Linda Himelstein

Linda Himelstein is a veteran journalist. She began her career in the Washington bureau of The Wall Street Journal and has worked for several other publications, appearing on television outlets such as CNN and C-SPAN as an expert commentator on news of the day. In 1993, Ms. Himelstein joined BusinessWeek in New York as its legal affairs editor. One of her cover stories, titled the Bankers Trust Tapes, earned national headlines and helped BusinessWeek win the National Magazine Award. As legal affairs editor, Ms. Himelstein also covered the lawsuit filed by Smirnov's descendants. They sought to return the trademarks and copyrights of the vodka empire, lost in the tumult following the Russian revolution, to the family and to Russia. The family's story captured the heart and mind of Ms. Himelstein. In 1996, Ms. Himelstein relocated to the Bay Area, writing about finance and retail for BusinessWeek. Two years later, she became the Silicon Valley Bureau Chief just as the technology boom took off. Despite the excitement of Silicon Valley, Ms. Himelstein could not forget the Smirnovs and their compelling story. At the end of 2004, Ms. Himelstein left the magazine and focused her energy for more than four years on the research, reporting, and writing necessary to tell the fascinating--and wrenching--tale in The King of Vodka.