Carlos Franz

Carlos Franz Thorud (born March 3, 1959) is a writer from Chile, who also holds Spanish citizenship.

The son of the Chilean diplomat of German descent Carlos Franz Núñez and the stage actress of Norwegian descent Miriam Thorud Oliva, Carlos Franz was born in Geneva, Switzerland, where his father was posted.

At age 11, after having also lived in Argentina, he arrived to Chile.

Franz studied law at the Universidad de Chile (1976-1981) and became a member of the Chilean Bar in 1983, a career that he abandoned four years later so as to dedicate himself to literature.

Between 1981 and 1983 he attended the literary workshop of José Donoso.

Franz has written the novels Santiago Cero (1988); El lugar donde estuvo el Paraíso (1996); El desierto (2005); Almuerzo de vampiros (2007); and Si te vieras con mis ojos (2015).

Some of his works have been translated into other languages (English, German, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Finnish, Polish, Romanian, and Chinese), and El lugar donde estuvo el Paraíso was made into a movie by the Spaniard Gerardo Herrero with the Argentine actor Federico Luppi in the leading role.

In addition to novels, Franz has written short stories (his collection La prisionera 2005).

Franz's work has been praised critically by prestigious authors.

Mario Vargas Llosa wrote "in El desierto, Carlos Franz tells a fascinating story that is, at the same time, a dive into the depths of cruelty and human compassion, and into the violence of history. Written and constructed with a master's hand, this is one of the most original novels produced in modern Latin American literature.

Carlos Fuentes referred to Franz as "a new voice, powerful, creative and committed to the word" and regarding Almuerzo de vampiros he wrote that it "gives birth to absolutely unique, independent, and creative forms of narration".