As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul. Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish Franco regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price.

Once again, internationally acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Carlos Ruiz Zafon creates a rich, labyrinthine tale of love, literature, passion, and revenge, set in a dark, gothic Barcelona, in which the heroes of The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game must contend with a nemesis that threatens to destroy them.

The echo of the novels of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books series resonates in the stories of Carlos Ruiz Zafon: 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 Gaudi reluctantly agrees to cross the ocean to New York, a voyage that will determine the fate of an unfinished masterpiece.

As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul.Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish Franco regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price. .

As a child, Daniel Sempere discovered among the passageways of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books an extraordinary novel that would change the course of his life. Now a young man in the Barcelona of the late 1950s, Daniel runs the Sempere & Sons bookshop and enjoys a seemingly fulfilling life with his loving wife and son. Yet the mystery surrounding the death of his mother continues to plague his soul.Just when Daniel believes he is close to solving this enigma, a conspiracy more sinister than he could have imagined spreads its tentacles from the hellish Franco regime. That is when Alicia Gris appears, a soul born out of the nightmare of the war. She is the one who will lead Daniel to the edge of the abyss and reveal the secret history of his family, although at a terrifying price. .

Eine letzte Reise in die magische Erzahlwelt von Carlos Ruiz Zafon Der Friedhof der vergessenen Bucher ist der geheimnisvolle Ort, um den das gesamte Erzahluniversum von Carlos Ruiz Zafon kreist: Eine tief unter Barcelona verborgene Bibliothek, in der die Bucher darauf warten, ihre Seele an ihren Leser weiterzugeben. Im 2001 erschienenen Roman »Der Schatten des Windes« entfuhrte uns Carlos Ruiz Zafon zum ersten Mal in dieses magische Labyrinth und schuf einen Weltbestseller. Zafons letztes Projekt war es, diesen Ort in Erzahlungen weiter wachsen zu lassen. Es entstand ein Geheimfach von Geschichten, das hier vollstandig geoffnet wird. Es war sein gro?er Wunsch, diese Texte in einem Buch zu sammeln, nun wurde es zum letzten Geschenk an seine Leser und Leserinnen. Mit sieben bislang unveroffentlichten Erzahlungen. »Das dunkle, dustere, neblige Barcelona, das der Geheimnisse, Mysterien und faszinierenden Fabelgeschichten, dieses Barcelona gibt es nur noch in den Buchern Carlos Ruiz Zafons.« Alexander Kluy, Buchkultur

Hidden in the heart of the old city of Barcelona is the 'Cemetery of Lost Books', a labyrinthine library of obscure and forgotten titles that have long gone out of print. To this library, a man brings his 10-year-old son Daniel one cold morning in 1945. Daniel is allowed to choose one book from the shelves and pulls out 'The Shadow of the Wind' by Julian Carax. But as he grows up, several people seem inordinately interested in his find. Then, one night, as he is wandering the old streets once more, Daniel is approached by a figure who reminds him of a character from the book, a character who turns out to be the devil. This man is tracking down every last copy of Carax's work in order to burn them. What begins as a case of literary curiosity turns into a race to find out the truth behind the life and death of Julian Carax and to save those he left behind…

It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from The Shadow of the Wind have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him. Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival…

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.

In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man – David Martin – makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city’s underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home…

Packend, rasant und voller Magie! Mit seinen Bestseller-Romanen rund um den Friedhof der Vergessenen Bucher schuf Carlos Ruiz Zafon eine der faszinierendsten Erzahlwelten aller Zeiten. Die Verhei?ung, die mit »Der Schatten des Windes« begann, findet mit seinem gro?en Roman »Das Labyrinth der Lichter« ihre Vollendung. Spanien in den dunklen Tagen des Franco-Regimes: Ein Auftrag der Politischen Polizei fuhrt die eigenwillige Alicia Gris von Madrid zuruck in ihre Heimatstadt Barcelona. Unter gro?ter Geheimhaltung soll sie das plotzliche Verschwinden des zwielichtigen Ministers Mauricio Valls aufklaren, dessen dunkle Vergangenheit als Direktor des Gefangnisses von Montjuic ihn nun einzuholen scheint. In seinem Besitz befand sich ein geheimnisvolles Buch aus der Serie Das Labyrinth der Lichter, das Alicia auf schmerzliche Weise an ihr eigenes Schicksal erinnert. Es fuhrt sie in die Buchhandlung Sempere & Sohne, tief in Barcelonas Herz. Der Zauber dieses Ortes nimmt sie gefangen, und wie durch einen Nebel steigen Bilder ihrer Kindheit in ihr auf. Doch die Antworten, die Alicia findet, offnen die Tur zu einer finsteren Intrige und bringen all jene in Gefahr, die Alicia am meisten liebt. Mit »Das Labyrinth der Lichter« offnet Carlos Ruiz Zafon zum letzten Mal das Tor zum Friedhof der Vergessenen Bucher.

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.

‘Fifteen years on, the remembrance of that day has returned to me. I have seen that boy wandering through the mist of the railway station, and the name of Marina has flared up again like a fresh wound. We all have a secret buried under lock and key in the attic of our soul. This is mine…’ 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. Carlos Ruiz Zafon was born in Barcelona and is the author of seven novels including THE SHADOW OF THE WIND. He is one of the world’s most read and best-loved writers. His work has been translated into more than 40 languages and published around the world, garnering numerous international prizes and reaching millions of readers. He divides his time between Barcelona and Los Angeles.

Der unvergessliche Roman eines einzigartigen Erzahlers – Carlos Ruiz Zafons Welterfolg An einem dunstigen Sommermorgen des Jahres 1945 wird der junge Daniel Sempere von seinem Vater an einen geheimnisvollen Ort in Barcelona gefuhrt – den Friedhof der Vergessenen Bucher. Dort entdeckt Daniel den Roman eines verschollenen Autors fur sich, er hei?t ›Der Schatten des Windes‹, und er wird sein Leben verandern … Carlos Ruiz Zafon eroberte mit seinem Buch die Herzen leidenschaftlicher Leser rund um den Globus. ›Der Schatten des Windes‹ bildet den Auftakt eines einzigartigen, fesselnden und beruhrenden Werks, er ist der erste seiner vier gro?en Barcelona-Romane. Auf ›Der Schatten des Windes‹ folgten ›Das Spiel des Engels‹, ›Der Gefangene des Himmels‹ und abschlie?end ›Das Labyrinth der Lichter‹.

London 1881. A bride is murdered on at her engagement party, setting in chain a twisting, riveting mystery full of memorable characters in Claire Evans' dramatic debut novel perfect for fans of Kate Mosse's Labyrinth, Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind and Jessie Burton's The Miniaturist. Phoebe Stanbury was killed in the summer of secrets... One balmy June evening in 1881, Phoebe Stanbury stands before the guests at her engagement party: this is her moment, when she will join the renowned Raycraft family and ascend to polite society. As she takes her fiance's hand, a stranger holding a knife steps forward and ends the poor girl's life. Amid the chaos, he turns to her aristocratic groom and mouths: 'I promised I would save you.' The following morning, just a few miles away, timid young legal clerk William Lamb meets a reclusive client. He finds the old man terrified and in desperate need of aid: William must keep safe a small casket of yellowing papers, and deliver an enigmatic message: The Finder knows.

Carlos Ruiz Zafon hat drei phanomenale Weltbestseller geschaffen – ›Der Schatten des Windes‹, ›Das Spiel des Engels‹ und nun endlich auf Deutsch: ›Marina‹. »Wir alle haben im Dachgeschoss der Seele ein Geheimnis unter Verschluss. Das hier ist das meine.« So beginnt Oscar Drai seine Erzahlung. Der junge Held des Romans sehnt sich danach, am Leben Barcelonas teilzuhaben, und streift am liebsten durch die verwunschenen Villenviertel der Stadt. Eines Tages trifft er auf ein faszinierendes Madchen. Sie hei?t Marina, und sie wird sein Leben fur immer verandern. Gemeinsam werden die beiden in das dustere Geheimnis um den ehemals reichsten Mann Barcelonas gesogen. Schmerz und Trauer, Wut und Gro?enwahn rei?en sie mit sich, eine hollische Verbindung von vernichtender Kraft. Aber auch Marina umgibt ein Geheimnis. Als Oscar schlie?lich dahinterkommt, ist es das jahe Ende seiner Jugend. In ›Marina‹ beschwort Carlos Ruiz Zafon erstmals sein unnachahmliches Barcelona herauf, eine Stadt voller Magie und Leidenschaft, und erzahlt in unvergleichlicher Weise die dramatische Geschichte eines jungen Mannes, der um sein Gluck und seine gro?e Liebe kampft.