Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) was a Spanish writer, who is regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language, and is considered to be the writer of the first modern novel with Don Quixote. A classic work of Western literature, Don Quixote is regarded as one of the best works of fiction ever written and to be a huge influence on the Spanish language.
It’s assumed that Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares, a city about twenty two miles north of Madrid, but little is known of his early years as it seems he spent a lot of time moving with his family. We do know that at some point Cervantes was forced to leave Spain, but historians are not sure why. However, Cervantes left for Rome, Italy and studied Renaissance art, architecture and poetry, which is evident in his literature. By 1570, Cervantes had enlisted as a solider in the Spanish Marines, and saw combat action in 1571 where he suffered three gunshot wounds, one of which rendered his left arm useless. In 1975, a galley he was on was captured by pirates, and he spent five years as a slave in Algiers before he was returned to his parents in Madrid.
After his period in the army, Cervantes led a middle class life in Spain. Unable to support himself on his writing, he held a job as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Navy and later as a tax collector. In 1585 he published his first major work entitled La Galatea, a pastoral roman now lost. At the same time, he wrote several plays hoping to make money off of the stage, but all his plays failed.
Don Quixote was his first successful work. The idea for the novel supposedly came to him during a stint in jail, which was supposed to be a picture of everyday life and manners. The first part of the novel was published in 1605, and critically acclaimed for it’s use of everyday speech. Don Quixote is a satire on the chivalric romance that was popular to the general public of that time.
