The Shadow of the Wind by Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Shadow of the Wind – US
La Sombra del Viento – US
The Shadow of the Wind – UK
The Shadow of the Wind – Canada
L’Ombre du vent – France
Der Schatten des Windes – Deutschland
The novel, set in post–Spanish Civil War Barcelona, concerns a young boy, Daniel. Just after the war, Daniel’s father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it, and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That night he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author, but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man – calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil – who has been seeking out Carax’s books for decades, buying them all and burning them.
