Miguel de Cervantes

 Literature / Writer's Datebook: September 29

 

Brief biography of Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish novelist, poet and playwright, one of the greatest writers in Spanish literature, famous for Don Quixote.

 

 

 

Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes is best-known for his epic satire masterpiece, the ingenious gentleman Don Quixote de la Mancha, simply known as Don Quixote.

 

Early Life of Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes was born on September 29, 1547, with birth name of Alcalá de Henares. He lived an unsettled life of adventure and hardship. He was born near Madrid, Spain, into an aristocratic but poor family and spent much of his childhood moving from one town to another while his doctor father sought work. Years spent in study with a famous humanist scholar gave him a passion for learning and tolerance.

 

Military Life 

In his early 20s Cervantes became a solder. At 24, he joined the Spanish Armada and fought at the Battle of Lapanto, one of the greatest sea battles in history. His left hand was wounded and never regained its full use. When he was 28, he was captured and enslaved by North African pirates for five years. Eventually, his family was able to raise money for his return home, only to be imprisoned for fraud.

 

Literary Pursuits

Returning to Spain, Cervantes found his family in poverty. He had several temporary jobs and turned to writing as a way of earning money. Among his works in this period were a pastoral novel, poetry and several plays.

 

Don Quixote de la Mancha

During a period of particularly bad luck Cervantes found himself in jail for fraud. It was here that he had the idea for his masterpiece, Don Quixote. Like his hero, Cervantes was much stricken by fate aside from having fought in the battle of Lepanto. Don Quixote is a story of a man who reads numerous books about chivalry, becomes mad, and tries to restore old-fashioned heroism. 

Don Quixote

 

The first volume of Don Quixote was published when he was 58, and it was an immediate success. It follows the adventures of a slightly in same Spanish nobleman and his loyal servant. Quixote sees himself as a knight in shining armour and sets out to right the wrongs of the world. Scholars describe Don Quixote as one of the world's first novels.

Cervantes also wrote poetry and plays, however, they were overshadowed by his contemporaries. He died on April 23, 1616, aged 68.

 

Popular Song adaptation:  'The Impossible Dream'

 

Miguel de Cervantes Books

La Galatea: A Pastoral Romance, 1585

Comedy of Confusion, c.1586

Don Quixote, 1605

Exemplary Novels, 1613

Eight New Plays and Eight New Interludes, 1615

The Exploits of Persiles and Sigismunda, 1617 (published after he died) 

 

Image Credit:

Don Quixote. Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain

Miguel de Cervantes. Wikipedia Commons / Public Domain 

 

Resources:

Goring, Rosemary, Ed. Larousse Dictionary of Writers. New York: Larousse, 1994

McGovern, Una, Ed. Biographical Dictionary. Edinburgh: Chambers / Harrap Publishers, 2002

Payne, Tom. The A-Z of Great Writers. London: Carlton, 1997

 

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