Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (September 29, 1547 - April 23, 1616), was a Spanish author, best known for his novel Don Quixote de la Mancha.

Biography

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was born to a family of modest means in 1547 in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. He never obtained a university education, though he studied at the local school in his town, whose master, Juan López de Hoyos, called him "my beloved." On September 15th, 1569 an arrest order was issued against him, announcing: Miguel de Cervantes has been condemned to have, in public infamy, his right hand lopped off, and to be banished from our kingdoms for having committed the infamous sin . . . (This document has long been hidden by the Spanish authorities and has only recently come to light.)

Cervantes fled to Italy where some elegies he wrote were published. He also joined a Spanish regiment there and was wounded while fighting in the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks in 1571; as a consequence, he lost the use of his left hand. From then on he was called 'el manco de Lepanto' (the one-handed man of Lepanto). In 1574 he becomes chamberlain to the gay Cardinal Julio Acquaviva. Renown of the latter's tastes had reached all the way to Rome, where, being once considered "papable" the Romans exclaimed "If by misfortune he will be elected we will have not a pope but a popess."

In 1575, while returning to Spain from the Netherlands, he was captured by Barbary pirates based in Algiers. There he became the slave of the bey Hassan Pasha, who was bisexual and had two harems, one for each sex. The bey seems to have a great appreciation for the young Cervantes, since he demands the astounding sum of 500 gold escudos as ransom. He was held captive in Algiers until he was freed in 1580 when his ransom was paid.

Upon returning to Spain he is accused of "obscene acts" without further details. In 1584 he entered into a marriage of convenience with Catalina de Salazar y Palacios. However, he is unable to lay hands on the promised dowry and abandons his new wife without regrets - before consummating their marriage. He published La Galatea a year later; he was a supplier and a tax collector for a while.

Cervantes began writing Don Quixote in 1597 while imprisoned in Sevilla for debt. In 1605 he published Part I of his major work, formally known as El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha). Part II did not appear until 1615. In his masterpiece the hero expresses no interest whatsoever in women. His relations with Sancho Panza however are delineated with a subtle ambivalence. Between Part I and Part II of Don Quixote he published Novelas Ejemplares (The Exemplary Novels), a collection of twelve short stories. In 1615, he published Ocho Comedias y Ocho Entremeses Nuevos Nunca Representias although his most famous play today, La Numancia, stayed unedited until the 18th century.

His novel Los Trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda was published posthumously one year after his death in 1616 (in Madrid). Interestingly enough, he considered it to be his best work and far superior to Don Quixote.

His influence was such that in French and Spanish, the Spanish language is referred to proverbially as la langue/la lengua de Cervantes.

Did Cervantes and Shakespeare die on the same day?

It is often stated that Cervantes died on the same day as his English counterpart William Shakespeare, namely April 23, 1616. This is not correct. They did die on the same date, but not on the same day.

Spain adopted the Gregorian calendar (or New Style) immediately in 1582. But England stayed with the Julian calendar (Old Style) until 1752. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Gregorian calendar was 10 days ahead of the Julian calendar. So Cervantes died on April 23, 1616 in the Gregorian calendar, but Shakespeare died ten days later on April 23, 1616 in the Julian calendar, which is the same day as May 3, 1616 in the Gregorian calendar.

Works

• Pieces on the death of the queen (1569)
• La Galatea (1585)
• La Numancia (play)
• Los tratos de Argel (play)
• El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (Don Quixote. Part 1) (1605)
• Novelas Ejemplares (The Exemplary Novels) (1613)
• Viaje del Parnaso (poem)
• Segunda parte del ingenioso caballero don Quijote de la Mancha (Don Quixote. Part 2) (1615)
• Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda (c.1615)

External links

• Etexts by Cervantes (http://www.gutenberg.net/author/Miguel+Cervantes) from Project Gutenberg
• Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes  (http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/index.shtml) Spanish web site with multiple Cervantes links and audio of whole of Don Quijote
• Famous Hispanics (http://coloquio.com/famosos/alpha.htm)