The Motif of the State Border in the Works of Kevser Ruhi

Abstract

Kevser Ruhi is a writer of Georgian origin, but born and raised in Turkey. Her ancestors migrated to Turkey from historical southern Georgia during the migrations (muhajirs) following the Russo-Ottoman War of 1877-1878. The writer is known in Georgia under the pseudonym Keti Khantadze. Kevser Ruhi’s publications – stories, journalistic letters and memoirs – present the details of the life of Georgians living in Turkey, the movement of their souls, their pain. At the same time, the writer, who was born on Turkish soil, carries Georgianness in her heart and is always accompanied by the sadness of longing. This feeling is also evident when the writer touches on the topic of the state border that emerged in southern Georgia as a result of negotiations between Russia and Turkey... She shows how difficult the Georgians were faced with reality. How the border erased the possibility of continuing old relations.