Carlos Ruiz Zafón (; 25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...

known for his 2001 novel ''La sombra del viento'' (''

The Shadow of the Wind ''The Shadow of the Wind'' ( es, La sombra del viento) is a 2001 novel by the Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón and a worldwide bestseller. The book was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves and sold over a million copies in the UK af ...

'').

Biography

Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona. His grandparents had worked in a factory and his father sold insurance. Ruiz Zafón began his working life in

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. In the 1990s he moved to Los Angeles where he worked briefly in screen writing. He was fluent in English. Ruiz Zafón died of

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on 19 June 2020.

Literary career

Ruiz Zafón's first novel, ''El príncipe de la niebla'' 1993 ('' The Prince of Mist'', published in English in 2010), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He was also the author of three additional young adult novels, '' El palacio de la medianoche'' (1994), '' Las luces de septiembre'' (1995) and ''

Marina A marina (from Spanish language, Spanish , Portuguese language, Portuguese and Italian language, Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a Dock (maritime), dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina dif ...

'' (1999). In 2001 he published his first adult novel ''La sombra del viento'' (''

'', Lucia Graves' English translation published in 2004), a Gothic mystery that involves Daniel Sempere's quest to track down the man responsible for destroying every book written by author Julian Carax. The novel has sold millions of copies worldwide, with more than a million copies sold in the UK. ''La sombra del viento'' garnered critical acclaim around the world. Ruiz Zafón's next novel, ''El juego del ángel'', was published in April 2008. The English edition, '' The Angel's Game'', was also translated by

Lucia Graves Lucia Graves (born 21 July 1943) is a writer and translator. Born in Devon, England, she is the daughter of writer Robert Graves, and his second wife, Beryl Pritchard (1915–2003). Biography Lucia is a translator working in English and Spanish ...

. It is a prequel to ''The Shadow of the Wind'', also set in Barcelona, but during the 1920s and 1930s. It follows (and is narrated by) David Martín, a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. Ruiz Zafón intended it to be included in a four-book series along with ''The Shadow of the Wind''. The next book in the cycle, ''El prisionero del cielo'', appeared in 2011. It returns to ''The Shadow of the Winds Daniel Sempere and his travel back to the 1940s to resolve a buried secret. The novel was published in English in July 2012 as '' The Prisoner of Heaven''. '' The Labyrinth of Spirits'' (original title: ''El laberinto de los espíritus'') is the fourth and final book in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. The novel was initially released on 17 November 2016 in Spain and Latin America by Spanish publisher Planeta. HarperCollins published the English translation by Lucia Graves, which was released on 18 September 2018. Ruiz Zafón's works have been published in 45 countries and have been translated into more than 40 languages. According to these figures, he is the most widely published contemporary Spanish writer, followed by

Javier Sierra Javier Sierra Albert (born 11 August 1971 in Teruel, Aragon, Spain) is a journalist, writer and researcher who studied journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid. Biography In 1989, being 12 years old, he hosted the radio programme Rad ...

, whose works have been published in 42 countries, and Juan Gómez-Jurado, whose works have been published in 41 countries.

Influences

Influences on Ruiz Zafón's work have included 19th century classics, crime fiction, noir authors, and contemporary writers. Apart from books, another large influence came in the form of films and screenwriting. He said in interviews that he found it easier to visualize scenes in his books in a cinematic way, which lends itself to the lush worlds and curious characters he created.

Works

Young adult

*''El príncipe de la niebla'' (1993), translated as '' The Prince of Mist'' (2010) *''El palacio de la medianoche'' (1994), translated as ''The Midnight Palace'' (2011) *''Las luces de septiembre'' (1995), translated as ''The Watcher in the Shadows'' (2013) *''

'' (1999), translated as ''Marina'' (2013)

Novels

''El cementerio de los libros olvidados'' series (The Cemetery of Forgotten Books) *''La sombra del viento'', 2001 (''

'') *''El juego del ángel'', 2008 ('' The Angel's Game'') *''El prisionero del cielo'', 2011 ('' The Prisoner of Heaven'') El cementerio de los libros olvidados #2.5 2012 (The Rose of Fire) *''El laberinto de los espíritus'', 2017 ('' The Labyrinth of Spirits'') *''The City of Mist'', 2021

Short stories

*"Rosa de fuego", 2012 ("The Rose of Fire") *"Two-Minute Apocalypse", (2015)

Awards and honors

* Edebé Award for Young Adult and Children's Literature 1993 for ''El príncipe de la niebla'' * Finalist for the Fernando Lara Novel Award 2000, for ''The Shadow of the Wind'' * Finalist for

British Book Awards The British Book Awards or Nibbies are literary awards for the best UK writers and their works, administered by ''The Bookseller''. The awards have had several previous names, owners and sponsors since being launched in 1990, including the National ...

for author of the year, 2006 * Best Foreign Book Prize, France 2004 * Prix de Associations des Libraires du Québec * Casino da Póvoa Literary Prize, (

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), Portugal * Bjornson Order of Literary Merit, Norway * Barry Award for best novel, United States * Original Voices Award, United States * Selected as "a book to remember" by the

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress) ...

, 2004 * José Manuel Lara Hernández Foundation Award, 2004 for the best selling book * Booksense Prize, 2005, United States * Euskadi de Plata 2008 for ''El juego del ángel''''Ruiz Zafón e Iñigo Aranbarri, premios Euskadi de Plata''
''El País'', 30.04.2008; acceso 29.09.2011 * Nielsen Award, United Kingdom * Finalist for the Llibreter Award * Ottakar's Award, United Kingdom * José Manuel Lara Foundation Award for the best selling book * Readers' Prize from ''

La Vanguardia ' (; , Spanish for "The Vanguard") is a Spanish daily newspaper, founded in 1881. It is printed in Spanish and, since 3 May 2011, also in Catalan (Spanish copy is automatically translated into Catalan). It has its headquarters in Barcelona and ...

'' * Protagonistas Award, Spain

References

External links

* * *
Biography

Interview with Robert Ryan in The TimesCarlos Ruiz Zafón
at

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruiz Zafon, Carlos 1964 births 2020 deaths 20th-century Spanish male writers 20th-century Spanish novelists 21st-century Spanish male writers 21st-century Spanish novelists Barry Award winners Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Writers from Catalonia Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from colorectal cancer Spanish writers in the United States Spanish male novelists Writers from Barcelona Spanish writers