Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes, one of the greatest novelists of all time, is most widely remembered for his classic Spanish novel, Don Quixote. Cervantes is remembered as the father of the modern novel, having paved the way for the popular stories and romances of the 19th century. He is often referred to as the “prince of novelists” and the “father of fiction”.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was born in 1549 in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. He was a great grandchild of a Spanish nobleman and grew up in a large family with seven siblings. Cervantes was educated at home and was a good student.

At age sixteen, he joined the Spanish Navy. His time in the navy included a number of battles, such as the Battle of Lepanto, where he was wounded in the left hand. After his service in the navy and several trips to Italy, Cervantes was arrested in 1597 and spent five years in jail in Seville.

After his release, Cervantes began to write. His early works included La Galatea, a pastoral romance, and Pimienta's Journey, a novel about the adventures of a rural laborer from Castile. He followed these up with Don Quixote, a novel about an idealistic but naïve knight who adventures throughout Spain on a quest for chivalric glory.

The novel centers around Don Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, and their two adventures, the First and Second of Don Quixote. It is considered to be the most influential work of Spanish literature and is widely considered to be one of the greatest works of fiction of all time.

The novel pulls aspects of both tragedy and comedy, and it features elements of metafiction, satire, and picaresque adventures. The novel deals with the theme of idealism and disillusionment, as Don Quixote cannot distinguish between illusion and reality, between chivalry and fraud.

In addition to Don Quixote, Cervantes wrote a number of other works, including La Guardia de Alcalá, a tragedy, and El Trato de Argel, a historical novel. He also wrote a collection of poems, Villanelle, and several comedies, including The Joyful Phaeton.

Throughout his life, Cervantes was plagued by poverty. Though he was well known as an author, due to the copyrights laws at the time, he could not make significant money from his books. He died poverty-stricken in Madrid in 1616, leaving his works unfinished.

Miguel de Cervantes is remembered today as one of the greatest Spanish authors of all time. His novel, Don Quixote, is still widely read and studied, and its influence can be seen in the works of modern authors. Cervantes’ works were revolutionary for their time and are still widely read and admired today.