Daniel Hevier: Slovakia ⋆ Author

Daniel Hevier, one of the most important figures in Slovakian reading promotion programs, was born in Bratislavia in 1955. He earned a degree in Slovak Language, Literature, and Aesthetics at Comenius University in Bratislava in 1980, and began working in radio soon after. Hevier published his first book when he was just eighteen, and has been freelancing ever since. From 1989-1991, he was editor-in-chief at Mladé Letá publishing, and in 1992 he founded HEVI publishing house. Hevier decided to dedicate himself to teaching in 2005, and has taught Creative Writing and Children's Literature at both Comenius University and the Bratislava Academy of Performative Arts. He has also worked with Slovak television and radio programs for children in order to promote literary education.

For Hevier, the most important literary relationship is that between the text and the reader, and a book is not truly created until a connection is built between the words and their reader. Rich language and wordplay permeate both his poetry and prose, and it is within his humorous and lighthearted writing style that the child is able to discover profound messages and life lessons. Hevier encourages his young readers to rethink the conventional relationship between good and evil, and recognizes that these two forces are not mutually exclusive in everyday childhood experiences.

Not only does Hevier's influence emanate throughout Slovakia, but he also reaches young readers in Czech Republic, Germany, Finland, and Poland through his translated editions. He has also earned a number of national and international awards for his children's poetry and prose. In 1994, he received the Triple Rose Award, the most prestigious award for children's literature in Slovakia, and he recently won the Slovak Republic Minister of Culture Prize for his contributions to the field of children's literature. To date, Hevier has published over fifty children's books, poetry collections, and anthologies, and he continues to promote literacy and love for reading and writing among young people across Slovakia.