About this item
More than 400 years ago, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) sent his irrepressible optimist of a hero out to tilt at windmills—and Don Quixote and his philosophical squire, Sancho Panza, still remain among the world’s most popular and entertaining figures, as well as the archetypes for the tall, thin straight man and his short, stocky comic sidekick. In this terrific adaptation of the Cervantes classic, Rob Davis uses innovative paneling and an interesting color palette to bring the Knight-Errant to life. This is sequential storytelling and art at its finest, as we follow Don Quixote on his search for adventure and chivalrous quests—and he will not be defeated by such foes as logic, propriety, or sanity.
About the Author
Miguel de Cervantes y Cortinas, later Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His novel is often considered his magnum opus, as well as the first modern novel. It is assumed that Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares. His father was Rodrigo de Cervantes, a surgeon of cordoban descent. Little is known of his mother Leonor de Cortinas, except that she was a native of Arganda del Rey. 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. 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. He was then released on ransom from his captors by his parents and the Trinitarians, a Catholic religious order. He subsequently returned to his family in Madrid. 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. Her uncle Alonso de Quesada y Salazar is said to have inspired the character of Don Quixote. During the next 20 years Cervantes led a nomadic existence, working as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada and as a tax collector. He suffered a bankruptcy and was imprisoned at least twice (1597 and 1602) for irregularities in his accounts. Between 1596 and 1600, he lived primarily in Seville. In 1606, Cervantes settled in Madrid, where he remained for the rest of his life. Cervantes died in Madrid on April 23, 1616.
