Daína Chaviano was born in Havana, Cuba. In  1979  she  was  awarded  the  David  Prize  for  Science Fiction for Los mundos que amo (The Worlds  I  Love),  a  collection  of  stories  she  authored  between  the  ages  of  15  and  19.

It was the   first   time   a   literary   contest   for   science fiction – primarily a male genre – was held on the island.  Thus,  the  fact  that  the  winner  was  a  young,  female  student  came  as  a  surprise.  The book was adapted for radio and served   as   the inspiration   for a short independent film, while a photonovel version sold 200,000 copies in less than two months.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in English at   the   University   of   Havana,   she   began working as a literary and cultural consultant.  In 1982 she established the first science fiction literary  workshop  in  Cuba,  and  possibly  in  Latin America, which she called “Oscar Hurtado,” in honour of the father of this genre on  the  island.  While  directing  the  workshop,  she  also  hosted  a  radio  program  called  «El   universo   de   la   música»   (The   Musical   Universe),   featuring   pieces   with mythological,  mystery,  and  science  fiction  themes.  By  that  time,  she  published  the  first anthology  on  Hurtado’s  work  titled Los  papeles  de  Valencia  el  Mudo  (The  Manuscripts of Valencia the Mute).

Soon before she had published her second book, Amoroso planeta (Loving Planet) a  collection  of  tales  where  the  author  began  her  exploration  of  one  of  her  future leitmotifs―the fusion of science fiction and mythology.

In 1985, she began writing TV scripts, adapting fairy tales for the program «Había una  vez»  («Once  upon  a  time»),  aimed  mainly  at  children.  And that summer she hosted a TV program dedicated to science-fiction films.

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