In this sparkling and absurdly funny Georgian short story, a young sociological researcher is tasked with studying how people spend their leisure time. What begins as a routine assignment quickly spirals into a comic battle of wits when he meets a peculiar photographer who insists that literature—fiction, no less—is the only true measure of a meaningful life. As the researcher tries to stick to his questionnaire, the man who loves literature derails every question with poetic tangents, invented characters, and philosophical musings on reading, life, and self-satisfaction.

Translated with lightness and charm, Guram Dochanashvili’s classic tale is a tribute to the transforming power of books and an irreverent commentary on bureaucracy, conformity, and the quiet rebellion of thought. The Man Who Loved Literature is a delightful gem from Georgia’s literary tradition.