Bookvica

[ILLUSTRATED] ოქტომბრელი / Oktombreli [i.e. Little Octobrists]

Item #2513

Collection of 7 issues. N.1,4,10,11.1945;N.5.1946; N.1,3.1947. Tbilisi: komunisti, 1945–1947. Each issue has 18 pages, including the wrappers. 27×20 cm. Print run of the issues 7000 copies. Tears to the spine of the issues 1 (1947) and 1,4 (1945). Occasional soiling, but generally in very good condition for a children’s periodical.

The best monthly children’s periodical of Georgian SSR at the time. Very rare. Our selection spreading over 2 years of late-war and after the war period. The paper of 2 issues for the wartime period in 1945 is of poorer quality, but it improves towards the autumn issues. The issue, printed in January of 1941 included the portrait of Lavrentiy Beria and the poem dedicated to him by Revaz Margiani. The poem and the portrait are crossed over with pencil – which was a common thing in books and periodicals after Beria’s disgrace in 1950s. Usually the page would be turn off, so in this case we see a more careful approach to censorship.

The issue, printed in April, 1945 includes the image of parade over the Kremlin on the cover, and the drawing of a Georgian soldier returning to his village (with caption მამა დაბრუნდა [i.e. Dad is back]) by S.Nadareishvili. The October issues of 1945 includes the image of mandarine harvest and the work children were doing (artist Kote Kiknadze), accompanied by the anonymous poem about mandarines. May issues of 1946 is dedicated to 1 year anniversary of the Victory, but also have a number of riddles and puzzles for the kids to enjoy. March 1947 issue includes the panoramic image of the newly-built electrical plant in Khmarkhesi with an article about in by G. Shartnerashvili. January 1947 issue includes the New Year’s celebratory poem by Grigol Abashidze with drawings by Andro Kandelaki. Issue 4,1945 includes a poem dedicated to a koala, and issue 10 from the same year – to a kangaroo. Both have illustrations.
The periodical issues have a rich kaleidoscope of artists, who contributed their works – in each issues there are around 10 different works by different artists, commissioned for Oktombreli. Among them are Lado Gudiashvili (he has usually contributed to the short poems about Georgian countryside or animals) , Samson Nadareishvili (the main artist of Georgian version of Crocodile periodical ‘Niangi’), David Gabashvili, Robert Sturua, best known for his monumental paintings, Grigol Shirinashvili, best known for his drawings of Tbilisi types.
The reason why such periodical attracted so many talented artists were, among other things, financial – as an official printed organ of Georgian Youth Komsomol organization, they were compensated better, than in adult’s periodicals – which was an important factor in wartime and after the war years. The quality of the art and materials used for the production of this periodical make it a standout among other similar publications in national languages of USSR in the second half of 1940s.

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