Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko


Spouses Maryna Yuryivna Dyachenko and Serhiy Serhiyovych Dyachenko are co-authors of fantasy literature from Ukraine writing in Russian. Three of their novels have been translated into English. At the World and All-European Science Fiction Convention Eurocon 2005 in Glasgow, Marina and Serhiy Dyachenko were recognized as the best science fiction writers in Europe.

Personal life

The Dyachenkos are from Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. For four years, they lived in Russia, then moved to California, United States in 2013. Serhiy Dyachenko died on 5 May 2022 in the United States.

Work

Background

Serhiy Dyachenko graduated from Kyiv Medical Institute and worked as a psychiatrist. Later, Serhiy Dyachenko working as a writer and screenwriter, together with director Anatoliy Borsyuk and cinematographer Oleksandr Frolov, was awarded the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine in 1987 for "The Star of Vavilov" about the life of imprisoned Russian agronomist Nikolai Vavilov. The film was produced by the Kyiv Studio of Popular Science Films. Serhiy graduated from the Faculty of Scriptwriting of the All-Russian State University of Cinematography in 1989. Maryna Dyachenko graduated from the Theatre Institute of Kyiv in 1989 and worked as a professional theatre and cinema actress.

Self-description and Collaboration

The Dyachenkos describe their work as "M-realism" with the 'M' "open to interpretation." Without defining the meaning of the "M", in 2014 Sergey Dyachenko explained it as "Marina's realism", expanding "that's where the romanticism comes from, and the stubborn humanism, and the hope for white magic and a better tomorrow."
Their works have been subject to scholarly analysis.
In a 2019 profile, Julia Meitov Hersey summarized their collaboration as follows: "It is thanks to Sergey’s skills of writing solid plots that Marina’s beautiful aethereal worlds have such a strong structure, a foundation built on the characters’ flesh and bone, their blood and tears. Their ideal fantasy is a story of a real person in a chimerical world."

Novels

The Gate-Keeper, their first novel, was published in 1994. It received the Crystal Table prize at the book festival Zoryany Schlyach, and the novel was awarded the title "Best Debut Work" at the EuroCon competition in 1995. The Gate-keeper became the first novel in the Dyachenkos' fantasy tetralogy Wanderers. With publishing of The Scar , the sequel of The Gate-Keeper, the Dyachenkos established themselves as masters of psychological fantastic fiction. The Scar has received the "Sword in the Stone" award for best fantasy novel in 1997.
The Ritual is about a princess and a dragon, the latter half-human. The novel received little attention and was not awarded any prizes.
Age of the Witch involves characters from a number of mythologies, most prominently Slavonic. It received a literature award from the magazine Rainbow in 1997 and the "Zilantkon" -"Great Zilant" prize in Kazan in 1998.
The Cave was awarded the "Moon Sword" prize in 1999 for the best work of "mystical literature" published between 1997 and 1999.
Burned Tower received a prize at Interpresscon competition in 1999.
The Frontier , written with A. Valentinov and H. L. Oldie, was awarded the Golden Caduceus prize at the festival "Star Bridge - 2000".
The Execution received a "The Wаnderer" award in 2000 and the Reader Appreciation award "Sigma-F" in 2000 as the Novel of the Year.
Armaged-Home , a work of social science fiction, takes place over a number of periods encompassing the life of its heroine and the society in which she lives. In the opinion of many critics and readers, it is one of the best of their novels.
The Green Card , later adapted into a screenplay, is a work of realist fiction about residents of Kyiv who have received an opportunity to immigrate to the United States.
Magicians Can Do Anything was awarded the "Golden Caduceus" award at the 2001 Golden Bridge festival.
Valley of the Conscience was awarded the Bronze Snail, Russian science fiction - 2002, Sigma-F, and the "Golden Caduceus" award at the Golden Bridge 2002 festival.
Pandem took the "Silver Caduceus" prize at the 2003 Star Bridge 2003 festival.
Varan was awarded the "Bronze Caduceus" prize at the 2004 Star Bridge festival.
The Copper King, a fantasy novel loosely connected to it, was published in 2008.
The Pentacle, co-written A. Valentinov and G. L. Oldi, was awarded the "Golden Caduceus" prize at the 2005 Star Bridge festival.
Wild Energy. Lana is a fairy tale influenced by the music of the Ukrainian singer Ruslana, to whom the authors dedicated the work. It was awarded the "Bronze Caduceus" prize at the 2006 Star Bridge festival.
The Key of the Kingdom and its sequel Oberon's Word appeared in 2006. The trilogy was concluded with Evil Has No Power .
Alena and Aspirin, an unrelated psychological fantastic novel, was published in 2006. It was published in 2020 by HarperCollins as "Daughter from the Dark".
Vita Nostra was published in 2007. It was the first novel in the thematically related "Metamorphosis" cycle. The book collected dozens of awards from readers and professionals. Julia Meitov Hersey's translation of Vita Nostra was published by HarperCollins Publishers in November 2018. Digital, or Brevis Est, and Migrant, or Brevi Finietur, a work of science fiction, continue the cycle.
Possessed, an urban fantasy, was published in 2011.
Assassin of Reality: A Novel was published in 2021. It is the sequel to 2007 novel Vita Nostra''. The English translation was published in 2023.

Novellas

Last Don Quixote , a variation on Miguel de Cervantes' novel, became a base for a theatrical play. The novel was awarded the "Bronze Snail" .

Awards

In 2001, Marina and Sergey Dyachenko were awarded the "Aelita" prize.

Literary awards

Maryna and Serhiy Dyachenko are recipients of the most prestigious literary awards in the science fiction in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Practically every novel they have written, in addition to several short stories, have received various awards.
They were honored as the ESFS's Best Writers of Europe in Eurocon 2005.

Novels

  • The Gate Keeper
  • The Rite
  • The Scar
  • Skrut
  • The Successor
  • Age of the Witch
  • The Cave
  • The Execution
  • Armaged-Home
  • The Adventurer
  • Magicians May Do Everything
  • Valley of the Conscience
  • Pandem
  • The Pentacle
  • Varan
  • Alena and Aspirine/''Daughter from the Dark
  • Wild Energy. Lana
  • The Key of the Kingdom
  • Oberon's Word
  • Vita Nostra
  • The Copper King
  • Evil Has No Power
  • Digital, or Brevis Est
  • Migrant, or Brevi Finietur
  • Possessed
  • Hundredfold
  • Dark World: Equilibrium
  • The Ray
  • Assassin of Reality: A Novel''

    Novellas

  • "Bastard"
  • "Stone's Roots"
  • "Burned Tower"
  • "Last Don Quixote"
  • "Green Card"
  • ""Wolfs' Land"
  • "Emma and the Sphinx"
  • "The Well Master"
  • "Kon"
  • "Miseracle"
  • "Zoo"
  • "Two"
  • "My Noble Knight Has Left Me..."
  • "The Sail Bird"
  • "Vesnars' Land"

    Short stories

  • "Virlena"
  • "Outside"
  • "The Throne"
  • "Oskol"
  • "Horde's Man"
  • "A Tale About Golden Rooster"
  • "The Spell"
  • "Blind Basilisk"
  • "The Hamlet"
  • "Mackler and Magic"
  • "The Wing"
  • "Dark Side of the Moon"
  • "Basketball"
  • "Hair"
  • "The Bloom"
  • "The Promise"
  • "Lunar Landscape"
  • "Marta"
  • "Visit to a Paediatrician"
  • "'Churrem"
  • "Ataman"

    With A. Valentinov, H. L. Oldie

  • The Frontier
  • Bashtan
  • Fights with no Rules
  • Devil's Expedition
  • The Potato
  • Werewolf in the Uniform
  • Bursak
  • Sanatorium
  • The Neighbor
  • Venus Mirgorodus
  • Day of the Dead in the Community Center
  • Sold Soul
  • Rescuers
  • The Wanderer
  • The Quarteronesse
  • Dress Shoes
  • Charisma Nuyrki Gavrosh
  • Monte-Carltown
  • Let's go to the Basement?
  • Nespokiy
  • Scary M.
  • Bogdana
  • The Serdolick Perl
  • The Attraction
  • The Pan's Orchid
  • Cossack's Blood
  • The Flaming Motor
  • The Competition
  • The Bequest Stone
  • Five Dead-ends Street

    Plays

  • Last Don Quixote

    Children's books

  • Flying Hat Published in Ukrainian.
  • Tales for Stevo
  • Adventures of Masha Michailova ; also published in Ukrainian.
  • Search of Masha Michailova
  • Flying fish Published in Russian, Ukrainian an English
  • Giraffe and Panda Published in Russian and Ukrainian.
  • Fairy Tales: About the old woman, About the barrel, About the river, About the chicken, About the chicken-2, About the cricket
  • Gabriel and The Steel Lumberjack Published in Ukrainian.