Cervantes (Saavedra), Miguel de

Cervantes (Saavedra), Miguel de
born Sept. 29?, 1547, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
died April 22, 1616, Madrid

Spanish novelist, playwright, and poet, the most celebrated figure in Spanish literature.

After studying in Madrid, Cervantes joined the Italian infantry, fought the Turks at Lepanto, and was captured with his brother and sold into slavery in Algiers for five years. Back in Spain, his chronic financial problems and tangled affairs led to brushes with the law and brief imprisonment. While in tedious civil-service employment, he wrote the pastoral romance La Galatea (1585) and plays, poetry, and short stories, to small success. His marvelous creation Don Quixote (1605, 1615), brought immediate success and literary eminence, if not riches. It parodies chivalric romances of the day with the comic adventures of a bemused elderly knight who sets out on his old horse, Rosinante, with his pragmatic squire, Sancho Panza. Often considered the first and certainly one of the great novels, it has influenced many writers and inspired numerous creations in other genres and media. Cervantes also published a large set of eight comedies and eight interludes for the stage (1615) and the romance The Labors of Persiles and Sigismunda (1617).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Cervantes (Saavedra), Miguel de — (¿29 sep.? 1547, Alcalá de Henares, España–22 abr. 1616, Madrid). Novelista, dramaturgo y poeta español, la más celebre figura de la literatura española. Después de estudiar en Madrid, Cervantes se unió a la infantería italiana, y luchó contra… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de — ► (1547 1616) Escritor español. Cultivó todos los géneros literarios. Como autor teatral escribió Los tratos de Argel y Pedro de Urdemalas. En los entremeses hace evidente su genio teatral: La cueva de Salamanca, El retablo de las maravillas, El… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Cervantes Saavedra,Miguel de — Cer·van·tes Sa·a·ve·dra (sər vănʹtēz sä ə vāʹdrə, thĕr bänʹtĕs sä ä bĕthʹrä), Miguel de. 1547 1616. Spanish writer who is best known for his classic satirical novel Don Quixote (1605 1615). * * * …   Universalium

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  • CERVANTES-SAAVEDRA, MIGUEL DE —    the author of Don Quixote, born at Alcalá de Henares; was distinguished in arms before he became distinguished in letters; fought in the battle of Lepanto like a very hero, and bore away with him as a maimed soldier marks of his share in the… …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

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