Carlos Ruiz Zafón was born in Barcelona in 1964 and began his publishing career by writing novels for young adults. In 1993, he won the Edebé Children's Literature Award for his first book, El príncipe de la niebla. His debut in adult fiction, The Shadow of the Wind, spent more than a year on the Spanish bestseller list, much of the time at No. 1, and has been published in more than 20 countries.
The author currently lives in Los Angeles.
Winner of the Edebe Literary Award for best novel, 1993; Best Book of the Year, as voted by readers of the Barcelona newspaper La Vanguardia, 2003 ; Book Sense Book of the Year Honor, 2005