Carpe Diem, Saba Nia’s Debut Novel, Will Be Out in July

Carpe Diem, the debut novel of Saba Nia (COL’23), Psychology Major and Creative Writing and Biology Minor, and one of our 2020-2021 Research Fellowships recipients, will be published by New Degree Press next July. Saba Nia describes the plot of the book as follows: “In a fictional world not unlike ours, where people worship many gods and the elements tell us secrets, a young boy grapples with growing up when he is among the last generation of people to live”. “Carpe Diem is a commentary on how people come to grips with their mortality. Written in lyrical prose and infused with poetry, this story incorporates a slow-burn, philosophical approach to the end of the world to weave together a fable about the golden child who resists being an active agent in his life”.

Saba Nia wrote this book because she wanted to “explore human nature and how people interact with their environment, communities, and themselves when the longstanding conventions of life are challenged”. “What would you do if you were the last generation to live? What are the limitations that prevent people from renouncing passivity and how do they overcome them? How do you create meaning in your life knowing it too will end?”, are some of the questions she explores in her writing, and invites readers to tackle with.

Watch the video introduction to the book: