Author. Vazha-Pshavela was a turn of the 20th century Georgian poet, who used the pen name of "Luka Razikashvili." Today, in the 21st century, he is referred to as simply "Vazha." As a combination of folk myth with human tragedy, his two major poems are "Host and Guest" in 1893 and "The Snake-Eater." Born into a family of clergymen in the little mountain village of Chargali, located in the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region, he graduated from Pedagogical Seminary in 1882. In 1883 he started law studies in Russia at Saint Petersburg State University, but left in 1884 for financial reasons. At this point, he became a language teacher. His greatest pupils were the dramatist and novelist Grigol Robakidze and the poet Galaktion Tabidze. His literary career began in the mid-1880s. Besides authoring about 400 poems, he wrote numerous articles as a journalist, three collections of short stories, and three dramatic plays. Addressing the heroic past of his people and extols the struggle against enemies both external and internal, his writings supported the National-Liberation movement of Georgia. In celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday in 1961, a museum and memorial were built in Chargali as well as Russian post stamp honoring him was issued. A mural of Vazha-Pshavela was painted on a wall in Georgia's capital Tbilisi. His works have been translated into dozens of languages including Russian, French, English and German, while also serving as basis for theatre and film adaptations. His three short stories and an epic story were translated for the first time to English and published in "The Death of Bagrat Zakharych and Other Stories Paperback" in 2019. On the 100th remembrance of his death, it was announced there would be a Vasha Pshavela State Award for literacy excellence. He married and had four children.