli probably lived at the time of Queen Thamar, ie around 1200. The epic contains more than 1500 4-line stanzas of 16 syllables each which are joined together by a final rhyme; the language is imaginative and pliable. The fictional scene stretches from Arabia to China; they are two loving couples, the daughter of an Indian king, Nestan-Dareǧan, and Prince Tariel, the knight in the panther skin, and T‛inat‛in, the daughter of the king of the Arabs, and his vassal Avt ‛ andil, who will be happily united after long wandering and many adventures. The Vep ‛ khis tqaosani has become the national poem of the Georgians.

Following the devastation caused by the Mongol invasions, Georgian literature experienced a profound decline from which it was recovered only gradually with the energetic cooperation of kings T‛eimuraz I (1589-1663), Arčil (1647-1712) and particularly with that of Vakhtang VI (1675-1737), who had the chronicle and collections of laws drawn up and the first Georgian books printed. His collaborator Saba-Sulkhan Orbeliani (1658-1725) compiled a lexicon, still valuable today, and wrote the collection of fairy tales Sibrdznesi c̣ ruisa (the Book of wisdom and lies). The best known lyric poets of the century. XVIII are Davit ‛Guramišvili (1705-circa 1790) and Besarion Gabašvili (1750-91), who handled the most harmonious Persian meters with virtuoso skill. With the beginning of the century. XIX, Georgian literature enters a new period, opening up to the influence of Russian poetry and that of Europe. After Georgia lost its political independence, poets tried to keep national sentiment awake by romantically transfiguring the past. Princes Alek‛sandre Čavčavadze (1786-1846) and Grigol Orbeliani (1801-81) also sang about wine, love and pleasure. The lyric poetry of Nikolos Barat‛ašvili (1816-45), influenced by Byron, is melancholy. Giorgi Erist‛avi (1811-64) made the transition from Romanticism to Realism and created the Georgian drama. Ilia Čavčavadze (1837-1907) became the master of all the most recent prose literature; his most famous stories, Ka c̣ ia adamiani (Is this a man?) And Glekhis naambobi (Peasant’s Tale) describe the living conditions at the time of serfdom. Basically lyric was the fruitful and popular Akaki Ceret‛eli (1840-1918). Naturalistic narratives, in a satirical tone, wrote Giorgi Ceret‛eli (1841-1900). Self-taught in love with nature were Aleksandre Qazbegi (1848-93) and Važa-P‛šavela (1861-1915), who described the high mountains and the often still primitive customs of its residents. We should also remember the humorous storyteller Davit ‛Kldiašvili (born in 1861), Šio Aragvispireli (1867-1925), pessimistic descriptor of peasant life, and the poet of the workers Egnate Ninošvili (1861-94). During the World War the group of the Blue Horn symbolists was of great importanceunder the guidance of the lyricists Pavle Iašvili and Tizian Tabidze. The greatest living author is Grigol Robakidze, who tries to express the deepest secrets of the oriental soul; his fantastic novel Gvelis peranga (The Snake Shirt) was translated into German in 1928.