Mikhail Gigolashvili
Biography
Mikhail Gigolashvili was born in Tbilisi in 1954. He received his PhD from Tbilisi University, where he specialised in Dostoevsky. Before dedicating himself to literary work, Gigolashvili was a teacher and author of numerous articles and monographs on Russian literature. He currently teaches Russian at the University of Saarland in Germany, where he has lived since 1991.
Gigolashvili’s first novel was 1978’s Judea, which was followed by The Interpreter (2003), a collection of short stories, Cryptograms (2007), and his latest novel, The Devil’s Wheel (2010), which has found favour with critics and readers alike. The novel was shortlisted for the Big Book Prize in 2010 and was amongst the winning titiles of the Readers’ Vote of the award. Gigolashvili is widely published in Russian and international periodicals.
Since the 1980s the author has turned artist, exhibiting paintings, sculptures and collages at numerous individual exhibitions in Germany; he is a member of the Saarland House of Artists, as well as the German Dostoevsky Society.
Books
Чертово колесо / The Devil's Wheel (2009)
Тайнопись / Cryptography (2007)
Толмач / The Interpreter (2003)
Иудея / Judea (1978)
Prizes and awards
2010 - Shortlisted for the Big Book Prize
2010 - Prize Winner of the Big Book Readers’ Vote