Beautiful use of language!

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	• The Shadow of the Wind Carlos Ruiz Zafón Penguin (Non-Classics), 2005 - 487 pages average customer review:based on 512 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A moving allegory

Ruiz Zafon's novel tells the story of Daniel Sempere who grows up in post-Civil War Barcelona. The city is scarred by the war (bullet holes still mark building facades), and the lives of everyone in the city are affected by what took place during the Spanish Civil War (1936-39). Reading this novel, one can easily look at one side of it and think of it solely as the story of Daniel searching for information about Julian Carax, the author of a mysterious novel. However, as I read this book I saw a deeper significance and made another connection.

Ruiz Zafon published this novel in 2001, at a time when Spaniards were looking back at their own past and breaking the "pact of silence" that was made during the transition to democracy in the 70s. It was a huge bestseller in Spain (and, interestingly, in Germany), as it told the story of the modern Spanish experience since the end of the Civil War. It is an allegory for all that has happened since 1936, and the characters represent different segments of the Spanish population.

Think of Daniel as the modern Spaniard, who is searching for meaning in the past and for an understanding of that past. Think of Mr. Sempere and Nuria Monfort as the generation of Spaniards that remembers the Civil War and its effects and who wants to forget. Think of Fumero and Fermin as the opposing sides during the Civil War--each responsible for atrocities. Think of Clara as the political parties that promised change and help but gave none. And most importantly, think of Julian Carax as Spain itself, scarred and devastated, and desperate to eliminate himself from history by destroying any evidence that he existed.

Barcelona itself is a character in the story--an angry, hurt and brooding woman (as Ruiz Zafon describes it), but one that watches over Daniel in his quest for truth and understanding. Consider also Ruiz Zafon's use of light and dark imagery. Here he takes a cue from Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness," and reverses the roles of black and white. The darkest places are the safest, while white and light represent betrayal and danger. (An interesting note: Julian Carax's cat is named Kurtz, the name of the doomed capitain in "Heart of Darkness").

These are just some thoughts that have come my way as a student of Spanish and modern Spanish history. If you have read this book, read it again or flip through it again and consider the possibility of it being an allegory, and perhaps you'll notice something interesting. If you have not read the book, keep an open mind to both aspects of the story: the effect of Julian's book on Daniel's life, and the broader associations with Spain's recent past.

Hope you enjoy it, and I would love to read your comments! This is just a theory I've come up with, so I'm totally open to opinions and feedback.

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Quote Mine

Utterly gobsmacked, as would say my British friend who recommended this. This is one of the most beautiful and compelling works of fiction I've read in a long, long time. It throbs with the poignant, haunting tension between loss and hope. One of the few books I'll almost certainly reread in years to come.

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Stuck In A Rut?

It is not to often that I say a book should be a classic, or enjoy reading something that was a gift from a family member, especially my wife. In this case both can be said. I recently read a list of the top 100 books that every man should read, and was surprised this under 500 page novel was not on the list. It is definitely one of the top 100 books you should read during your liftime.

I admit that my reading is pretty focused on the popular authors such as Fleming, King, Bensen, Patterson, Grisham, Gardner, & Harrison, so I was a little suspect to read something new. What a surprise.

This book is a true mystery that holds the readers attention through the actions and the characters involved. I found it to be sad, thrilling and hilariously funny.

The setting is in Spain during the 1940s and 50s. The main character is a 10 year old boy named Daniel Sempere. Daniel does a lot of growing up during this novel and becomes a man. The history of Spain during this time period is very important. The novel does reveal some of Spain's history, but I found that my interest was so sparked that I had to do some research on my own to learn more about Spain and the Spainish people during this period of history. It helped me gain a better insight into the culture and the society of Spain.

A friend of mine who read this novel after me said very plainly to me one day, "This is a book about a book." It really is a novel about the mystery of the author of a book that Daniel has swore to protect. He also said that if you don't like this book, you probably don't like reading too much.

One of the richest and funniest characters in the book is a man named Fermin Romero de Torres. Some of the quotes that this character speaks in the novel are worth highlighting and bending the corner of the page to refer back too. All the characters are interesting in their own respect, but Fermin is my favorite and if you decide to read this novel you will understand why.

I look forward to the next novel by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, that is translated into english, and if there is no translation, it might be time for me to take a spainish class or two.

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Beautiful use of language!

I absolutely adore this novel.

I bought the original Spanish edition on a whim a few years ago, having never heard of the book or its author. The opening pages grabbed me and I was thoroughly hooked. It's a book about someone who loves books (a boy who is granted the privilege of visiting the secret "Cemetery of Forgotten Books" where he may rescue one volume), and the story is perfect for people who love stories and reading. Certain grand-guignol plot elements in the middle may be a bit much. But when I got to the end I was very sorry the book was done and couldn't wait to recommend it to people.

After reading it in Spanish, I bought the English-language edition for a friend. I was so blown away by Lucia Graves' translation that I wound up rereading the book in English. Her use of language is beautiful, and feels very much like Ruiz's original Spanish prose.

Is this a life-altering work? Hardly. But it's an engaging, evocative read and a wonderful piece of storytelling. I can't wait to read Ruiz's newly released "El juego del ángel," which reportedly also deals with the Cemetery of Forgotten Books.

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All time masterpiece.

A long time ago ago Barcelona that you wish you have lived in and breathed in its ancient magical dust and fairytails. The Shadow of the Wind has all the dark fantasy, mystery, human oriented elements you need for a masterpiece of a book that the book itself seems hunted to me. A library with hidden books that were kept from everyone, a copy of Julian Carax one and only novel about the devil (Or?) a young man searching for his place in life in parrarel waves of history of a book he read when he were young. He falls in love with a blind woman, and has an idea who the devil is. Every one is after the book that has so much resemblance with the incidents in his life.
The greatest thing about Carlos Ruiz Zafon is that he blends mystery with magical realism with history with action and a wicked sense of humour in the folds of one book that every page is so entetaining and mesmerizing.
A book you will keep. I have two editions myself.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13

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