Carlos Ruiz Zafón Knihy

Román Tieň vetra sa odohráva v povojnovej Barcelone. Rozprávač a zároveň hlavný hrdina je syn majiteľa antikvariátu, Daniel Sempere, ktorému sa v detstve pri návšteve tajomného Cintorína zabudnutých kníh dostane do rúk román Tieň vetra od neznámeho spisovateľa Juliána Caraxa. Od tej chvíle sa v jeho blízkosti začnú diať čudné veci. Daniel sa knihou nadchne a rozhodne sa pátrať po osude autora a jeho ďalších dielach. Pátranie, ktoré s rôznymi prestávkami trvá viac ako desať rokov, postupne odhaľuje drámu tragickej lásky. Tá poznačila osudy mnohých ľudí, s ktorými sa Daniel postupne stretáva. Pátranie po informáciách o tajomnom spisovateľovi privedie Daniela do obdobia pred občianskou vojnou, sleduje osudy Juliána Caraxa a jeho priateľov i nepriateľov počas vojny a nakoniec sa celý príbeh prepojí s jeho vlastným životom. Počas pátrania spoznáva mnoho ľudí, ktorí ovplyvnili jeho život, spoznáva lásku a priateľstvo, ale aj zradu, nenávisť i krutosť. Príbeh hľadania sa tak stáva románom o dospievaní mladého muža, ktorý objavuje základné hodnoty, akými sú vzťah k otcovi, priateľstvo a láska.

Barcelona 1957. Daniel Sempere a jeho priateľ Fermín, hlavné postavy z románu Tieň vetra, znova podstúpia spoločné dobrodružstvo a spoločne odolávajú skúškam. Keď všetko okolo nich nadobúdalo už usmievavú tvár, akýsi čudesný človek navštívi Sepmpereho kníhkupectvo a vyhráža sa, že prezradí desivé tajomstvo, čo už dve desaťročia ostáva skryté v temnej pamäti mesta. Daniel po spoznaní pravdy pochopí, že osud ho neľútostne privádza k tomu, aby čelil najčernejšiemu zo všetkých tieňov – tomu, čo sa rozprestiera v jeho vnútri. Zajatec neba je vynikajúci román, bohatý na intrigy a emócie. Dejové pásma z románov Tieň vetra a Anjelská hra sa v ňom spriadajú vďaka čarovnému literárnemu spracovaniu a privádzajú nás k záhade, ktorá sa ukrýva v samom strede Cintorína zabudnutých kníh.

Košatý príbeh románu Anjelská hra sa odohráva v Barcelone v rokoch 1900 až 1930. Opäť vstupujeme do barcelonského kníhkupectva a stretávame viaceré postavy z predchádzajúceho románu Tieň vetra. Mladý novinár a spisovateľ David Martín prijíma v kritickom okamihu svojho života veľkorysú ponuku záhadného vydavateľa a podujme sa napísať preňho knihu, akú ešte nikto nenapísal. Faustovský motív pokušenia a túžby po ľudskej a autorskej nesmrteľnosti je odkazom na minulosť i pripomenutím súčasnosti. Barcelona, ktorá aj v tomto románe vystupuje nielen ako kulisa, ale ako jedna z postáv, je tentoraz modernistická, gaudíovská, staré štvrte a špinavé zákutia ustupujú novým uliciam, štvrtiam, parkom, po svetových výstavách zostávajú v meste architektonické a technické vynálezy, vybuchujú sociálne nepokoje. Uprostred rodiacej sa novej Barcelony žije staré mesto s úzkymi fantazmagorickými uličkami a pod ním bludisko chodieb a kanálov, plné duchov a tieňov minulosti. Spoznávame honosné vily starých a nových boháčov na úpätí Tibidaba, vznikajúcu novú štvrť Ensanche a slávnu Triedu Diagonal, obývanú priemyselníkmi, bankármi a právnikmi, Raval, vykričanú štvrť kabaretov a nočných klubov...

The internationally bestselling new novel from the author of the modern classic, The Shadow of the Wind

"In May 1980, 15-year-old Oscar Drai suddenly vanishes from his boarding school in the old quarter of Barcelona. For seven days and nights no one knows his whereabouts ... His story begins in the heart of old Barcelona, when he meets Marina and her father German Blau, a portrait painter. Marina takes Oscar to a cemetery to watch a macabre ritual that occurs on the fourth Sunday of each month. At 10 a.m. precisely a coach pulled by black horses appears. From it descends a woman dressed in black, her face shrouded, wearing gloves, holding a single rose. She walks over to a gravestone that bears no name, only the mysterious emblem of a black butterfly with open wings. When Oscar and Marina decide to follow her they begin a journey that will take them to the heights of a forgotten, post-war Barcelona, a world of aristocrats and actresses, inventors and tycoons; and a dark secret that lies waiting in the mysterious labyrinth beneath the city streets"--Publisher's website.

The echo of the novels of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series resonates in the stories of Carlos Ruiz Zafón: gathered here for the first time - and some never before published in English - these stories are a celebration of one of the world's great storytellers A boy decides to become a writer when he discovers that his creative gifts capture the attentions of an aloof young beauty who has stolen his heart. A labyrinth maker flees Constantinople to a plague ridden Barcelona, with plans for building a library impervious to the destruction of time. A strange gentleman tempts Cervantes to write a book like no other, each page of which could prolong the life of the woman he loves. And a brilliant Catalan architect named Antoni Gaudí reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece. A celebration of a master storyteller, beloved by fans around the world: 'The real deal: one gorgeous read' Stephen King 'This book will change your life. An instant classic' Daily Telegraph 'A book lover's dream' The Times 'A hymn of praise to all the joys of reading' Independent 'Gripping and instantly atmospheric' Mail on Sunday 'Irresistibly readable' Guardian 'Diabolically good' Elle

A mysterious toymaker who lives as a recluse in an old mansion, surrounded by the mechanical beings he has created... an enigma surrounding strange lights that shine through the mists that envelop the small island on which the old lighthouse stands... a shadowy creature that hides deep in the woods... these are the elements of a mystery that bind 14-year-old Irene to Ismael during one magical summer spent in the Blue Bay. Irene's mother has taken a job as a housekeeper for the toymaker, Lazarus, but his house contains more secrets than Irene and Ishmael have bargained for.

Max Carver's father, a watchmaker & inventor, decides to move his family to a small town on the coast, to an old house that once belonged to a prestigious surgeon, Dr Richard Fleischmann. But the house holds many secrets & stories of its own.

From the author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND, the haunting story of a secret society and a labyrinthine railway station with a dark past. 1916, Calcutta. A man pauses for breath outside the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station knowing he has only hours to live. Pursued by assassins, he must ensure the safety of two newborn twins, before disappearing into the night to meet his fate. 1932. Ben and his friends are due to leave the orphanage which has been their home for sixteen years. Tonight will be the final meeting of their secret club, in the old ruin they christened The Midnight Palace. Then Ben discovers he has a sister - and together they learn the tragic story of their past, as a shadowy figures lures them to a terrifying showdown in the ruins of Jheeter's Gate station.

The internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author returns to the magnificent universe he constructed in his bestselling novels The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel’s Game, and The Prisoner of Heaven in this riveting series finale—a heart-pounding thriller and nail-biting work of suspense which introduces a sexy, seductive new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain. In this unforgettable final volume of Ruiz Zafón’s cycle of novels set in the universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, beautiful and enigmatic Alicia Gris, with the help of the Sempere family, uncovers one of the most shocking conspiracies in all Spanish history. Nine-year-old Alicia lost her parents during the Spanish Civil War when the Nacionales (the fascists) savagely bombed Barcelona in 1938. Twenty years later, she still carries the emotional and physical scars of that violent and terrifying time. Weary of her work as an investigator for Spain’s secret police in Madrid, a job she has held for more than a decade, the twenty-nine-year old plans to move on. At the insistence of her boss, Leandro Montalvo, she remains to solve one last case: the mysterious disappearance of Spain’s Minister of Culture, Mauricio Valls. With her partner, the intimidating policeman Juan Manuel Vargas, Alicia discovers a possible clue—a rare book by the author Victor Mataix hidden in Valls’ office in his Madrid mansion. Valls was the director of the notorious Montjuic Prison in Barcelona during World War II where several writers were imprisoned, including David Martín and Victor Mataix. Traveling to Barcelona on the trail of these writers, Alicia and Vargas meet with several booksellers, including Juan Sempere, who knew her parents. As Alicia and Vargas come closer to finding Valls, they uncover a tangled web of kidnappings and murders tied to the Franco regime, whose corruption is more widespread and horrifying than anyone imagined. Alicia’s courageous and uncompromising search for the truth puts her life in peril. Only with the help of a circle of devoted friends will she emerge from the dark labyrinths of Barcelona and its history into the light of the future. In this haunting new novel, Carlos Ruiz Zafón proves yet again that he is a masterful storyteller and pays homage to the world of books, to his ingenious creation of the Cemetery of Forgotten, and to that magical bridge between literature and our lives.