Don Quixote

The final and greatest utterance of the human mind. - Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
A founding work of modern Western literature, Cervantes’ masterpiece has been translated into more than 60 languages and the novel’s elderly knight, Don Quixote, and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, rank among fiction’s most recognized characters. This monumental parody of chivalric romances and epic of heroic idealism presents a strikingly contemporary narrative that also reflects the historical realities of 17th-century Spain. AUTHOR: Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) fought against the Ottoman Empire and was wounded at the Battle of Lepanto. Captured by pirates, he was enslaved for five years until a ransom secured his release. While working as a civil servant, he produced poetry and plays that were largely ignored but the 1605 publication of part I of Don Quixote, followed by the 1615 publication of part II, ensured his lasting fame.