Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Barcelona, 25 September 1964) is a Spanish novelist who has lived in Los Angeles since 1993, where he spent a few years writing scripts whilst developing his career as a writer.
His first novel, El principe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist, 1993), earned the Edebe literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young adult novels, El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995) and Marina (1999).
In 2001 he published the novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind), his first “adult” novel, which has sold millions of copies worldwide and more than a million copies in the UK alone. Since its publication, La sombra del viento has garnered critical acclaim around the world and has won many international awards. Ruiz Zafon’s works have been published in 45 countries and have been translated into more than 30 languages. According to these figures, Ruiz Zafon is the most successful contemporary Spanish writer, along with Javier Sierra, whose works have been published in forty-two countries, and Juan Gomez-Jurado, whose works have been published in forty-one countries.
Ruiz Zafon’s eagerly awaited second novel, a prequel to the The Shadow of the Wind, has been acquired by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The English edition was published in hardback on June 16, 2009. Titled The Angel’s Game, it also is set in Barcelona, but during the 1920s and 1930s. It follows (and is narrated by) David Martin, a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. The Spanish edition, titled El Juego del Angel, was published in April 2008 by Planeta. The English edition was translated by Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves. The Dutch translation was done by Nelleke Geel. Ruiz Zafon will tour to support the book after its publication and has stated his intention for it to be included as part of a four book series along with The Shadow of the Wind.
An English version of El principe de la niebla, the Prince of Mist (1993), is to be released on 27 May 2010, through the Orion books.
While Zafon is rarely specific about any one author that inspires him, he is keen to describe genres that have influenced his work and his writing process; he has referred to his love of the 19th century classics, revealing once that his list of favourites includes “Dickens, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Balzac, Hugo, Hardy, Dumas, Flaubert.” On the other hand, Zafon has also described a passion for crime fiction, ranging from “Raymond Chandler, James L. Cain and the classic noir authors” to more contemporary names such as “George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane, Michael Connelly”.
Apart from books, another large influence comes in the form of films and screenwriting. He admits in countless interviews that he finds it easier to visualize scenes in his books in a cinematic way, which lends itself to the lush worlds and curious characters he creates.
The Angel’s Game
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Angel’s Game (Spanish: El juego del angel) is a prequel to 2001′s The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish author Carlos Ruiz Zafon.
It was acquired by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, who published the English edition starting June 16 2009. Like The Shadow of the Wind, it was translated from the Spanish by Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves. The Spanish version was published by Planeta in April 2008.
The Angel’s Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 1930s and follows a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. Carlos Ruiz Zafon has revealed that the novel returns to The Cemetery of Forgotten Books – the mythical building in the heart of Barcelona’s Raval district, as well as the Sempere & Sons bookshop featured in The Shadow of the Wind.
Set against the backdrop of a writer struggling with his demons is a page-turning mystery and a love story, which takes place in the dark, narrow alleyways and creaking mansions of the mysterious heart of Barcelona.
The Shadow of the Wind
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Shadow of the Wind (Spanish: La sombra del viento) is a 2001 novel by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon, and a worldwide bestseller. The book was translated into English in 2004 by Lucia Graves and has sold over a million copies in the UK alone. Prior to that it had already achieved huge success on mainland Europe, topping the Spanish bestseller lists for weeks. After being translated in 2004 the book was again published in The United States by Penguin Books as well as in Great Britain by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and by Orion Books.
In his home city of Barcelona, vividly depicted in the book, Catalan nationalists took issue with Ruiz Zafon for having written it in Spanish rather than Catalan.
Ruiz Zafon’s eagerly awaited follow up is a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind and was published in Spanish in April 2008 by Planeta. It has been acquired by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and a hardback English edition was published in June 2009. The title is The Angel’s Game and it is set in Barcelona during the 1920s and 1930s. It follows a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. The Angel’s Game was also translated into English by Lucia Graves.
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