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[MAGAZINE PUBLISHED IN GEORGIAN PRISON] Met’ekhis k’rialosani = Chetki Metekha [i.e. Metekhi Rosary]

Tbilisi: Sp’etsdanishnulebis izoliat’oris (met’ekhis) k’ult’-k’omisiis ga-ma, 1928. Item #674

24 pp.: ill. 26x17 cm. In original wrappers with letterpress design. Tears of the spine with small losses, soiling of the covers, water stain on the lower margin throughout the copy, otherwise very good internally.

This is a unique survival of the time - the Georgian magazine published in Metekhi prison. The only issue was printed. One of 1000 copies produced.
According to the National Library of Georgia, the edition was banned.
Cover design and illustrations were produced by convicted artist E. Kurmakher, photographs made by G. Tokhadze who was a photographer of Georgian Goskinoprom.
Metekhi has been originally built in V century AD. Throughout the centuries it has been one of the most important churches in Tbilisi. Being the prison from the early 19th century, Metekhi castle was the main ‘politizoliator’ in the Soviet Georgia where the political prisoners were contained, in particular, Mensheviks who led Georgia in the first years after October Revolution. It had the status of jail until the State Museum of the Arts of the Georgian SSR was established in the castle in 1934.
The edition compiled the texts on day-to-day cultural life and work of prisoners as well as their prose and poetry. The materials were made public as evidence of the successfully improved conditions. The issue had different prices on the back cover stressing that it was printed for the people inside and beyond the jail. For the loyal readership, the magazine appeared with editor’s note “Citizens! The edition has been prepared in a week. We did our best”.

Worldcat doesn’t track this edition.

Price: $650.00