Occupation writer Period 1993–present Role Novelist | Language Spanish Name Carlos Zafon | |
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Born Carlos Ruiz Zafon
25 September 1964 (age 59) ( 1964-09-25 ) Awards Barry Award for Best First Novel Nominations Goodreads Choice Awards Best Historical Fiction, Dilys Award Books The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, The Prince of Mist, Marina, September Lights Similar People Paul Auster, Juan Marse, Juan Goytisolo, Jesus Moncada, Colm Toibin Profiles | ||
The angel s game by carlos ruiz zafon book trailer
Carlos Ruiz Zafon ['karlos 'rwiθ θa'fon] (born 25 September 1964 in Barcelona) is a Spanish novelist.
Contents
Career
Ruiz Zafon's 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). The English version of El Principe de la Niebla was published in 2010.
In 2001 he published his first adult novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind), a 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 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 next novel, El juego del angel, was published in April 2008. The English edition, The Angel's Game, is translated by Lucia Graves, daughter of the poet Robert Graves. 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 Martin, a young writer who is approached by a mysterious figure to write a book. Ruiz Zafon intends 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, which returns to The Shadow of the Wind's 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.
Ruiz Zafon's works have been published in 45 countries and have been translated into more than 40 different languages. According to these figures, Ruiz Zafon is the most widely published contemporary Spanish writer, followed by Javier Sierra, whose works have been published in 42 countries, and Juan Gomez-Jurado, whose works have been published in 41 countries.
Influences
Influences on Ruiz Zafon's work have included 19th century classics, crime fiction, noir authors and contemporary writers.
Apart from books, another large influence comes in the form of films and screenwriting. He says in 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.