History Creator / MiguelDeCervantes

The man almost automatically known in English sources (including this very Wiki) as "Author of ''Literature/DonQuixote''."

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain (a town close to UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} that still exists today), the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic studies, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life and earned him the nickname he would be famous for: "the One-Arm Man of Lepanto" ("el Manco de Lepanto"). So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain (a town close to UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} that still exists today), the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic studies, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life, earned him the nickname he would be famous for: "the One-Arm Man of Lepanto" ("el Manco de Lepanto"). So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain (a town close to UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} that still exists today), the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic studies, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life, and made him earn the nickname he would be famous for: "the One-Arm Man of Lepanto" ("el Manco de Lepanto"). So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years.

Which is a little unfair, because he wrote several other novels, along with plays, short stories, and poetry, many of which are also considered Spanish literature classics in their own right by academics. But hey, if you're going to be famous for just one thing, you can do worse than writing what is often regarded as the first modern novel, the most famous ''and'' best Spanish language novel, one of the most influential books in world literature, and the most translated book in the world apart from Literature/TheBible.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain (a town close to UsefulNotes/{{Madrid}} that still exists today), the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life, and made him earn the nickname he would be famous for: "the One-Arm Man of Lepanto" ("el Manco de Lepanto". So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years.

He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, although he only wrote it to mock chivalry books, a genre he utterly despised, given his troubled experiences as a soldier and as a slave, which were a far cry from the glamorized life of adventure depicted in those stories. However, and despite the fact that critics of his time didn't care for the book too much, it became an unprecedented success, quickly becoming into a popular culture juggernaut in the entire Spanish Empire. Something he had mixed feelings about, since back in the late 1500s to early, respectable fame and money were in stage plays, rather than prose, and he was only mildly successful in that genre, always overshadowed by other Spanish play writers of his time, particularly his contemporary and SitcomArchNemesis, Creator/LopeDeVega.

However, the huge success of ''Don Quixote'' in 10 years was unprecedented, and kick started the pathway for the novel to become the most prevalent form of written storytelling. Which provided him a fame that made his contemporaries jealous of him. It didn't make him too wealthy, though, but at least he got the attention of a patron that allowed him to dedicate himself to literature for the rest of his life.

Cervantes started to write a sequel a few years after, but he abandoned the project for a while. That is, until a non-oficial sequel written by one Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda (which was pseudonym. Nobody knows for sure who that writer was, albeit some people think it was Lope himself) made him retake the book, which he published in 1615, with pretty much the same results as the first book: critics didn't care for it, readers loved it.

Cervantes didn't get enjoy the success of Don Quixote for too long, though, since he died in 1616, one year after the publication of the second part, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic). Although he died grateful of receiving in his twilight years such fame that people ''[[Main/{{Squee}} literally stopped him on the streets when knowing who he was]]'', he never got in life the type of wealth and reputation he dreamed of.

Cervantes is considered ''hugely'' important in the history of Spanish literature, and one of, if not THE best author the language has to offer. Hence, he tends to show up in a lot of Historical, AlternateHistory, and TimeTravel stories, from ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' to ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''.

His influence tends to be compared to that of his close contemporary, Creator/WilliamShakespeare[[note]]Fun fact: they died the same year, only ten days apart. Some people think they died ''the same day'', albeit this is just a misunderstanding born from the fact that Spain and England used different calendars at the time.[[/note]], in English. Right down to the fact that his body of work is part of any basic education program in all Spanish-speaking countries, and that quoting his books is considered a sign of being a well-read and cultured person.

Which is a little unfair, because he wrote several other novels, along with plays, short stories, and poetry. But hey, if you're going to be famous for just one thing, you can do worse than writing what is often regarded as the first modern novel, the most famous Spanish language novel, and the most translated book in the world apart from Literature/TheBible.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years.

Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Cervantes is considered ''hugely'' important in the history of Spanish literature, alongside his contemporary and SitcomArchNemesis, Creator/LopeDeVega. Hence, he tends to show up in a lot of Historical, AlternateHistory, and TimeTravel stories, from ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' to ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''. His influence tends to be compared to that of his close contemporary, Creator/WilliamShakespeare, on English.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning [[SmartPeopleKnowLatin the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable]], and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[UsefulNotes/PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of [[ArchangelMichael Saint Michael the Archangel]]. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. He was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, some time around late September 1547; given [[PatronSaints the custom of the time of naming children after the saint whose feast day they were born on]], it was likely on the 29th, the feast day of SaintMichael the Archangel. He seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years (suggesting that he was a bit of a HandicappedBadass), before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes (circa 29 September 1547 – 22 April 1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. (So, yes, he was an authentic WarriorPoet.) Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Cervantes is considered ''hugely'' important in the history of Spanish literature, alongside his contemporary and SitcomArchNemesis, Creator/LopeDeVega. Hence, he tends to show up in a lot of Historical, AlternateHistory, and TimeTravel stories, from ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' to ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''. His influence tends to be compared to that of his close contemporary, Creator/WilliamShakespeare, on English.

The man almost automatically known in English sources (including this very Wiki) as "Miguel de Cervantes, author of ''Literature/DonQuixote''."

Which is a little unfair, because he wrote several other novels, along with plays, short stories, and poetry. But hey, if you're going to be famous for just one thing, you can do worse than writing what is often regarded as the first modern novel, the most translated book in the world apart from Literature/TheBible.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died in 1616, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Cervantes is considered ''hugely'' important in the history of Spanish literature, alongside his contemporary and SitcomArchNemesis, Creator/LopeDeVega. Hence, he tends to show up in a lot of Historical, AlternateHistory, and TimeTravel stories, from ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' to ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''. His influence tends to be compared to that of his close contemporary, UsefulNotes/WilliamShakespeare, on English.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died, probably of type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).

Cervantes is considered hugely important in the history of Spanish literature, alongside his contemporary and SitcomArchNemesis, Creator/LopeDeVega. Hence, he tends to show up in a lot of Historical, AlternateHistory, and TimeTravel stories, from ''Theatre/ManOfLaMancha'' to ''Series/TheMinistryOfTime''.

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) actually had quite an interesting life. Born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the son of a poor barber-surgeon, he seems to have picked up a bit of education without learning the Latin that he needed to make it fully respectable, and then in 1569 he went off to Rome to further his artistic education, landing a job working for a cardinal. In 1570 he joined the Spanish marines, which meant that in 1571, he fought in the historic UsefulNotes/BattleOfLepanto -- where he took three gunshot wounds, one of which left his left arm useless for the rest of his life. Still, he continued to serve as a soldier for a few years, before he was captured by Ottoman pirates in 1575 and MadeASlave in Algeria for five years. Fortunately, he was then ransomed, and returned to Spain. He then launched his literary career, while supporting himself by working as a royal tax collector and a purchasing agent for UsefulNotes/TheSpanishArmada -- which led to him spending a short stint in prison on suspicion of involvement in some kind of fraud. He published the first part of ''Literature/DonQuixote'' in 1605, and the second in 1615. He died, probably of was type 2 diabetes caused by cirrhosis of the liver (though he doesn't seem to have been an alcoholic).