book review the historian elizabeth kostova

It was sort of the beginning of my trying to write and experimenting with those forms. I think I started writing poetry when I was about eight, and fiction when I was nine, and very true juvenilia. Like a lot of children, I started writing because I was imitating the books I loved to read. When did you know that you wanted to write? Was it from when you were at school? Or, was it later? When did you discover this wonderful world we call writing? So, I was always kind of writing around the edges of what I had to do every day. Including a lot of teaching, which I really enjoyed, and doing many other things. I spent about ten years of that time on The Historian, but I was also always writing short work and publishing essays and poetry, and short fiction in literary magazines.ĭuring that time, also like most writers, I was working a lot of jobs to make a living. I was really writing seriously for over twenty years before The Historian came out. Well, like many writers I worked for many years before publishing a novel. Now, for those people who are listening who are wondering how you got into writing, tell us about what were you doing before you released your first book, and the process of that first book. * Please note these transcripts have been edited for readability She graduated from Yale and also holds a Master in Fine Arts from the University of Michigan.Ĭlick play to listen. She has also won the Hopwood Award for a Novel-in-progress.

The Historian won Elizabeth the Best Newcomer Award in the 2006 British Book Awards. It went on to sell over two million copies worldwide, and was published in 26 foreign editions. This historical novel explores the history and folklore of Vlad the Impaler, the real-life inspiration for the Dracula story. Her first, The Historian, shot to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, becoming the first debut novel to do so. How to Build a Successful Freelance Copywriting BusinessĮlizabeth Kostova’s second novel is The Swan Thieves, a story of obsession and art.

Book review the historian elizabeth kostova