Zaira Arsenishvili (1933 – 2015) was a writer and screenwriter. A philologist by education, she also mastered the violin at a musical college. For some time, she worked as a music teacher and was a violinist in the Opera House orchestra. Later her talent flourished in collaboration with the director Lana Gogoberidze and they produced screenplays for the films: When Almonds Blossom, Turmoil in Salkhineti, Several Interviews on Personal Matters, and others.
Zaira is the author of several novels and short stories. Her books became widely known only after her death, once republished by Sulakauri in 2019-2023. The novel Woe is Life is a bestselling favorite of Georgian readers as is the novel Requiem, and three collections of essays, short stories, and plays.