Who else loved books to the extent that he was willing to immerse himself completely in the illusion of his beloved fiction, against all reason? Who else struggled to survive and keep the spirit of beautiful ideas in the face of ugly, mean, bullying reality?

There is no one like Don Quixote to make me feel the connection between my reading self and my real life. I had time to think, and to think carefully. I was not the first one around the table to answer, and there had been plenty of identification with the brave, the strong, the pretty, the good, the clever heroes and heroines of the literary universe before it was my turn. “With which literary character do you identify most?” What was the question? If my friends at the coffee table had asked: “What is your favourite book, Lisa?”, and received that answer, they would have nodded knowingly, sympathetically, adding some random fact about the 1000+-page-classic I claimed to love more than the countless other books I have read. “Don Quixote”, I answered, and looked into almost shocked facial expressions, followed by quiet, uncomfortable giggling. In 1606, Cervantes settled in Madrid, where he remained for the rest of his life.Ĭervantes died in Madrid on April 23, 1616. Between 15, he lived primarily in Seville. He suffered a bankruptcy and was imprisoned at least twice (15) for irregularities in his accounts. During the next 20 years Cervantes led a nomadic existence, working as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada and as a tax collector. Her uncle Alonso de Quesada y Salazar is said to have inspired the character of Don Quixote. In Esquivias (Province of Toledo), on 12 December 1584, he married the much younger Catalina de Salazar y Palacios (Toledo, Esquivias –, 31 October 1626), daughter of Fernando de Salazar y Vozmediano and Catalina de Palacios. He subsequently returned to his family in Madrid. He was then released on ransom from his captors by his parents and the Trinitarians, a Catholic religious order. By then, Cervantes had enlisted as a soldier in a Spanish Navy infantry regiment and continued his military life until 1575, when he was captured by Algerian corsairs.

In 1569, Cervantes moved to Italy, where he served as a valet to Giulio Acquaviva, a wealthy priest who was elevated to cardinal the next year.

Little is known of his mother Leonor de Cortinas, except that she was a native of Arganda del Rey. His father was Rodrigo de Cervantes, a surgeon of cordoban descent. It is assumed that Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares. His novel Don Quixote is often considered his magnum opus, as well as the first modern novel. Miguel de Cervantes y Cortinas, later Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright.

Miguel cervantes don quixote