Zaal Jalaghonia

Zaal Jalaghonia (Georgian: ზაალ ჯალაღონია, born 24 April 1981, Chkhorotsqu Municipality, Kirtskhi district) is a Georgian poet and writer. Jalaghonia is the author of the books Born Embryos and Poems, and publisher of a scientific paper on Otar Chiladze's Godori (Georgian: basket used for transporting grapes to the cellar); he translates poems from English into Georgian and Mingrelian languages.

After finishing school in Kirtskhi, in 2002 Jalaghonia attended Tbilisi State University, where he did his master's degree. He's a philologist by profession and a writer in the field of modern literature.

Besides his native Mingrelian and Georgian, he also speaks English and French.

Since 2018, Zaal Jalaghonia resides in Paris, France.

Zaal Jalaghonia is a distinguished writer known for his prolific contributions to Mingrelian language and literature. He stands as one of the highly regarded poets of our time who compose poems in Mingrelian and takes the ability one can express himself in his native tongue to extraordinary heights. This is especially important for an endangered language such as Mingrelian, which is often stigmatised and is unpopular amongst the young. Some of his writings not only showcase the richness of Mingrelian, but also redefine the possibilities of the language as medium of poetic expression.

The subject of his poems is different, but mostly philosophical and metaphysical. Poems of patriotic spirit, the importance of saving the language and identity is common amongst his works, as well as mythology and History of Colchis.

In 2022, Mingrelian Language Association published a book of poems By Zaal Jalaghonia in Mingrelian, called "While I Was Nowhere" (Mingrelian: "სოთინ ვა ვორდინ თიმწკუმა").

Zaal Jalaghonia was the editor of book of a poems "Close to the sky" (Megr: "ცაწკუმა ხოლოს"), published By Mingrelian Language Association in 2020.

Zaal Jalaghonia was the editor of book of poetries called "Poems of father and son", published by Intelekti publishing house in 2017.

Zaal Jalaghonia co-authored "The Anthology of Mengrelian Poetry", is a collection of poems authored by multiple writers in Mengrelian, published in In 2016.

In 2014, Zaal Jalaghonia's a collection of poems called: "Poems" (Georgian: "ლექსები") was published.

In 2004, he authored a scientific paper on Otar Chiladze's Godori (Georgian: basket used for transporting grapes to the cellar).

• Collections of poems called: "While I was nowhere" by Zaal Jalaghonia

In 2013, Zaal Jalaghonia won a literary contest, "Translation of a Poem", for translating "If" by Joseph Kipling.

In December 2023, literary journal "Ebguri" (Georgian: ებგური) awarded him with Terenti Graneli prize.

• Born Embryos (Georgian: დაბადებული ემბრიონები)
• While I was nowhere, Georgian