George Papashvily
Encyclopedia
George Papashvily was a famous Georgian
-American
writer and sculptor
.
region of eastern Georgia
. According to his autobiography, he apprenticed as a sword
maker and ornamental leather
worker. After service as a sniper in the Russia
n army in World War I
, he immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1920s, and thereafter lived and worked in the U.S. Papashvily succeeded both as a sculptor and as an author; he was also a gifted engineer and inventor.
He married an American, Helen Waite (1906-1996). Together they wrote several books, often based on his life experiences. Their first book was Anything Can Happen (1945), which recounted Papashvily's experiences as a penniless immigrant. This book was co-selected for the Book of the Month Club
and was a best-seller, selling more than 600,000 copies in the U.S. and 1.5 million worldwide. It was translated into 15 foreign languages, including Georgian (in 1966). It was made into a movie in 1952, starring Jose Ferrer
as George and Kim Hunter
as Helen.
Thanks to Noah was also published in Georgian (in 1971).
Papashvily exhibited widely in solo exhibitions and with painters who were his friends. He died in 1978, in Cambria, California
.
The George and Helen Papashvily Archives are held in the Special Collections of Lehigh University
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
, and are open to researchers.
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer and sculptor
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...
.
Life
He was born in the village of Kobiantkari (possibly the village transliterated as Chubiniantkari on the map at OpenStreetMap.org) in the KartliKartli
Kartli is a historical region in central-to-eastern Georgia traversed by the river Mtkvari , on which Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, is situated. Known to the Classical authors as Iberia, Kartli played a crucial role in ethnic and political consolidation of the Georgians in the Middle Ages...
region of eastern Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. According to his autobiography, he apprenticed as a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
maker and ornamental leather
Leather
Leather is a durable and flexible material created via the tanning of putrescible animal rawhide and skin, primarily cattlehide. It can be produced through different manufacturing processes, ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.-Forms:...
worker. After service as a sniper in the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n army in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he immigrated to the U.S. in the early 1920s, and thereafter lived and worked in the U.S. Papashvily succeeded both as a sculptor and as an author; he was also a gifted engineer and inventor.
He married an American, Helen Waite (1906-1996). Together they wrote several books, often based on his life experiences. Their first book was Anything Can Happen (1945), which recounted Papashvily's experiences as a penniless immigrant. This book was co-selected for the Book of the Month Club
Book of the Month Club
The Book of the Month Club is a United States mail-order book sales club that offers a new book each month to customers.The Book of the Month Club is part of a larger company that runs many book clubs in the United States and Canada. It was formerly the flagship club of Book-of-the-Month Club, Inc...
and was a best-seller, selling more than 600,000 copies in the U.S. and 1.5 million worldwide. It was translated into 15 foreign languages, including Georgian (in 1966). It was made into a movie in 1952, starring Jose Ferrer
José Ferrer
José Vicente Ferrer de Otero y Cintrón , best known as José Ferrer, was a Puerto Rican actor, as well as a theater and film director...
as George and Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter
Kim Hunter was an American film, theatre, and television actress. She won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, each as Best Supporting Actress, for her performance as Stella Kowalski in the 1951 film A Streetcar Named Desire...
as Helen.
Works
Some other books by the Papashvilys were- Yes and No Stories - A Book of Georgian Folk Tales (1946)
- Dogs and People (1954)
- Thanks to Noah (1956)
- Home and Home Again (1973, recounting a trip they made back to the village in the 1960s)
- Russian Cooking (1969)
Thanks to Noah was also published in Georgian (in 1971).
Art
With no formal training, Papashvily began carving in 1940. He soon developed a signature style that was a combination of naive and modern. He carved directly in wood and stone, sculpting free-standing figures and bas relief. His favorite subjects came from nature: animals, flowers, and an occasional human figure. Among his most famous works are:- War's End (1946)
- Pigeons (1948, Hazleton Art League)
- Ram (1951)
- Butterfly (1952, Woodmere Art Gallery)
- Horse (1955, National Art Gallery of the Republic of Georgia)
- Animal (1957, Reading Public Museum and Art Gallery)
- Apple (1959)
- Bear Cub with Frog (1966, Oak Lane Branch Free Library of Philadelphia)
Papashvily exhibited widely in solo exhibitions and with painters who were his friends. He died in 1978, in Cambria, California
Cambria, California
Cambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...
.
The George and Helen Papashvily Archives are held in the Special Collections of Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
, and are open to researchers.
See also
- List of Georgians
- List of Georgian writers
- List of sculptors
- Culture of Georgia
External links
Literature about George Papashvily
- American Artist magazine, October, 1955
- George Papashvily: Sculptor, a retrospective catalogue with an introduction by Charles H. Muhlenberg, Pennsylvania, 1979, 62 pp.
- George and Helen Papashvily Archives. Special Collections, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Call number: SC MS 090