Elizabeth Kostova

Quick Facts

Full Name	Elizabeth Kostova
Occupation	Novelist
Date Of Birth	Dec 26, 1964(1964-12-26)
Age	60
Birthplace	New London
Country	United States
Birth City	Connecticut
Horoscope	Sagittarius

Elizabeth Kostova Biography

Elizabeth Kostova is one of the most popular and richest Novelist who was born on December 26, 1964 in New London, Connecticut, United States. Elizabeth Johnson Kostova (born December 26th 1964) is an American author who is best recognized by her first novel The Historian.

Elizabeth Johnson Kostova was born Elizabeth Johnson in New London, Connecticut and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee where she graduated from the Webb School of Knoxville. She earned her undergraduate education in English from Yale University and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan where she was awarded the 2003 Hopwood Award for her Novel-in-Progress.

Kostova finished the novel in January 2004 and sent it out to a potential literary agent in March. Two months later and within two days of sending out her manuscript to publishers, Kostova was offered a deal—she refused it. The rights to the book were then auctioned off and Little, Brown and Company bought it for US$2 million (US$30,000 is typical for a first novel from an unknown author). Publishers Weekly explained the high price as a bidding war between firms believing that they might have the next Da Vinci Code within their grasp. One vice-president and associate publisher said “Given the success of The Da Vinci Code, everybody around town knows how popular the combination of thriller and history can be and what a phenomenon it can become.” Little, Brown, and Co. subsequently sold the rights in 28 countries. The book was published in the United States on 14 June 2005.

In May 2007, the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation was created. The Foundation helps support Bulgarian creative writing, the translation of contemporary Bulgarian literature into English, and friendship between Bulgarian authors and American and British authors.

Five years later, in 1994 when Kostova was on a hike within the Appalachian Mountains with her husband she was able to recall an instant flashback to the stories she shared with her father. She then she thought “what if the father were spinning his Dracula tales to his entranced daughter and Dracula was listening in? What if Dracula was still alive?” Kostova immediately wrote the notes for seven sheets to her notebook of writers. A few days later she began working on her novel. The time was when she taught English as an additional the language as well as creative writing writing classes, and composition at universities across Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Then she moved from Philadelphia to Ann Arbor, Michigan and completed the book while she was working towards master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Michigan. To complete her book she conducted extensive research on Eastern Europe and Vlad Tepes.

Elizabeth Kostova Net Worth

Elizabeth Kostova is one of the richest Novelist from United States. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Elizabeth Kostova 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

Kostova’s fascination with the Dracula legend started with the stories her father used to tell her of the mythical vampire as an infant. The family resided in Ljubljana, Slovenia in 1972 and her father was a professor at a local college; in that time the family traveled throughout Europe. As per Kostova, “It was the formative experience of my childhood.” Kostova “was fascinated by [her father’s Dracula stories] because they were … from history in a way, even though they weren’t about real history, but I heard them in these beautiful historic places.” Kostova’s fascination with libraries and books started early too. Her mother, who was a librarian, often took them and their sisters out to the public library. They were each permitted to borrow 30 books. They also had a separate shelf for library books.

When she was a kid she was a fan of audio recordings featuring Bulgarian folk music, and was interested in the traditional music. When she was a student at Yale she performed in and directed the Slavic chorus. The year 1989 was the time she along with a group of acquaintances traveled through Eastern Europe, specifically Bulgaria and Bosnia for a study of local music traditions. The recordings they recorded will be stored at the Library of Congress. In the time Kostova resided in Europe in the late 1990s, her home was destroyed when the Berlin Wall collapsed, heralding the end of Communism in Eastern Europe, events which affected her perception of history.

Little, Brown, and Company heavily promoted the book and it became the first debut novel to land at number one on The New York Times bestseller list and as of 2005 was the fastest-selling hardback debut novel in US history. In general, the reviews of the novel were mixed. Several reviewers noted that she described the setting of her novel well. However, some reviewers criticized the book’s structure and its lack of tonal variety. Kostova received the 2006 Book Sense award for Best Adult Fiction and the 2005 Quill Award for Debut Author of the Year. Sony bought the film rights to the novel for $1.5 million.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

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Who is Elizabeth Kostova Dating?

According to our records, Elizabeth Kostova married to Georgi Kostov. As of December 1, 2023, Elizabeth Kostova’s is not dating anyone.

Relationships Record : We have no records of past relationships for Elizabeth Kostova. You may help us to build the dating records for Elizabeth Kostova!

Facts & Trivia

Elizabeth Ranked on the list of most popular Novelist. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in United States. Elizabeth Kostova celebrates birthday on December 26 of every year.

Top Facts about Elizabeth Kostova

1. Elizabeth Kostova is an American novelist.
2. She was born on December 26, 1964 in Connecticut.
3. Her debut novel “The Historian” was a bestseller.
4. “The Historian” has been translated into over 40 languages.
5. Kostova’s second novel is titled “The Swan Thieves”.
6. She has also written short stories and essays.
7. Kostova earned her MFA from the University of Michigan.
8. She currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her family.
9. Kostova is known for her historical fiction and gothic themes.
10. Her writing often explores Eastern European folklore and mythology.

Is The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova a true story?

The Historian is the 2005 debut novel of American author Elizabeth Kostova. The plot blends the history and folklore of Vlad Țepeș and his fictional equivalent Count Dracula. Kostova’s father told her stories about Dracula when she was a child, and later in life she was inspired to turn the experience into a novel.

Is Elizabeth Kostova writing a new book?

Kostova’s masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Theives is a story of obsession, history’s losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.

Is Elizabeth Kostova Bulgarian?

She has received awards for service from the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the town of Sozopol. Kostova holds a B.A. in British Studies from Yale College and an M.F.A. in creative writing from the University of Michigan , where she won Hopwood Awards in both fiction and non-fiction.

Is there a sequel to The Historian?

Elizabeth Kostova, author of The Historian, talked to Patricia Corrigan of the St. Louis Post Dispatch about her road to success and how she juggled her day job with the lengthy process of writing her first novel.

Will the historian be made into a movie?

Popular on Variety. Child actor-turned-scribe Brad Caleb Kane will sink his teeth into “The Historian,” Sony’s adaptation of a bestselling tome about modern-day vampires.