In 1924, his father and uncles were killed by the communist regime, and his family was raided and evicted from their home.
In 1942, he graduated from the Faculty of Philology at Tbilisi State University, with a focus on West European languages and literature.
Since then, his works have been published consistently, including the story cycle Sketches from My Village and the novel cycle Kartli Chronicles (the Georgian Chronicles), which includes: Tiniskhidi (Books I-III, 1950–1955); Mist (1955); The Dike (1956); The Shoal (1958); Kvernaki (1965); Rise and Descent (1967); Phantoms (1968); Dusty Wind (1974), which was adapted into the film The Journey of a Young Composer by Giorgi Shengelaia in 1985; Tskhratskaro (1980); and Mountain Range (1984).
His recent novels—Artistic Revolution, White Bear, Bermuda Triangle, The Year 2001, Humiliated, and his latest, Laser Show (2005)—depict events from the post-communist era in Georgia.
[3] These works, created shortly after the historical events they describe, are intended as true chronicles of the time, crafted with artistic integrity for future generations.