Best Selling Books by Elizabeth Kostova

An "innovative" (The New Yorker) retelling of the story of Dracula. Told with the flourish and poise of a talented storyteller, Kostova turns the age-old tale into a compelling "late night page-turner" (San Francisco Chronicle) When a young woman discovers a cache of ancient letters, she is thrown into the turbulent history of her parents'' dark pasts. Uncovering a labyrinthine trail of clues, she begins to reconstruct a staggering history of deceit and violence. Debut novelist Elizabeth Kostova creates an adventure of monumental proportions, a relentless tale that blends fact and fantasy, history and the present, with an assurance that is almost unbearably suspenseful and utterly unforgettable.

From the #1 bestselling author of The Historian comes a mesmerizing novel that spans the past and the present—and unearths the troubled history of a gorgeous but haunted country. A young American woman, Alexandra Boyd, has traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, hoping that life abroad will salve the wounds left by the loss of her beloved brother. Soon after arriving in this elegant East European city, however, she helps an elderly couple into a taxi—and realizes too late that she has accidentally kept one of their bags. Inside she finds an ornately carved wooden box engraved with a name: Stoyan Lazarov. Raising the hinged lid, she discovers that she is holding an urn filled with human ashes. As Alexandra sets out to locate the family and return this precious item, she will first have to uncover the secrets of a talented musician who was shattered by political oppression—and she will find out all too quickly that this knowledge is fraught with its own danger. Elizabeth Kostova’s new novel is a tale of immense scope that delves into the horrors of a century and traverses the culture and landscape of this mysterious country. Suspenseful and beautifully written, it explores the power of stories, the pull of the past, and the hope and meaning that can sometimes be found in the aftermath of loss. Praise for The Shadow Land “A compelling and complex mystery, strong storytelling, and lyrical writing combine for an engrossing read.”—Publishers Weekly “In The Shadow Land, Elizabeth Kostova, a master storyteller, brings vividly to life an unfamiliar country—Bulgaria—and a painful history that feels particularly relevant now. You won’t want to put down this remarkable book.”—Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs “In this brilliant work, what appears at first a minor mystery quickly becomes emblematic of a whole country’s hidden history. Lyrical and compelling, The Shadow Land proves a profound meditation on how evil is inflicted, endured, and, through courage and compassion, defeated. Elizabeth Kostova’s third novel clearly establishes her as one of America’s finest writers.”—Ron Rash, author of The Risen

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life - solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient.

Discover the book that inspired — and terrified — generations of readers, Bram Stoker''s quintessential vampire novel. The beloved novel was a bestseller in Britain when it was published in 1897 and has thrilled readers ever since. One of the most famous novels in the history of English literature, Dracula is the unforgettable story of the aristocrat Count Dracula, a vampire living in a castle in Transylvania, and the men who risk their lives to kill him.

Breathtakingly suspenseful and beautifully written, The Historian is the story of a young woman plunged into a labyrinth where the secrets of her family''s past connect to an inconceivable evil: the dark fifteenth-century reign of Vlad the Impaler and a time-defying pact that may have kept his awful work alive through the ages. The search for the truth becomes an adventure of monumental proportions, taking us from monasteries and dusty libraries to the capitals of Eastern Europe--in a feat of storytelling so rich, so hypnotic, and so exciting that it has enthralled readers around the world.

Ao atacar uma tela em plena National Gallery of Art, o pintor e professor Robert Oliver é internado em uma instituição psiquiátrica. Lacrado em seu silêncio e obcecado pelos misteriosos olhos negros de uma dama que desenha à exaustão, Oliver se transforma no passaporte que conduz seu psiquiatra - e também pintor -, Andrew Marlow, a investigações pouco convencionais sobre seu passado. Entrecortada pelas vozes das mulheres que Robert Oliver deixou para trás, a narrativa de Marlow passeia minuciosamente por galerias de arte - especialmente pelas obras dos impressionistas franceses -, discute o fazer e a paixão pela pintura e se soma a mais um dos segredos de seu paciente: a intimidade das cartas trocadas por dois amantes, e artistas, franceses do século XIX. Os ladrões de cisne transporta o leitor por séculos, de cidades americanas contemporâneas à costa da Normandia do século XIX, além de expor justamente o que há de primordial na arte: o humano, com toda a sua beleza e sua fragilidade. Com o mesmo dom da narrativa que tornou O historiador uma sensação internacional, Elizabeth Kostova evoca um mundo que persiste muito tempo depois de virada a última página. "Os fãs de O historiador ficarão contentes em descobrir que Os ladrões de cisne oferece, com fartura, os mesmos prazeres." Washington Post "Uma história sedutora sobre as obsessões, as perdas e o poder de manter a esperança." San Francisco Chronicle "Os ladrões de cisne deixa claro que obsessão é o tema de Elizabeth Kostova. Legiões de fãs esperam impacientemente, ou mesmo obsessivamente, por esse romance." Publishers Weekly

An historical mystery that reaches from the present day into the medieval past of Vlad the Impaler, the 15th century Romanian ruler whose deeds gave rise to the legend of Dracula. In The Historian, Kostova''s characters hunt the immortal Prince Vlad across twentieth century Europe in a quest to destroy the vampire.

Na de vondst van enkele manuscripten gaat een meisje op zoek naar de achtergrond van haar ouders, waarin Dracula een belangrijke rol heeft gespeeld.

Un vespre, ja tard, tafanejant entre els prestatges de la biblioteca del seu pare, una noia troba un estrany llibre antic i unes quantes cartes groguenques. Les cartes van encapçalades per un enigmàtic "Benvolgut i malaurat successor..." que immediatament la capbussen en un món totalment impensable, un laberint on els secrets sobre el passat del seu pare i el misteriós destí de la seva mare queden connectats amb un inconcebible maligne que s''amaga a les profunditats de la història.Generacions d''historiadors han arriscat la seva reputació acadèmica, la seva salut i fins i tot la vida per saber què hi ha de veritat en la figura de Vlad l''Empalador, el sobirà medieval real a partir del bàrbar regnat del qual n''han sorgit les fonts de la llegenda del comte Dràcula. Ara, una dona jove pren el relleu en aquesta difícil recerca. De ciutat en ciutat, en antics monestirs, biblioteques recòndites i arxius clandestins de tot Europa, poc a poc va emergent la terrible veritat sobre l''obscur regnat de Vlad l''Empalador i sobre un temps de pactes que pot ser que hagin mantingut viu aquest terrible món a través dels segles.Elizabeth Kostova (Connecticut, 1964) ha esmerçat deu anys de recerca i documentació per escriure L''Historiador, un relat intrincat ple de misteri i suspens que ha suposat el seu debut literari. Estudiant de Yale i de la Universitat de Michigan, Elizabeth Kostova va guanyar amb el projecte de L''historiador el premi Hopwood que s''atorga a una novel·la en procés d''escriptura. La maduresa literària i el brillant talent narratiu de l''autora han creat gran expectativa entre editors, crítics i lectors de tot el món, i han convertit L''historiador en una de les novel·les més esperades de l''any. Està en curs de publicació en vint-i-vuit països i Sony Pictures ja n''ha comprat els drets per fer-ne una pel·lícula."La comparació amb El codi da Vinci no és un mer reclam publicitari, ja que L''Historiador també fa referència a una obra d''art i té components llegendaris. Però em fa l''efecte que a Elizabeth Kostova no li farà gaire gràcia, perquè l''autor sempre desitja que la seva novel·la tingui una vida pròpia independent del ressò d''altres llibres, i sens dubte L''historiador ho mereix i ho aconseguirà," Arthur Reagan, editor de Little BrownA TU, LECTOR AMATENT, ET CONFIO LA MEVA HISTÒRIA benvolgut i malaurat successor, és aclaparat per un profund pesar que us imagino, sigueu qui sigueu, llegint la relació dels fets que m''he vist obligat a deixar escrits. En part, sento pesar per mi mateix, ja que si aquest escrit és a les vostres mans, significa que jo segurament estic corrent algun perill, potser seré mort, o fins i tot pitjor. Però el meu pesar també és per vós, amic meu tot i que encara desconegut, perquè només algú que necessiti disposar d''aquesta vil informació, pot estar llegint aquesta carta. Si no sou el meu successor en algun altre sentit, no tingueu cap mena de dubte que aviat sereu el meu hereu. I creieu-me si us dic que em sento profundament trasbalsat d''haver llegat a algun altre ésser humà la meva experiència, potser increïble, del mal.No sabria dir-vos per quina raó la vaig heretar jo, però espero descobrir-ho algun dia, potser ho faré en el curs d''aquesta relació o potser en el transcurs d''esdeveniments posteriors...