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Quote by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

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The Prisoner of Heaven

This book is a historical fiction that delves into the lives of characters grappling with religious beliefs and the quest for spiritual salvation. The narrative is set against the backdrop of a tumultuous period, where the characters' struggles are intertwined with broader historical events. more

Author

Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Carlos Ruiz Zafón, born on September 25, 1964, is a renowned Spanish novelist known for his unique literary style and profound depiction of Barcelona. more

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“Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is haunted by history. You cannot walk around it without perceiving it. In Los Angeles, it is quite the opposite: it is an older city than it might seem to be, but you don't perceive this -- every day you get out of your home, you are driving somewhere and sometimes you get this impression that everything was put there the night before.”

FeelsSometimesHomeSeemsMightNightWalksCitiesOppositesWeightDrivingImpressionPerceiveLos AngelesBarcelona
Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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“I was very bored at school. I found it very easy and slow and grey. My teachers didn't really know how to handle me, because I was very sarcastic. I was over-confident, arrogant, a typical youngest child. I went through periods of withdrawing into myself and school psychologists tried to figure me out, work out why I didn't fit in. I found that irritating, too.”

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Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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“As readers, we want not only a strong story, but also characters we can relate to, characters that feel real. We have to find something of ourselves in them. Each character, even those only there to serve the mechanics of the plot, should have a number of layers. The entire world you are stepping into as a reader must feel real. It must have resonance, you must be able to touch the light; smell the smells.”

WorldWantFeelsShouldRealCharacterStoriesLightAbleStrongNumbersReaderShould HaveSmellRelatePlotLayersMechanicResonance
Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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“The thing is that my first novel, which was basically a mystery adventure story, won quite an important award in Spain for young adult fiction, and because of this it became a very successful book, and right now it's some sort of a standard title, it's read widely in many high schools in Spain, so I think, in a way, I was a victim of my own success in the field of young adult fiction, because it was never my own natural register. I never intended to write that kind of fiction, but I became very successful at it.”

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Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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“A big success can be very confusing if it comes too early in your life. When you are young, you are more vulnerable to vanity. I was 36 when I wrote The Shadow of the Wind and the success of it was very gradual. If you have this kind of success straight off, I think there is a danger you can become an idiot, because you don't have a perspective. It hasn't changed me a lot. I fly first class now. But those things don't change you. If I am pretentious, I was before, I haven't changed. The only thing is, I am less anxious now.”

IfsThinkingFirstsKindBigsYoungClassHavensDangerChangedWindPerspectiveShadowVulnerableVanityIdiotAnxiousConfusingPretentiousDon't ChangeFirst ClassShadow Of The WindI Haven't Changed
Author:Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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