1833-1895 / Writer
Despite her lack of formal education, Barbare emerged as one of the first Georgian women who did not fear public reproach for going into writing. Her works were published in Tsiskari, Droeba, Iveria, Kvali and Jejili.
She was the only woman who dared to argue against Ilia Chavchavadze in the polemics over the modernization of the Georgian language in 1861.
In 1867 Barbare's play "What I was looking for and what I found" was performed at the Kutaisi Theatre. It was staged many times in many other theatres in the following years.
In 1874 Ekvtime Kheladze's printing house printed her cookbook "Georgian cuisine: tried and true family methods", which includes both Georgian and European dishes.
In the 1890s, Barbare published a letter about the "women question" titled "A few words for young men", which is rightly considered a manifesto of Georgian feminism.
Photo: G. Leonidze Literature Museum