Don Quixote

Author: Miguel de Cervantes / Jiang Weifeng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-05-01
Features: Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) was a great Spanish writer, dramatist, and poet. He was born into a struggling barber family near Madrid and only received a middle school education. He served as a page to a cardinal, fought in the army against the Ottoman Empire and lost his left hand, was captured by pirates, and was falsely imprisoned several times while working as a supplier and tax collector, remaining impoverished throughout his life. His famous novel "Don Quixote" is Cervantes' masterpiece. The full title of the novel is "Don Quixote de la Mancha," a romantic tale that depicts a lean, declining nobleman, Don Quixote, who, obsessed with chivalric romances, dresses in worn armor and rides a shabby horse to become a knight-errant. He mistakes an ugly swineherd for a beautiful lady he admires and hires a short, fat peasant, Sancho Panza, as his squire. Don Quixote embarks on three journeys across the country, creating a legacy of helping the weak and punishing the wicked. The novel "Don Quixote" has been highly praised by revolutionary leaders and renowned writers such as Marx, Engels, Lenin, Schiller, Goethe, Scott, Byron, Heine, and Belinsky. It has been translated and published over 1,000 times worldwide, making it one of the most widely recognized and beloved world literary masterpieces.