Star US author to give library talk

HISTORY BUFF: Elizabeth Kostova, author of The Historian.

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Nelson book lovers are in for a treat this weekend with the visit of acclaimed and best-selling American author Elizabeth Kostova.

Kostova is in New Zealand to promote her new book The Swan Thieves, and her first stop is Nelson.

She shot to fame with her debut novel The Historian, which was published by Little, Brown and Company in the United States for $2 million and went on to become a New York Times No1 bestseller, selling more than 2 million copies in hardback. The film rights have been sold to Sony for US$1.5m (NZ$2.14m), and it has been published in 26 languages.

An eerie tale that foreshadowed the rise in popularity of the vampiric saga, The Historian blends history and folklore of Vlad Tepes and his fictional equivalent Dracula in a novel that has been described as a gothic novel, adventure story, travelogue, postmodern historical novel and thriller.

Kostova's ability to weave myth and history with contemporary narratives comes to the fore again in The Swan Thieves. She tells a story of obsession and love, of two men seeking clarity.

Robert Oliver, an acclaimed artist, has been arrested for his attack on a painting (which portrays the myth of Leda), and committed to the care of psychiatrist Andrew Marlow. The story unfolds as Marlow, unable to get Oliver to speak, seeks out the women in his life. Through their stories the artist is slowly revealed. In making sense of Oliver's madness and his obsession with a mysterious woman, Marlow must delve into the past, into the world of the French impressionists. Here, he discovers a tale of passion, art and secrecy.

Yale-educated Kostova has worked as a writer, editor and university lecturer. She is a past winner of the Wallace Prize for Fiction, was nominated for best newcomer in the 2006 British Book Awards, and won the Hopwood Award for a novel in progress for The Historian.

In 2007, the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation was created to support Bulgarian creative writing.

• Elizabeth Kostova will speak at the Elma Turner Library on Sunday at 2pm. It is a free event but bookings are essential. Tickets are available from Page & Blackmore Booksellers and the Elma Turner Library. For further details, contact Page & Blackmore Booksellers on 035489992 or email info@pageandblackmore.co.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News