Carlos Ruiz Zafón (25 September 1964 – 19 June 2020) was a Spanish novelist, known for his 2001 novel La sombra del viento (The Shadow of the Wind). This novel has sold 15 million copies worldwide and was included in the list of the one hundred best books in Spanish in the last twenty-five years, made in 2007 by eighty-one Latin American and Spanish writers and critics.

Born in Barcelona, he lived in Los Angeles, United States, from 1994 until his death. Aside from writing novels, he also worked as a scriptwriter. His first novel, El príncipe de la niebla (The Prince of Mist, 1993), earned the Edebé literary prize for young adult fiction. He is also the author of three more young-adult novels: El palacio de la medianoche (1994), Las luces de septiembre (1995), and Marina (1999).

Since the publication of La sombra del viento, it has garnered critical acclaim around the world and won numerous international awards. Ruiz Zafón's passion for dragons is well-documented, a tribute to his native Barcelona, a city adorned with these mythical creatures. His personal collection boasts over 400 dragon figures, a testament to his fascination with these fire-breathing beasts.