Envisioning a Book in a Dream: “The Shadow Land” by Elizabeth Kostova




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  • 2017-10-04 20:38:35
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[caption id="attachment_36793" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-DSC_0296-min Elizabeth Kostova's newest novel - "The Shadow Land"; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] On Sept. 28, the AUBG community and guests descended into the shadows of Elizabeth Kostova’s third novel, “The Shadow Land”, as she presented it in the Panitza Library. “I haven’t read a Bulgarian novel presenting this shadow land of ours in such a compelling way,” admitted Professor Vladimir Levchev when introducing the book to the audience. Kostova is a bestselling author and serves on the AUBG University Council. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in British Studies from Yale College and a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan. Her short fiction, poetry, and essays have been published in American periodicals and magazines such as The Mississippi Review. Apart from being a professional writer, Kostova also teaches writing courses. Her third visit to AUBG also coincides with the release of her third novel.  The AUBG community has followed her published work through Kostova’s book presentations over the years. Her debut novel, The Historian, was published in 2005 and has sold over two million copies since. Her second book, the mystery The Swan Thieves, was published in 2010, as both her novels have been translated to Bulgarian. “It [The Historian] is the first ever debut novel to become number one on the bestsellers list of The New York Times,” acknowledged Levchev. Kostova also supports creative writing in Bulgaria through the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, which was founded in 2007. Its core functions are to promote Bulgarian literature and organize fiction seminars and competitions. “We have a lot of opportunities for Bulgarian writers of all ages,” explained Kostova and presented one of the members of the foundation's board, Jeremiah Chamberlin. [caption id="attachment_36794" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-DSC_0271-min The audience listening attentively to the book presentation; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] The storyline of Kostova’s third novel takes place in Bulgaria as it explores the journey of a young American woman, who arrives in Bulgaria to teach English and gets tangled into an unexpected situation, while trying to help an elderly couple. To better explain her affinity to Bulgaria, Kostova elaborated on her own connection to the country. The author first came to Bulgaria in 1989 after the fall of the communist regime.
“Two American friends and I came to study traditional music in Bulgaria,” said Kostova. “We were 24, we didn’t know that the Berlin Wall is going to fall seven days before we came, it was quite a surprise. It was an amazing demonstration of political change,” she continued.
Kostova observed the changes in both the capital and the villages while travelling throughout the country. The people she came across and their stories fascinated her the most, thus, inclining her to write a novel situated in Bulgaria. 
“I kept wondering what my story would be,” shared Kostova. “It is very intimidating to write about another culture. I needed to find a way that would be authentic and not presumptuous,” she admitted and added that piles of notes and an experience of a place are not enough to write a novel.
According to her, though, she came up with the concept of the book in an extraordinary way as it revealed itself to her in the form of a dream. Nine years ago, Kostova’s child woke her up to share a nightmare. At the same time she realized she had seen the beginning of a novel in her own dream. Kostova had dreamed of an American woman in contemporary Sofia. The woman helps an elderly couple get into a taxi cab, but later discovers she has kept one of their bags. In the bag she finds an urn with human ashes with just a name in Bulgarian.
“Imagine if this happened to you in a foreign country, what would you do and where would you go?,” asked Kostova.
[caption id="attachment_36792" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-DSC_0251-min Elizabeth Kostova reads from her book; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption] “Oh, I am so sorry you had a bad dream, darling. Wait right here, while I write a 500-page novel,” repeated Kostova with a smile reflecting on what she said to her son nine years ago. And despite seeing the culmination of the book in her dream, it took Kostova eight years to do the actual research, travel, take photos, and talk to people.
“When you start writing a novel, you naturally understand suddenly how little you actually know,” said Kostova.
She asserted how complicated this project was and how sensitive she tried to be in writing the book, as it addresses difficult parts of history and real people’s stories. The most challenging part in writing “The Shadow Land” for her was figuring out who the person in the urn was. It took her “360 degrees of research”, as she calls it, to create accurate details considering sound, smell, taste, and touch. She read Bulgarian history, but also traveled to Bulgaria, took interviews, looked at movies, and advised with her husband, who is a Bulgarian and could provide her with information about the daily life in the country. She also gathered the opinions of Bulgarian friends, who could fact-check, but also get a “feeling of the attitude” of the narrative. As an example of an obstacle Kostova mentioned how challenging the Rhodopean dialect was for her, when conducting interviews. “It was very tough – it was like going from New York to Scotland and trying to understand anything,” recalled Kostova. However, she welcomed the challenge. “I am a firm believer that it is a great exercise to write about things you don’t know, as it stretches you as writer, so that you can apply what you do know and make what you don’t just as real,” shared Kostova. She also acknowledged the importance of being open to changes and interruptions during the writing process, because for her writing is about surprises. Although the author remembered what it feels like to be an American woman coming to Bulgaria – “the excitement, fear, newness”, her character experienced an entirely different journey.  Her memories and experiences from Bulgaria were helpful while writing, but it was easier to have an outsider point of view of the young American. “I could have her [the main character] encounter things for the first time and not have to explain how they would seem to a Bulgarian,” said Kostova. [caption id="attachment_36795" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-DSC_0299-min Kostova signing books; Steliyana Yordanova for AUBG Daily[/caption]
“It was exciting to listen to a non- Bulgarian, who is interested in our country, history and culture," said Kristina Uzunova, a second-year student. “One of the most interesting things was how she dreamed the plot of the novel. She shared how she became familiar with our culture and folklore while visiting the Rhodopes. It was a helpful lecture for me because I am taking the course 'Literature in translation' and she talked about the process of translating her book. I am convinced that I would buy and read the book," she continued. “As a writer, this is the piece of work that I am proudest of,” admitted the author despite the writing process struggles. “It is a tribute to a country I love very much and to landscapes I find spectacular and to people I find inspiring. It is hard for me to imagine my life as a writer now without Bulgaria. I owe Bulgaria a huge debt as a writer and as a person,” she then added.