Novelist. Carlos Ruiz Zafón was a Spanish writer best known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento ("The Shadow of the Wind"). Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona, the son of an insurance salesman. His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla ("The Prince of Mist") was published in 1993, and won the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. Ruiz Zafón wrote three additional young adult novels – El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995) and Marina (1999). Ruiz Zafón moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and published his first adult novel, La sombra del viento ("The Shadow of the Wind") in 2001. The Gothic mystery became an international best-seller, was published in more than 50 countries, and has sold more than 15 million copies. "The Shadow of the Wind" was the first book in Ruiz Zafón's four-book "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" series, followed by El juego del ángel ("The Angel's Game") in 2008, El prisionero del cielo ("The Prisoner of Heaven") in 2011, and El laberinto de los espíritus ("The Labyrinth of Spirits") in 2016. When Ruiz Zafón died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 19, 2020, in Los Angeles, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, "One of the most widely read and admired Spanish authors has left us," and called Ruiz Zafón a "key novelist of our era" who had "made a major contribution to contemporary literature."
Part of his ashes were buried in Los Angeles and the rest in Barcelona.
Part of his ashes were buried in Los Angeles and the rest in Barcelona.
Novelist. Carlos Ruiz Zafón was a Spanish writer best known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento ("The Shadow of the Wind"). Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona, the son of an insurance salesman. His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla ("The Prince of Mist") was published in 1993, and won the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. Ruiz Zafón wrote three additional young adult novels – El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995) and Marina (1999). Ruiz Zafón moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and published his first adult novel, La sombra del viento ("The Shadow of the Wind") in 2001. The Gothic mystery became an international best-seller, was published in more than 50 countries, and has sold more than 15 million copies. "The Shadow of the Wind" was the first book in Ruiz Zafón's four-book "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" series, followed by El juego del ángel ("The Angel's Game") in 2008, El prisionero del cielo ("The Prisoner of Heaven") in 2011, and El laberinto de los espíritus ("The Labyrinth of Spirits") in 2016. When Ruiz Zafón died of cancer in Los Angeles on June 19, 2020, in Los Angeles, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said, "One of the most widely read and admired Spanish authors has left us," and called Ruiz Zafón a "key novelist of our era" who had "made a major contribution to contemporary literature."
Part of his ashes were buried in Los Angeles and the rest in Barcelona.
Part of his ashes were buried in Los Angeles and the rest in Barcelona.
Bio by: Mark Masek
Family Members
Advertisement
See more Ruiz Zafón memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
Advertisement
