Elizabeth Kostova, born Elizabeth Johnson Kostova on December 26, 1964, is an American author celebrated for her entrancing debut novel The Historian. Kostova grew up in Knoxville, Tennessee, after being born in New London, Connecticut. She completed her undergraduate studies at Yale University and earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Michigan, where she claimed the 2003 Hopwood Award for her Novel-in-Progress.

Kostova's literary career took off with the release of The Historian in 2005, a historical adventure that delves into the search for Vlad Draculea, also known as The Impaler, throughout the twentieth century. The novel received widespread acclaim, translated into 21 languages, and secured her the Hopwood Award. It took her ten years to shape this debut novel, drawing inspiration from the vampire legends her father shared during their travels across Europe.

In January 2010, she published her second novel, The Swan Thieves, further establishing her as a significant figure in contemporary literature. In addition to her writing, Kostova is deeply involved in literary philanthropy. In May 2007, she founded the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, which fosters Bulgarian creative writing, the translation of contemporary Bulgarian literature into English, and promotes cultural exchanges between Bulgarian and American authors.

Kostova is married to a Bulgarian scholar and has embraced his family name. They have three children, and their familial ties extend to Bulgaria, enriching Kostova's narratives with a unique cultural perspective.