Carlos Ruiz Zafón

The Guardian:

 

Carlos Ruiz Zafón is the author of six books for adults and young adults. His first novel translated into English was the post-Spanish civil war tale The Shadow of the Wind, which sold over 1m copies in the UK. His books have been translated into over 40 languages and won many international awards.

His latest book, The Prisoner of Heaven, is a follow-up to The Shadow of the Wind, again set in Barcelona but with the action now moved on into the 1950s. One morning, a mysterious figure enters Daniel's bookshop, wishing to purchase a precious illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. The action begins a story of betrayal, imprisonment and secrets of the 'cemetery of lost books'. You can read an extract of the novel, here.

Carlos will be here to answer your questions about his books, writing and influences on Tuesday 19 June between 1-2pm BST. Post your question now and then come back to join the conversation.

We've posted the conversation here to make it easier to follow:

On email:
Your books are all about the power of stories. What's the attraction of writing books about ... books?

Carlos Ruiz Zafón replies:
I don't think I really write about books, but rather about people, stories, language, ideas... The four books in the cemetery of forgotten books quartet are indeed very related to the world of readers, writers, booksellers, publishers and everybody in the orbit of literature, but they try to tackle on the classic themes of literature. They aspire to be about life. Books and literature, or storytelling, are just a part of that.

Itzelt asks:
Is the The Cemetery of Forgotten Books inspired on an actual building in Barcelona. How long did it take you to write La Sombra del Viento from the first idea to final "manuscript"? The father/son relationship in this book is endearing, do you have a close relationship with you father?

Carlos Ruiz Zafón replies:
Not really. I gotr the idea of the cemetery while living in Los Angeles. A big inspiration was a huge used bookshop in Long Beach, California, called Acres of Books. Ray Bradbury wrote once about that place and I was a frequent visitor for years, until it closed down. To me the cemetery of forgotten books is a metaphor, not just for books, but for ideas, beauty, knowledge, for people, for the world of the mind, for memory... all the things that makes us human and provide meaning. Books, in a way, are a symbol for all that in the story.
It usually takes me one to two years to write a book of this kind, and shadow was no exception.
My relationship with my dad isn't like Daniel's in shadow. Some aspects of it are similar, but my dad is a very different person from daniel's dad. And I am more Carax than Daniel, really. C'est la vie.

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