| | Daniel | Sempere | Protagonist. Aka: Sempere Junior. |
| | Tomas | Aguilar | Daniel's best friend and classmate. |
| | Isaac | Monfort | Sempere's keeper of
Cemetery of Forgotten Books. |
| | Julian | Carax | The Shadow of the Wind author. |
| | | | 1945-1949 |
| 1 | Gustavo | Barcelo | Old colleague of Mr. Sempere. A bookseller. |
| | Mr. | Sempere | Daniel's father. |
| 2 | Clara | Barcelo | Barcelo's niece. The expert on Julian Carax. |
| 3 | Claudette | | Clara's cousin. |
| | Monsieur | Roquefort | Claudette and Clara's tutor. |
| | Giselle | | The tycoon's daughter. |
| | Gustave | Flaubert | A novelist. |
| 5 | Don | Federico | The neighborhood watchmaker. |
| | Estrellita | Castro | The music hall star. |
| | Father | Vicente | The school's vicar. |
| 6 | Bernarda | | Barcelo's maid. Fermin's lover. |
| | Adrian | Neri | Clara's music teacher and lover. |
| | Cary | Grant | An actor. |
| | | | 1950 |
| 8 | Reme | | Bernarda's aunt. |
| 9 | Fermin | Romero De Torres | The beggar Daniel befriended. |
| 10 | Toni | Cabestany | Julian's publisher. |
| | Lain | Coubert | The name used by the devil in Julian's novel. |
| | Nuria | Monfort | Isaac's daughter. Cabestany's secretary. |
| | Antonio | Fortuny | Julian's father. |
| | Miquel | Moliner | Nuria's husband. Julian's former best friend. |
| | Teresita | Boadas | Isaac's ex-girlfriend. |
| | Leopoldo | | Isaac's uncle. |
| | | | 1951-1953 |
| 11 | Inspector | Fumero | Fermin's nemesis. Julian's nemesis. Aka: Francisco Javier Fumero. |
| | Dona | Encarna | Fermin's landlady. |
| | Dr. | Baro | The town's doctor. |
| | Beatriz | Aguilar | Tomas's sister. Daniel's lover. Aka: Bea. |
| | 2nd Lt. | Buendia | Bea's boyfriend. |
| | | | 1954 |
| 14 | Javier | Velazquez | A professor. One of Mr. Sempere's customers. |
| 15 | Vicenteta | | Sophie's friend. |
| | Isabelita | | Aurora's daughter. |
| | Paco | | Aurora's son. |
| 16 | Sophie | Carax | Julian's mother. |
| | Jose Maria | Requejo | Sophie's lawyer. |
| | Penelope | Aldaya | Julian's girlfriend. |
| 17 | Jorge | Aldaya | Penelope's brother. |
| 18 | Merceditas | | Daniel's neighbor. |
| 19 | Anacleto | Olmo | Unofficial spokesman for Royal Academy Language. Mr. Sempere's neighbor. |
| | Kiko | Calabuig | A news reporter. |
| | La | Pepita | Don Federico's deaf mother. |
| 20 | Neuval | | Julian's last publisher. |
| 24 | Fernando | Ramos | The St. Gabriel's priest. Julian's former classmate. |
| 25 | Ricardo | Aldaya | Jorge and Penelope's father. |
| | Maria | Craponcia | Ramon's wife. Aka: Yvonne. |
| | Jacinta | Coronado | Penelope's governess. |
| 26 | Jesusa | | Fermin's sister. |
| 27 | Casasus | | Mr. Aguilar's secretary. |
| | Simon | Aldaya | Penelope and Jorge's grandfather. |
| 28 | Salvador | Jausa | The Catalan financier. |
| | Marisela | | Jesusa's maid. |
| | Fructous | Gelabert | A videographer. |
| 29 | Baltasar | Deulofeu-Carallot | A con man. |
| 30 | Mr. | Collbato | A funeral service agent. |
| | Sister | Hortensia | The nun at Sta. Lucia. |
| 31 | Zacarias | | The angel in Jacinta's dream. |
| | Benancio | | Jacinta's uncle. |
| | Ramoneta | | Jacinta's friend. |
| 32 | Dr. | Soldevila | Barcelo's family doctor. |
| 33 | Braulio | Recolons | A pork butcher. |
| 39 | Manuel | Gutierrez-Fonseca | A city employee at the municipal morgue. |
| 40 | Lerma | | Fumero's associate. |
| | Enrique | Palacios | Fumero's associate. |
| | Antonio Jose | Gutierrez-Alcayate | The man who killed Nuria. Fermin's other name. |
| 41 | Cecilia | | The Aguilar's family maid. |
| | | | 1933-1955 |
| 1 | Irence | Marceau | The owner of the hostess bar. Julian's boss. |
| | Kurtz | | Julian's cat. |
| | Monsieur | Benarens | The man who adopted Sophie. |
| | Ana | Valls | Sophie's favorite student. |
| | Mr. | Valls | Ana's father. |
| 5 | Duran | | Fumero's superior. |
| 7 | General | Goded | A Spanish Army General. |
| 10 | David | Aldaya | Julian and Penelope's dead son. |
| | Lluis | Carbo | The nightwatch man. |
| | Pedro | Sanmarti | A publishing house owner. Nuria's employer. |
| | Mercedes | Pietro | Nuria's workmate. |
| | Salvador | Benades | The new copyeditor. |
| | | | 1955 |
| 1 | Saturno | Molleda | The building caretaker. |
| | | | Postmortem-1955 |
| | Dr. | Mendoza | Daniel's doctor. |
| | | | 1956 |
| | Rociito | | Fermin's friend. |
