Carlos Ruiz Zafón (1964–2020) was a Spanish novelist. Frequently described as the most-read Spanish author since Miguel de Cervantes, he is best known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Win.)
Born in Barcelona, Ruiz Zafón worked in advertising before he made his début as an author with the young adult novel El príncipe de la niebla (1993; The Prince of Mist.)
In 2001, Ruiz Zafón published La sombra del viento, which followed a boy called Daniel who is taken to the Cemetery of Lost Books in Barcelona and becomes fascinated by the author Julian Carax and the shadowy figure trying to eradicate every copy of Carax’s books. Lucia Graves translated the novel into English in 2004, and it became an international hit.
Ruiz Zafón followed with three more novels in the series, the prequel El Juego del Angel (2008; The Angel’s Game,) El Prisionero del Cielo (2011; The Prisoner of Heaven,) and El Laberinto de los Espíritus (2016; The Labyrinth of the Spirits.) Ruiz Zafón’s books sold more than 38 million copies worldwide, were translated into more than 40 languages and won him multiple awards.
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
That as long as we are being remembered, we remain alive.
—Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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