W&N snaps up Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s short story collection

The late Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s collection of short stories, The City of Mist, has gone to Weidenfeld & Nicolson. 

Federico Andornino, publishing director at W&N, acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The deal was struck with the Colchie Agency in New York on behalf of the Antonia Kerrigan Literary Agency in Barcelona. The City of Mist will be published by W&N in hardback, e-book and audio on 11th November 2021. 

Ruiz Zafón was the author of eight novels, including the bestselling Cemetery of Forgotten Books series: The Shadow of the Wind, The Angel's Game, The Prisoner of Heaven and The Labyrinth of the Spirits (all published by Orion). His work, which also includes prizewinning young adult novels, has been translated into more than 50 languages. He died in June 2020 aged 55. 

W&N said: “The echo of the novels of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series resonates in The City of Mist. 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. The majority of the stories in the collection have been translated from the Spanish by Carlos’s trusted translator Lucia Graves, with some stories translated or written directly in English by the author himself.” 

Andornino described the collection as “a gem and a gift”. He added: “We all miss Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s extraordinary imagination and unrivalled storytelling – which is why it’s such a thrill to have one more opportunity to celebrate his legacy with The City of Mist. Fans of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books will recognise Carlos’ verve and some of the tropes that have made his novels modern classics and for those lucky readers who have yet to discover the work of Carlos Ruiz Zafón, this is the perfect starting point.” 

Graves is a literary translator and an author. Her translations also include Spanish editions of books by her father Robert Graves.