book
pick
By Hope Katz Gibbs
YOU MAY WANT to tuck a few bulbs To give readers the feeling they are
of garlic into your pockets when you traveling to foreign lands, Kostova knew it
read Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel, was imperative she romp through many
The Historian. of the European cities in which the novel
This novel about the life—and is set. “How else would I have known the
afterlife—of Vlad III of Wallachia sound of the screams that seagulls make as
(1431–1476–?) is wonderfully creepy— they soar over Istanbul?” she asks.
especially when read late at night. Luckily a trip to Bulgaria wasn’t too
Even before its release, The difficult, for Kostova’s husband is a
Historian waspredicted tobeaspopular native. In fact, the couple met there in
as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. And the mid-’80s, while she was on a foreign-that is what the book’s publisher, Time Elizabeth Kostova exchange program, and married when
Warner’s Little, Brown, is banking on. she was 25.
MARION ETTLINGER
After a heated auction last summer, Little, Brown paid “Although none of the Bulgarian characters is
Kostova $2 million to publish her 656-page book. specifically based on my in-laws,” she says, “I was
The windfall came as a welcome surprise to the able to observe them intimately and that helped me
author, a Yale grad and literature professor. Kostova include wonderful details about their beautiful faces
worked late into many nights typing her manu- and particular mannerisms.”
script, and admits writing about the diabolical The quantity of research exhausted her, though,
Dracula at 2 a.m. did make her reach to close the and Kostova vowed that she’d never again undertake
curtains. But then, she was equally spooked the day such an arduous project. Now that she’s rested a bit,
the idea for the novel first popped into her head. however, the 40-year-old has begun another historic
“I suddenly remembered the Dracula tales my novel—but refuses to hint at the topic.
professor father told me when I was a little girl and For the next year, Kostova will be working to
we were traveling in Europe, and I thought this promote The Historian. As to whether she believes
might be a good beginning for a novel,” she shares. Dracula still walks the earth, the author simply
“Then I thought, ‘What if it turned out Dracula chuckles, “I don’t think I should answer that ques-
himself was listening to each story?’” tion. But suffice it to say that I am a very rational
The more she thought about it, the more the person. Usually.” C
hair stood up on the back of her neck. She knew she
was on to something. Hope Katz Gibbs is a freelance writer in
About midway through the writing process, Clifton, Virginia, who now carries a few cloves
Kostova needed a little creative mentoring and of garlic in her pockets.
entered the University of Michigan’s master of fine
arts program.
“It was the best thing I could have done,” Kostova
tells The Connection, noting her supportive professors
encouraged her to enter the novel-in-progress in the
school’s prestigious Hopwood Award competition.
Pennie Clark Ianniciello
Costco Book Buyer
THIS MONTH, my pick,
The Historian, by Elizabeth
Kostova, revisits the story
of Dracula. It begins with a
young woman who wanders into her father’s
library and discovers an
antique leather-bound
book and envelope of yellowing papers that suggest Dracula still roams
the earth. But The
Historian is more than a
spine-tingling tome of
adventure. It is an intellectual romp through centuries of vampire lore, a
lesson in 800 years of
Eastern European history
and a love story so romantic you’ll weep as you root
for the novel’s young heroine; her father, Paul; and
her mother, Helen—a family determined to solve the
ancient mystery.
Kostova writes with
such well-researched
detail, readers will feel
they’re living the story, not
just reading it.
The Historian is available in most Costco warehouses and at costco.com.
Signed book
giveaway
Seattle, WA 98124-1088; or fax
it to (425) 313-6718.
No purchase is necessary.
Entries must be received or
Costco has five autographed postmarked by midnight, July 1,
copies of Elizabeth Kostova’s 2005. Void where prohibited.
The Historian to give away. Employees of Costco and their
To enter, print your name, mem- families are not eligible.
bership number, address and Winners will be notified by mail.
daytime phone number on a One entry per household.
postcard or letter and send it to:
The Historian, The Costco
Connection, P.O. Box 34088,
Send your feedback
on this month’s book to:
discussionquestions@costco.com
The Historian a completely captivating tale, but Kostova’s prose is sophisticated and elegant, her character
development rich and deep, and her
imagery vivid. The detailing of European cities is as interesting as a travel-ogue, and her descriptions of foreign far e
are so delectable that reading the book on
an empty stomach is sure to have you long-ing for a bowl of steaming gulyas or a goblet of palinka.
She won that prize in 2004.
It is easy to see why. Not only is
