The Shadow of the Wind was flying over the World - Great Successes of Spanish Literature
One of the greatest joys when you travel is when you can find libraries on your way through a big city, and search for authors which are familiar to you. One author who always find there is Carlos Ruiz Zafón. His novel "The Shadow of the Wind" has been translated into 36 languages, as well as 10 million books were sold. Undoubtedly one of the best Spanish novels of recent years.
The post-war Barcelona (and usually every stage of the Spanish Civil War) has a great attraction for those who have experienced it through stories of our parents and grandparents. Other novels such as "Don de lenguas"(Gift for languages) by Rosa Ribas and Sabine Hoffmann (2013) have also managed to represent the grey and familiar environment of that moment in a masterfully way. What distinguish Zafon from the rest of writers is themystery, the magic element (perhaps reminding the South American magical realism), which converts a mundane and sad story into a very remarkable one. Who has not yet dreamed of even a visit to the cemetery of forgotten books?
It's not just a good story. Otherwise, I would not enjoy such success. Zafon proves to be a master reproducing different environments (almost takes you back to the time of old Barcelona). He used a sober elegant style, without major complications, which makes it stylistically very nice. Probably this is the cornerstone of its success: his novels are suitable for all audiences.
The "Shadow of the Wind" is the first of four novels that "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books" comprises the series. These novels all take place in Barcelona, however, at different times. Although the other novels are also remarkable, we must say that none reaches the quality of the "Shadow of the Wind".
For travelers to Barcelona there are many organized tours, where you can walk in the streets and alleys of the protagonists of the novels. And, who knows, maybe one day you find the cemetery of lost books.
