By: 恵理花 (Eri)
Published in 2005, Elizabeth Kostova’s debut novel “The Historian” easily became number one in The New York Time bestseller list. (Source: Wikipedia)
A combination of different genres such as epistolary epic, historical thriller, gothic novel, among others, The Historian is indeed an “eerie tale”. Despite being based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, readers considered The Historian as not being a horror novel.
I must admit that I am one of those people who are addicted to vampires. From the silent film Nosferatu (1922), Dracula by Bram Stoker, Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, Twilight Saga (Yes, I know. Please don’t hate me.) and even anime such as “Karin” and “Vampire Knight”, I have read and seen them. A friend even gave me a booklet entitled “The Vampire Hunter’s Handbook” by Erin Slonaker (I don’t have the copy with me, but I will update this soon.), which I think that is somewhat informative.
I have the complete set of Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles (“Interview with the Vampire” to the latest installment, “Prince Lestat and the Realms at Atlantis”). I’ll probably write a post about my vampire novels/series collection.
Nobody suggested that I should read The Historian. I learned about this book when I saw the other novel of Elizabeth Kostova entitled “The Swan Thieves” in secondhand bookstore. My curiosity led me to google information about the abovementioned book, but The Historian kept on appearing on my screen and when I checked the reviews, oh boy, the positive reviews overwhelmed me. However, since I only buy new books if it is a Classic Literature or Japanese Literature, it took me two years to find a used copy and that was in May 2017. I told to myself back then that I will read it before the year ends.
My experience and thoughts:
1.) PAGE TURNER. Despite my busy schedule, it took me two days to finish the 700+ pages book. My eyes hurt but my mind continued to read and my hand kept on turning the pages.
2.) The historical references increased my excitement while reading.
- Romania and Transylvania – The places on top of my list that I want to visit before I die.
- Vlad the Impaler’s Castle
- Balkan Folk music – I like European Folk song (I love Greensleeves, because of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn)
- The Libraries mentioned
- Old castles and old places… how nice it would be to stay to those places while thinking about their respective history and the prominent figures who had traversed them.
3.) The Historian awakened my hidden passion for dead languages such as Latin, Ancient Hebrew, Old and Middle English (Shakespeare!!!) and Ancient Greek. It also emphasized my love for Linguistic and Culture regardless of country.
“But you cannot study cultures without a knowledge of their history.”
“Every historian knows the thirst to see the reality of the past.”
DRACULA by BRAM STOKER
BONUS:
The Historian inspired me to re-read Dracula. It was my third time but it made me so excited. I do think that vampires are really romantic and spoiled. It also took me two days to finish this.
“..for in this enlightened age, when men believe not even what they see, the doubting of wise men would be his greatest strength.”
How about you? Have you read The Historian? What are your thoughts?
Thank you for reading!
AKI LOST IN WORDS 