Carlos Ruiz Zafón facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
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Carlos Ruiz Zafón in 2008
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| Born | 25 September 1964 Barcelona, Spain |
| Died | 19 June 2020 (aged 55) Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Language | Spanish & English |
| Period | 1994–2020 |
Carlos Ruiz Zafón (born September 25, 1964 – died June 19, 2020) was a famous Spanish novelist. He is best known for his 2001 book, La sombra del viento, which means The Shadow of the Wind.
Contents
About Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona, Spain. His family had a background in factory work and insurance. Before becoming a full-time writer, he worked in advertising. In the 1990s, he moved to Los Angeles, USA, where he also worked for a short time writing movie scripts. He was very good at speaking English.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón passed away in Los Angeles on June 19, 2020. He died from colorectal cancer.
His Books and Writing Career
Carlos Ruiz Zafón started his writing career with books for young adults. His very first novel, El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist), came out in 1993. It won the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction, which was a great start! He wrote three more young adult novels: El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995), and Marina (1999).
In 2001, he published his first novel for adults, La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind). This book is a Gothic mystery. It tells the story of Daniel Sempere, who tries to find out what happened to all the books written by a mysterious author named Julian Carax. This novel became incredibly popular, selling millions of copies all over the world. It was praised by critics everywhere.
Ruiz Zafón then wrote El juego del ángel (The Angel's Game), which was published in 2008. This book is a prequel to The Shadow of the Wind, meaning its story happens before the first book. It is also set in Barcelona, but in the 1920s and 1930s. It follows a young writer named David Martín. Ruiz Zafón planned for this book to be part of a four-book series.
The next book in this series was El prisionero del cielo (The Prisoner of Heaven), released in 2011. It brings back Daniel Sempere from The Shadow of the Wind. In this story, Daniel goes back to the 1940s to uncover a hidden secret.
The fourth and final book in this series, called "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" series, is The Labyrinth of Spirits (original title: El laberinto de los espíritus). It was first released in Spain in 2016. The English version came out in 2018.
Carlos Ruiz Zafón's books have been published in 45 countries. They have been translated into more than 40 different languages! This makes him one of the most widely published Spanish writers of his time.
What Inspired Him
Carlos Ruiz Zafón was inspired by many things. He loved classic books from the 1800s. He also enjoyed crime fiction and noir authors, who write dark and mysterious stories.
Movies and screenwriting were also a big influence on him. He often said that he found it easy to imagine the scenes in his books like they were happening in a movie. This helped him create the rich worlds and interesting characters that readers loved.
His Published Works
Young Adult Novels
- El príncipe de la niebla (1993), known in English as The Prince of Mist (2010)
- El palacio de la medianoche (1994), known in English as The Midnight Palace (2011)
- Las luces de septiembre (1995), known in English as The Watcher in the Shadows (2013)
- Marina (1999), also called Marina in English (2013)
Novels for Adults
These books are part of "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" series:
- La sombra del viento, 2001 (The Shadow of the Wind)
- El juego del ángel, 2008 (The Angel's Game)
- El prisionero del cielo, 2011 (The Prisoner of Heaven)
- El laberinto de los espíritus, 2017 (The Labyrinth of Spirits)
Other novels:
- Rosa de Fuego, 2012 (The Rose of Fire)
- La ciudad de vapor, 2021 (The City of Mist)
Short Stories
- "Rosa de fuego", 2012 ("The Rose of Fire")
- "Two-Minute Apocalypse", (2015)
Awards and Honors
Carlos Ruiz Zafón received many awards for his writing:
- 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 for author of the year, 2006
- Best Foreign Book Prize, France 2004
- Prix de Associations des Libraires du Québec
- Casino da Póvoa Literary Prize, (Póvoa de Varzim), 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, 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
- 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
- Protagonistas Award, Spain
See also
In Spanish: Carlos Ruiz Zafón para niños
