STALIN’S ROLE IN THE NEW RUSSIAN TRANSLATION OF THE KNIGHT IN THE PANTHER’S SKIN

Abstract
The paper investigates the history of the Russian translation of The Knight in the Panther’s Skin undertaken by the Georgian philosopher and professor Shalva Nutsubidze. In 1937, at the height of the Bolshevik terror, Nutsubidze was arrested on charges of espionage and of opposing the revolutionary movement allegations that at the time were equivalent to a death sentence. The translation project, however, became decisive for his survival.The study highlights Joseph Stalin’s involvement in initiating and supervising the translation. The events are documented in Nutsubidze’s own letter and confirmed by archival materials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Keywords - The Archive of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Shalva Nutsubidze, Joseph Stalin, “The Knight in the Panther’s Skin”.