Book description
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.
Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda's (1547-1616) life was occupied with a
struggle to earn a livelihood from literature and humble government
employment. As well as Don Quixote, he wrote a number of plays and a
collection of highly accomplished short stories, Exemplary Tales (1613).
John Rutherford is a Fellow of the Queen's College Oxford and a
Senior Lecturer in Spanish and Spanish American literature. He has
translated Leopoldo's La Regenta for Penguin Classics.
