Carlos Ruiz Zafón – författare

Daniel Sempere är 10 år när hans pappa tar honom med till De bortglömda böckernas gravkammare i Barcelonas gamla stad. Där finner han romanen Vindens skugga av den bortglömde författaren Julián Carax, läser den under en natt och blir fullkomligt besatt av den och av dess mystiske författare. Sökandet efter svaren på alla gåtor som omger boken och dess författare kommer att prägla Daniels liv för all framtid. Varför har någon ansträngt sig så för att sopa igen alla spår efter Julián Carax? Varför bevakar den sadistiske kommissarien Fumero varje steg Daniel tar? Varför börjar Daniels eget liv alltmer påminna om Julián Carax?När Daniel till slut finner både kärleken och svaren på alla gåtor har läsaren fått ta del av en totalt uppslukande berättelse, lika gäckande gåtfull, romantisk, mystisk och lockande som det labyrintiska gatunätet i Barcelonas gamla stad.

“A deep and mysterious novel full of people that feel real. . . .An enthralling read and a must-have for your library. Zafón focuses on the emotion of the reader and doesn’t let go.”  — Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón creates a rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge, set in a dark, gothic Barcelona, in which the heroes of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel''s Game must contend with a nemesis that threatens to destroy them.

Barcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son named Julián, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a mysterious stranger visits the Sempere bookshop and threatens to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades in the city''s dark past.

His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940s and the early days of Franco''s dictatorship. The terrifying events of that time launch them on a search for the truth that will put into peril everything they love, and will ultimately transform their lives.

“Ruiz Zafón’s visionary storytelling prowess is a genre unto itself.”—USA Today

Return to the mythical Barcelona library known as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books in this posthumous collection of stories from the New York Times bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind and The Labyrinth of the Spirits.

Bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafón conceived of this collection of stories as an appreciation to the countless readers who joined him on the extraordinary journey that began with The Shadow of the Wind. Comprising eleven stories, most of them never before published in English, The City of Mist offers the reader compelling characters, unique situations, and a gothic atmosphere reminiscent of his beloved Cemetery of Forgotten Books quartet.

The stories are mysterious, imbued with a sense of menace, and told with the warmth, wit, and humor of Zafón''s inimitable voice. A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague-ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece.

Imaginative and beguiling, these and other stories in The City of Mist summon up the mesmerizing magic of their brilliant creator and invite us to come dream along with him.

''A heady brew of detective thriller, supernatural horror tale, magical realist fable and a heartbreaking love story'' DAILY MAIL''Readers familiar with The Shadow of the Wind will find themselves back in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books where, from a labyrinthine library, volumes seem to select their readers . . . rattling good gothic fun'' SPECTATORIn an abandoned mansion in the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martín, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city''s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at an unsolved mystery.Like a slow poison, the history of the place and an impossible love bring David close to despair. But then he receives a letter from a reclusive French editor who makes him the offer of a lifetime . . .''Will grip you from start to finish'' DAILY EXPRESS

THE MODERN CLASSIC: OVER 20 MILLION COPIES SOLDA Sunday Times bestseller and a Richard & Judy book club pick''The real deal: one gorgeous read'' Stephen King''This book will change your life. An instant classic'' Daily Telegraph''A book lover''s dream'' The Times Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the ''Cemetery of Lost Books'', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out ''The Shadow of the Wind'' by Julian Carax.But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax''s work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind...''Marvellous'' Sunday Times''A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading'' Independent''Gripping and instantly atmospheric'' Mail on Sunday''Irresistibly readable'' Guardian''Diabolically good'' Elle

1943. As war sweeps across Europe, Max Carver''s father moves his family away from the city, to an old wooden house on the coast. But as soon as they arrive, strange things begin to happen: Max discovers a garden filled with eerie statues; his sisters are plagued by unsettling dreams and voices; a box of old films opens a window to the past.Most unsettling of all are rumours about the previous owners and the mysterious disappearance of their son. As Max delves into the past, he encounters the terrifying story of the Prince of Mist, a sinister shadow who emerges from the night to settle old scores, then disappears with the first mists of dawn . . .Originally published in Spain as a young adult novel, THE PRINCE OF MIST is a mesmerising tale of mystery, romance and adventure.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Shadow of the Wind comes a chilling mystery about one magical summer that turns into a nightmare . . .When fourteen-year-old Irene Sauvelle moves with her family to Cape House on the coast of Normandy, she''s immediately taken by the beauty of the place--its expansive cliffs, coasts, and harbors. There, she meets a local boy named Ishmael, and the two soon fall in love. But a dark plot is about to unfold involving a reclusive toymaker who lives in a gigantic mansion filled with mechanical beings and shadows of the past.As strange lights shine through the fog surrounding a small, barren island, Irene''s younger brother dreams of a dark creature hidden deep in the forest. And when a young girl is found murdered, her body at the end of a path torn through the woods by a monstrous, inhuman force, Irene and Ishmael wonder--has a demonic presence been unleashed on the inhabitants of Cape House? Together, they''ll have to survive the most terrifying summer of their lives.

1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter''s Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two newborn twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate.1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been their home for sixteen years. Tonight will be the final meeting of their secret club, in the old ruin they christened The Midnight Palace. Then Ben discovers he has a sister - and together they learn the tragic story of their past, as a shadowy figures lures them to a terrifying showdown in the ruins of Jheeter''s Gate station.From the bestselling author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, this is the haunting story of a secret society and a labyrinthine railway station with a dark past.

We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul. This is mine . . .In May 1980, 15-year-old Óscar Drai suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts . . .His story begins in the heart of old Barcelona, when he meets Marina and her father German Blau, a portrait painter. Marina takes Óscar to a cemetery and at 10 am, a coach pulled by horses appears. From it descends a woman dressed in black, her face shrouded, wearing gloves, holding a single rose. She walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the mysterious emblem of a black butterfly with open wings.When Óscar and Marina decide to follow her they begin a journey that will take them to the heights of a forgotten, post-war Barcelona, a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons; and a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets.From the bestselling author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND comes a haunting gothic mystery - now an international BookTok sensation.

''This is is explicitly, and joyously, a book about books, about what can be learned from them and what is lost when they are lost'' GUARDIAN''Full of stylish writing, Gothic atmosphere and love letters to 19th-century novels'' WASHINGTON POSTBarcelona, 1957. It is Christmas, and Daniel Sempere and his wife, Bea, have much to celebrate. They have a beautiful new baby son, and their close friend Fermín Romero de Torres is about to be wed. But their joy is eclipsed when a a mysterious figure with a porcelain hand enters the Sempere bookshop, threatening to divulge a terrible secret that has been buried for two decades.His appearance plunges Fermín and Daniel into a dangerous adventure that will take them back to the 1940s - the early days of Franco''s dictatorship and the very heart of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.The Prisoner of Heaven is a rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge set in a dark, gothic Barcelona, in which the heroes of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel''s Game must contend with a nemesis that threatens to destroy them.