Daína Chaviano
Encyclopedia
Daina Chaviano (born 1960. in Havana
) is a Cuba
n writer
.
She is considered one of the three most important female fantasy and science fiction writers in the Spanish language, along with Angélica Gorodischer
(Argentina) and Elia Barceló (Spain), forming the so-called “feminine trinity of science fiction in Latin America.”
In Cuba
, she published several science fiction and fantasy books, becoming the most renowned and best-selling author
in those genres in Cuban literature. Since leaving the island, she has distinguished herself with a series of novels incorporating historical and more contemporary matters as well as mythological and fantastic elements.
In 1991 she left Cuba, establishing residency in the United States, where she worked as a translator, columnist, and editor.
In 1998 she achieved international recognition when she was awarded the Azorín Prize for Best Novel in Spain for El hombre, la hembra y el hambre. This work forms part of her series «The Occult Side of Havana», together with Casa de juegos, Gata encerrada, and La isla de los amores infinitos (The Island of Eternal Love
, Riverhead Books, 2008). The series has been described as “the most coherent novelistic project of its generation, indispensable for understanding the social psychology and spiritual vicissitudes of the Cuban people.”
In 2004 she was guest of honor at the 25th International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA) in the United States. It was the first time that honor had ever been conferred on a Spanish language writer.
In 2007 her novel The Island of Eternal Love
won the Gold Medal at the Florida Book Awards competition in the category of Best Book in the Spanish Language. The Island of Eternal Love
has been published in 25 languages, making it the most widely translated Cuban novel of all time.
She is the cousin of the famous Cuban actor César Évora
.
, the Mahabharata
, the Popol Vuh
, the Odyssey
, and other similar works.
The author has observed that she has no affinity whatsoever with Cuban literature of any period. Chaviano has stated that, with the exception of authors like Manuel Mujica Laínez
and Mario Vargas Llosa
,Triff, Soren. ”La maldición de escribir en Miami”. Catálogo de Letras, Miami. Número 13, 1998, p. 6-7 her only point of contact with Latin America is pre-Columbian mythology.
The author has said that her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature was always so strong that, when she entered the university, she decided to major in English literature so that she could read many of these authors in their original language.
In general terms, her contemporary influences come from European and Anglophone authors like Margaret Atwood
, Milan Kundera
, Ursula K. Le Guin
, Ray Bradbury
, Anaïs Nin
, J. R. R. Tolkien
, and William Shakespeare
, among others.
1. Highly poetic prose, indebted to cinematic imagery, which leaves the reader with the impression that s/he has seen, rather than read, a story.
2. A fondness for the magical or fantastic anecdote, which nonetheless lends a high degree of realism to the narrative, thanks to a well-grounded knowledge of the religious and mythological elements of Celtic, Christian, Afro-Cuban, pre-Columbian, and Greco-Roman cultures.
3. Several interpretive levels and a plethora of hidden meanings in her books, whether they be fantasy, science fiction, or realism.
In Cuba:
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
) is a Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
She is considered one of the three most important female fantasy and science fiction writers in the Spanish language, along with Angélica Gorodischer
Angélica Gorodischer
Angélica Gorodischer is an Argentine writer known for her collection of short stories, which belong to a wide variety of genres, including science-fiction, fantasy, crime and stories with a feminist perspective....
(Argentina) and Elia Barceló (Spain), forming the so-called “feminine trinity of science fiction in Latin America.”
In Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, she published several science fiction and fantasy books, becoming the most renowned and best-selling author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
in those genres in Cuban literature. Since leaving the island, she has distinguished herself with a series of novels incorporating historical and more contemporary matters as well as mythological and fantastic elements.
Biography
When she had barely begun her university studies, she won the first science fiction competition ever organized in Cuba with her short story collection Los mundos que amo (The Worlds I Love). After earning a bachelor’s degree in English Language and Literature at the University of Havana, she established the first science fiction literary workshop in her country, which she named “Oscar Hurtado” in honor of the father of that genre on the Caribbean island.In 1991 she left Cuba, establishing residency in the United States, where she worked as a translator, columnist, and editor.
In 1998 she achieved international recognition when she was awarded the Azorín Prize for Best Novel in Spain for El hombre, la hembra y el hambre. This work forms part of her series «The Occult Side of Havana», together with Casa de juegos, Gata encerrada, and La isla de los amores infinitos (The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
, Riverhead Books, 2008). The series has been described as “the most coherent novelistic project of its generation, indispensable for understanding the social psychology and spiritual vicissitudes of the Cuban people.”
In 2004 she was guest of honor at the 25th International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (ICFA) in the United States. It was the first time that honor had ever been conferred on a Spanish language writer.
In 2007 her novel The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
won the Gold Medal at the Florida Book Awards competition in the category of Best Book in the Spanish Language. The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love
The Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
has been published in 25 languages, making it the most widely translated Cuban novel of all time.
She is the cousin of the famous Cuban actor César Évora
César Évora
César Évora is a Cuban actor.- Biography :Évora started out his career in his native Cuba appearing in more than ten movies before moving to Mexico in the early 1990s. He became known for playing minor roles in the seminal Corazón salvaje and the long-running Agujetas de color de rosa in 1993 and...
.
Literary influences
Her literary influences derive fundamentally from the Celtic world, from diverse mythologies, and from the principal epics of ancient peoples. Among these sources one can find the Arthurian cycle; Greek, Roman, Egyptian, pre-Columbian and Afro-Cuban myths; and humankind’s first epics, dating back to prehistory, such as the Epic of GilgameshEpic of Gilgamesh
Epic of Gilgamesh is an epic poem from Mesopotamia and is among the earliest known works of literature. Scholars believe that it originated as a series of Sumerian legends and poems about the protagonist of the story, Gilgamesh king of Uruk, which were fashioned into a longer Akkadian epic much...
, the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
, the Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh
Popol Vuh is a corpus of mytho-historical narratives of the Post Classic Quiché kingdom in Guatemala's western highlands. The title translates as "Book of the Community," "Book of Counsel," or more literally as "Book of the People."...
, the Odyssey
Odyssey
The Odyssey is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is, in part, a sequel to the Iliad, the other work ascribed to Homer. The poem is fundamental to the modern Western canon, and is the second—the Iliad being the first—extant work of Western literature...
, and other similar works.
The author has observed that she has no affinity whatsoever with Cuban literature of any period. Chaviano has stated that, with the exception of authors like Manuel Mujica Laínez
Manuel Mujica Laínez
Manuel Mujica Láinez was an Argentine novelist, essayist and art critic.-Biography:...
and Mario Vargas Llosa
Mario Vargas Llosa
Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquis of Vargas Llosa is a Peruvian-Spanish writer, politician, journalist, essayist, and Nobel Prize laureate. Vargas Llosa is one of Latin America's most significant novelists and essayists, and one of the leading authors of his generation...
,Triff, Soren. ”La maldición de escribir en Miami”. Catálogo de Letras, Miami. Número 13, 1998, p. 6-7 her only point of contact with Latin America is pre-Columbian mythology.
The author has said that her passion for Anglo-Saxon literature was always so strong that, when she entered the university, she decided to major in English literature so that she could read many of these authors in their original language.
In general terms, her contemporary influences come from European and Anglophone authors like Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...
, Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera
Milan Kundera , born 1 April 1929, is a writer of Czech origin who has lived in exile in France since 1975, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1981. He is best known as the author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Book of Laughter and Forgetting, and The Joke. Kundera has written in...
, Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Ursula Kroeber Le Guin is an American author. She has written novels, poetry, children's books, essays, and short stories, notably in fantasy and science fiction...
, Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury is an American fantasy, horror, science fiction, and mystery writer. Best known for his dystopian novel Fahrenheit 451 and for the science fiction stories gathered together as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man , Bradbury is one of the most celebrated among 20th...
, Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
, J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
, and William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, among others.
Style
Daína Chaviano’s works have been described as “bold experiments that break down the boundaries between genres.” It has been observed that her style is characterized by:1. Highly poetic prose, indebted to cinematic imagery, which leaves the reader with the impression that s/he has seen, rather than read, a story.
2. A fondness for the magical or fantastic anecdote, which nonetheless lends a high degree of realism to the narrative, thanks to a well-grounded knowledge of the religious and mythological elements of Celtic, Christian, Afro-Cuban, pre-Columbian, and Greco-Roman cultures.
3. Several interpretive levels and a plethora of hidden meanings in her books, whether they be fantasy, science fiction, or realism.
Works in English
- 2008: The Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
(trans. by Andrea Labinger). Riverhead Books-Penguin Group, New York. - 2003: "The Annunciation" (short story, trans. by Juan Carlos Toledano), Cosmos Latinos: An Anthology of Science Fiction from Latin America and Spain, Edit.by Andrea L. Bell & Yolanda Molina-Gavilán. Wesleyan UP, Connecticut.
Works in Spanish
Outside Cuba:- 2007: Historias de hadas para adultos (novellas). Minotauro, Spain.
- 2006: La isla de los amores infinitos (novel). Grijalbo, Spain.
- 2005: El abrevadero de los dinosaurios (short stories). Nueva Imagen, Mexico.
- 2004: Los mundos que amo (short novel). Alfaguara, Colombia.
- 2003: Fábulas de una abuela extraterrestre (novel). Oceano, Mexico.
- 2001: País de dragones (short stories). Espasa Juvenil, Spain.
- 2001: Gata encerrada (novel). Planeta, Spain.
- 1999: Casa de juegos (novel). Planeta, Spain.
- 1998: El hombre, la hembra y el hambre (novel). Planeta, Spain.
- 1994: Confesiones eróticas y otros hechizos (poetry). Betania, Spain.
In Cuba:
- 1990: El abrevadero de los dinosaurios (short stories).
- 1989: La anunciación (film script).
- 1988: Fábulas de una abuela extraterrestre (novel).
- 1986: Historias de hadas para adultos (novellas).
- 1983: Amoroso planeta (short stories).
- 1980: Los mundos que amo (short stories).
Awards
- 2008: Finalist of the Prix Relay du Roman d'Évasion (France), for L'île des amours éternelles (The Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
). - 2007: Gold Medal Winner in the Florida Book Awards, for Best Spanish Language Book (USA), for La isla de los amores infinitos (The Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal LoveThe Island of Eternal Love is a novel by Cuban author Daína Chaviano.The plot is a family saga that takes place along two parallel lines: one during our time and another that begins in the 1850s....
). - 2004: Guest of Honor at the 25th International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, Fort Lauderdale (USA).
- 2003: Goliardos Fantasy International Award (Mexico), for Fábulas de una abuela extraterrestre.
- 1998: Azorín Prize for Best NovelPremio AzorínThe Premio Azorín de Novela is one of the most important literary awards for works written in the Spanish language...
(Spain), for El hombre, la hembra y el hambre. - 1990: Anna Seghers Award, Academy of Arts in Berlin (Germany), for Fábulas de una abuela extraterrestre.
- 1989: "La Edad de Oro" (The Golden Age) National Prize for Children's and Young People's Literature (Cuba), for País de dragones.
- 1988: "13 de marzo", Best Literary Film Script (Cuba), for La anunciación.
- 1979: David National Prize for Best SF Book (Cuba), for Los mundos que amo.
External links
- Daína Chaviano's Official Web Site. English and Spanish.
- Book Trailer of the novel The Island of Eternal Love.
- Amazon.com Official Author's Page
- Daína Chaviano's Page at Penguin
- SFWA Author's Page
- Filedby Author's Page
- GoodRead Author's Page
- When Sci-Fi Meets Sexy, by Michelle Mulligan. Criticas magazine, January/February 2004.