Serije Daev
Serije Daev | |
|---|---|
 Daev in 1996 | |
| Born | 17 May, 1949 Sena, Republic of Syara |
| Died | 4 March, 1997 Zovahr, Syara |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Citizenship | Syaran |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Notable works | Empire of Dirt |
| Notable awards | Syaran Science Fiction Writer of the Year (1995) |
| Children | 2 |
Serije Daev (17 May, 1949 - 4 March, 1997) was a Syaran author best known for writing Empire of Dirt.
Born in Sena in the Republic of Syara, Daev was the son of a Siduri War veteran and a school teacher. He took an interest in writing at an early age, keeping an extensive diary throughout his teens up until he completed secondary school. After struggling to adjust to university life he enlisted in the Army of the Syaran Republic shortly after the Seven Day War. He served extensively during the Granika Border War and the Hayren War, marrying his wife Kalina in 1973 while on leave. Despite his long service record Daev was scarcely promoted, a fact he attributed to a lack of motivation and drive. Following the outbreak of the Refusal War he remained loyal to the Zelusian Dynasty and fought with the Royalists, an allegiance he would later say had little do with ideology and more to the fact that Makedon was his home. He surrendered along with the rest of his battalion to the Warden armies in August 1987.
A veteran of the losing side of a civil war, Daev initially bounced between jobs, working mostly in either construction or retail. At the encouragement of his wife he continued to write sparingly, eventually putting together his first book "Empire of Dirt". He initially had no plans to publish but his brother-in-law, an editor at a publishing company, urged him to submit it. It was picked up and ran for an initial 500 copy print in 1995, which quickly sold out. The book became a best seller and earned Daev the Syaran Science Fiction Writer of the Year. He wrote two more books before passing away in 1997 following a brief battle with colon cancer. Several collections of his writings were later gathered by his wife and agent and published posthumously.
Empire of Dirt would remain Daev's most famous work; despite taking place in a science fiction setting the novel is widely interpreted as being reflective of his military service. In 2002 the Serije Daev Foundation was founded that promoted writing and authorship programs in Syara.