In the epilogue, it is now 2008, and the narrator is attending a conference in Philadelphia when she finds a library that contains an extensive amount of information about Dracula. She forgets her notes as she leaves, and when they are returned to her by an attendant, she discovers a copy of the mysterious book that had started the whole journey. Update this section!

The Historian - Wikipedia

Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth However, this interweaving of journeys in different timeframes is one of the principal problems with the book. Kostova is a whiz at storytelling and narrative pace, and she can write atmospheric descriptions of place, but she has no great sense of the location of language within time, and not much talent for impersonation. Unfortunately, the shape of her story commits her to a great deal of it. That there is no distinction between the narrator's voice and exposition is legitimate, since the narrator is recounting the events of 1972 from the standpoint of 2008, but the father's voice is identical, which is bad, and so is the voice of an Oxonian Englishman in 1930, which is ludicrous. Amir Taheri, "Review of The Historian" (original), Asharq Alawsat (December 31, 2005). Retrieved May 29, 2009. Archived copy. a b c Michael Dirda, "A specter is haunting Europe,...", The Washington Post (12 June 2005). Access World News (subscription required). Retrieved 10 May 2009.

History and questions about its role in society pervade The Historian. In particular, the novel argues that knowledge of history is power, particularly as it is written in books. [3] The title can refer to any of the major characters, including Dracula. [31] As Nancy Baker explains in The Globe and Mail, the novel is "about the love of books" and the knowledge and comfort they offer the characters– even Dracula himself is a bibliophile. [32] [33] As one critic explains, the novel is specifically about the love of scholarship. [30] At the heart of the novel is an exploration of "the power and price of scholarly obsession". [30] As Paul explains in the novel: Paul is the father of the narrator who finds an ancient tome containing an emblem of Dracula. When he consults his mentor Rossi about it, Rossi reveals that he too found a similar tome as a younger man. He disappears shortly after this encounter with Paul, leading Paul to go on a search for Dracula, whom the two men both believe is still alive. Count Dracula Part Two commences with the narrator detailing Helen and her husband’s time traversing Eastern Europe in the 1950s. During their trip, Paul and Helen surmise that Rossi may have been transported by Dracula to his crypt. They go to Istanbul to study the archives of Sultan Mehmed II, which Paul thinks holds the key to the location of Dracula’s crypt. They have the good fortune of meeting Professor Turgut Bora at Istanbul University, who also possesses a similar handmade book as Paul and Rossi have. Bora has access to Mehmed’s archives, and soon a trove of important documents is uncovered. They also spot the librarian they thought was killed by a car in America. He’s is a vampire who has been following the couple. Paul fires a bullet at the vampire, but does not kill him because he misses its heart. Paul and Helen leave Istanbul for Budapest to continue their search for Dracula’s crypt, as well as locate Helen’s mother. Paul and Helen believe her mother may know of Rossi’s whereabouts, as they once met in Romania during the 1930s. Helen learns that her mother had a love affair with Rossi. She and Paul also learn that Helen, Helen’s mother and the narrator are all descendants of Vlad the Impaler.

The Historian (Audiobook on 22 CDs): Elizabeth Kostova The Historian (Audiobook on 22 CDs): Elizabeth Kostova

The Historian has been described as a combination of genres, including the Gothic novel, the adventure novel, the detective novel, [15] the travelogue, [16] the postmodern historical novel, [17] the epistolary epic, [18] and the historical thriller. Vlad Tepes, also known as Dracula, is a vampire prince from Wallachia who is later revealed to be still alive. He is later killed by Helen, who shoots him in the heart with a silver bullet and thereby preventing him from recovering. Helen History has taught us that the nature of man is evil, sublimely so. Good is not perfectible, but evil is. Why should you not use your great mind in service of what is perfectible?...There is no purity like the purity of the sufferings of history. You will have what every historian wants: history will be reality to you. We will wash our minds clean with blood. [34] a b c d Jeff Guinn, "Tapping a vein", Fort Worth Star-Telegram (24 July 2005). Access World News (subscription required). Retrieved 10 May 2009.

Anyway, if you've got a spare couple of weeks give it ago. Just be prepared to give it a fair chance. Am I destined for some kind of literary hell if I say I wish Dan Brown would rewrite this story with the spark and intensity of the Da Vinci Code? As Kostova explains, "Dracula is a metaphor for the evil that is so hard to undo in history." [3] For example, he is shown influencing Eastern European tyrants and supporting national socialism in Transylvania. [23] He is "vainglorious, vindictive, [and] vicious". [32] As Michael Dirda explains in The Washington Post, the novel conveys the idea that "Most of history's worst nightmares result from an unthinking obedience to authority, high-minded zealotry seductively overriding our mere humanity." [35] It is in the figure of the vampire that Kostova reveals this, since "our fear of Dracula lies in the fear of losing ourselves, of relinquishing our very identities as human beings". [35] In fact, the narrator is never named in the novel, suggesting, as one critic explains, "that the quest for the dark side of human nature is more universal than specific to a concrete character". [34]

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, First Edition - AbeBooks The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova, First Edition - AbeBooks

When the narrator arrives at Saint-Matthieu-des-Pyrénées-Orientales, she finds her father. Individuals mentioned throughout the 1970s timeline converge in a final attempt to defeat Dracula. He is seemingly killed by a silver bullet fired into his heart by Helen. The Historian tells the history of Vlad Tepes (aka Count Dracula) and the modern story of Paul, a professor, and his sixteen year old daughter (who is unnamed) on their quest to find Vlad's tomb. It is a fact that we historians are interested in what is partly a reflection of ourselves, perhaps a part of ourselves we would rather not examine except through the medium of scholarship; it is also true that as we steep ourselves in our interests, they become more and more a part of us.”a b Amir Taheri, "Review of The Historian" (original), Asharq Alawsat (31 December 2005). Retrieved 29 May 2009. Archived copy. Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. First Edition. This book has very little corner bumping or edge wear. Interior text is clean and tight in it's binding. No ownership markings. DJ is unclipped with some light wear, white line in front flap. Size: 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. In any case, it seems that for an indefinite length of time, Dracula has spent his unlife researching torture and mass destruction, his biography, his spiritual prospects, and allied matters: 'As I knew I could not attain a heavenly paradise ... I became a historian.' An eyebrow-raising alternative. In addition to his studies, he encourages work on vampirism by gifts of a mysterious book, but then puts a stop to it by frightening the living daylights out of the researchers, which seems a touch counterproductive. Kostova did extensive research about Eastern Europe and Vlad Țepeș. She found a vampire-killing kit at the Mercer Museum, which included a pistol, silver bullets, a crucifix, a wooden stake, and powdered garlic. [11] Vampire-killing kit at the Mercer Museum