Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes (c. 1547–1616) was a Spanish writer who is widely regarded as the greatest author in the Spanish language and one of the world's preeminent novelists.

Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, Cervantes lived a life marked by adventure and misfortune. He was the son of a surgeon who struggled financially. As a young man, Cervantes joined the Spanish military and fought in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, a naval engagement where he was severely wounded and permanently lost the use of his left hand, earning him the nickname "the one-handed man of Lepanto" (el manco de Lepanto).

In 1575, while sailing back to Spain, he was captured by Barbary pirates and spent five years as a slave in Algiers. After several escape attempts, he was finally ransomed and returned to Spain.

Back home, he struggled with poverty, working various jobs, including as a commissary for the Spanish Armada and as a tax collector. His financial troubles led to his imprisonment at least twice, and it is widely believed he began writing his most famous work while in jail.

Cervantes's literary breakthrough came late in life with the publication of Don Quixote.

Part I was published in 1605.

Part II followed in 1615.

The novel was an immediate success and is considered by most literary scholars to be the first modern novel. It tells the story of a nobleman who becomes so obsessed with chivalric romances that he decides to become a knight-errant himself.

Cervantes died in Madrid on April 22, 1616, leaving behind a literary legacy that has influenced writers for centuries.