2.en.18 From films to books: an interview with Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

In  previous posts we talked about films. Now it is time to move from films to books. What do films and books have in common? Well, they both tell stories, don’t they?

Many of the terms you learnt to talk about films (plot, character, setting, genre) will also be useful to talk about books. We shall start talking about some of the books you are reading in your Spanish and Catalan lessons. Our first choice is “The Prince of Mist” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Most of you found it really gripping. Though originally written in Spanish, it has been translated to many other languages.

The responsible for the translation into English has got a strong connection with Majorca. Let’s see if anyone comes up with the answer…

This is the promotional video that presented the book to the British market in 2010.

Does  the video make you want read the book?

This is an interview with Carlos Garcia Zafón, the author of  “The Prince of Mist”, the book  you have just finish reading in your Spanish class.

The author, in perfect English -I bet you are surprised at how good he is- talks about his books and his work as a writer.

Watch the video and answer the following questions. Write down the answers in your notebook. In some cases you will need to answer full questions while in others, just complete the missing words.

1. How many novels had he written before “The Prince of Mist” that had not been translated into English?
2. The Prince of Mist is the first of a  sequence of young adult novels he wrote in the _______’s
3. Complete the titles of the Trilogy: The Prince of Mist; The Palace of____________; The Lights of _______________
4. He describes these novels as : F____________ stories; G____________ M________________adventure
5. Do these novels have the same characters?
6. What do they have in common?
7. When  was the Prince of Mist published  in English?
8. Had the book been published when Zafón gave this interview?
9. Zafón says that The Prince of Mist is a coming of age story, what does he mean?
10. Where is the story set?
11. Why is Max forced to move out of the city?
12. Where do Max and his family move to?
13. Who did the house belong to in the past?
14. What is one of the themes of the novel?
15. According to Zafón, do teenagers accept the answers given by adults or do they need to figure out answers by themselves?
16. What is the moral of the story in the Prince of Mist?
17. Where does Zafón write?
18. In order to write Zafón needs to be connected or cut off from the World?
19. What are the essential tools for a writer?
20. Where did he get his inspiration from?
21. What does he use his characters for?
22. What do you think about his office, where he gives this interview?
23. Is this video recorded in California or in Barcelona?
24. Does the place seem as a “secluded cave” to you?
25. Had you seen or listened to  Zafón talking about his books before?
26. Did you expect him to be like this when you read the book?

Homework: It has to be finished by the 7th of January 2014.