Published in two volumes, but complete here, a decade apart, Don Quixote is considered the most influential work of literature from the Spanish Golden Age and the entire Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, and one of the earliest canonical novels, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. In one such list, Don Quixote was cited as the "best literary work ever written."

‘Didn’t I tell you they were only windmills? And only someone with windmills on the brain could have failed to see that!’

Don Quixote has become so entranced by reading romances of chivalry that he determines to become a knight errant and pursue bold adventures, accompanied by his squire, the cunning Sancho Panza. As they roam the world together, the aging Quixote’s fancy leads them wildly astray. At the same time the relationship between the two men grows in fascinating subtlety. Often considered to be the first modern novel, Don Quixote is a wonderful burlesque of the popular literature its disordered protagonist is obsessed with.

John Rutherford’s landmark translation does full justice to the energy and wit of Cervantes’s prose. His introduction discusses the traditional works parodied in Don Quixote, as well as issues surrounding literary translation.

Voted greatest book of all time by the Nobel Institute

La Galatea es la primera obra que escribio Cervantes. Aunque solo concluyo la primera parte, en su lecho de muerte todavia se acordaba el autor de su proposito de acabarla. El siguiente libro que escribio Cervantes despues de este fue el Quijote, veinte anos despues.

Con El cerco de Numancia Cervantes intento dar a Espana un teatro digno de las tragedias griegas. Por su tono y la grandeza de los hechos representados logro, efectivamente, la mas vigente de las tragedias de los Siglos de Oro.

Don Quixote, originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, stands as Cervantes' belated but colossal literary success. A work which has achieved mythic status, it is considered to have pioneered the modern novel. Don Quixote, a poor gentleman from La Mancha, Spain, entranced by the code of chivalry, seeks romantic honor through absurd and fantastic adventures. His fevered imagination turns everyday objects into heroic opponents and stepping stones to greater glory; each exploit serves as a comic, yet disturbing commentary on the psychological struggle between reality and illusion, fact and fiction. This celebrated translation by Charles Jarvis offers a new introduction and notes which provide essential background information.
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