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Whose novel is Don Quixote?

literaturespanish literature

Quick Answer

Miguel de Cervantes, the Spanish writer, who published it in two parts in 1605 and 1615. It is often called the first modern novel.

The Full Story

Don Quixote was written by Miguel de Cervantes and published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615. It follows an elderly Spanish gentleman who reads so many tales of chivalry that he decides to become a knight himself, setting out on adventures with his loyal squire Sancho Panza. In one famous episode he attacks windmills, believing them to be giants, which gave English the phrase tilting at windmills. The book is often described as the first modern novel, and it is one of the best-selling novels of all time. Cervantes had an adventurous life of his own, losing the use of his left hand at the Battle of Lepanto and spending five years as a captive in Algiers.

Key Facts

1.Cervantes died in 1616, in the same year as William Shakespeare.
2.Before Cervantes finished Part Two, another writer published an unofficial sequel.
3.The word quixotic, meaning idealistic and unrealistic, comes from the novel.

YouTube Angle

Suggested video title for this topic:

"Tilting at windmills — why Don Quixote is the first modern novel"