Don Quixote is often nominated as one of the world's greatest works of fiction.(Most recently in a poll of leading authors around the world conducted by the Norwegian Book Clubs in 2002).
The novel's landmark status in literary history has meant it has had a rich and varied influence over later writers, from Cervantes' own lifetime to the present-day.
Miguel de Cervantes originally intended Don Quixote to be a parody on traditional popular ballads, yet he also parodied the romance of chivalry. He has also produced one of the most entertaining adventure stories of all time and two of the greatest characters in fiction; Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza.
Don Quixote is the world's first novel and by far the best-known book in Spanish literature.
The novel introduces us to Alonso Quixano who was a retired country gentleman in a part of Spain called La Mancha. In retirement, Alonso became obsessed with the whole concept of the rules and customs of knighthood and of chivalry in general. He spent so much time and effort in this pursuit that local people believed him to be a little deranged.
He was so obsessed with chivalry that he decided to become a knight-errant and went in search of adventure. He donned an old suit of armour, renamed himself Don Quixote of La Mancha and renamed his horse Rocinante.
After an initial encounter at an inn which Don Quixote believes to be a castle, he recruited a neighbour called Sancho Panza to be his "squire" and between them set off on their adventures, the first of which was their encounter with windmills, which they believed to be ferocious giants. Many more adventures followed and the whimsical nature of the novel can be appreciated by the content pages alone. One of the chapters - 52 is entitled: "Of the Quarrel that Don Quixote had with the Goatherd, together with the rare adventure of the penitents, which with an expenditure of sweat he bought to a happy conclusion."
The novel ends with Alonso Quixano's return to sanity his complete disenchantment and renunciation of chivalry, and finally, his death.
The Don Quixote novel has been translated into more languages than any book other than the bible; adapted to the stage more than any other non-dramatic text; illustrated more than any other novel; and inspired more films than any other literary work.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) studied in Madrid then became a soldier and was wounded in battle. He was captured by pirates in 1575, put in prison at Algiers, and was ransomed five years later. He spent the rest of his life struggling to earn a living from literature and humble government employment. His first attempt at fiction was a pastoral novel, La Galatea (1585), which was followed by his masterpiece, The Adventures of Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605).
Don Quixote is available to listen as an audiobook (unabridged and 19 hours long). It is narrated by Robert Whitfield who was born in England and worked for the BBC for ten years as a radio news announcer and also worked as a narrator for the Royal National Institute for the Blind in London. In addition to narrating for Blackstone Audiobooks, he involves himself in numerous stage-acting projects in the United States and Europe. He is the recipient of several Earphones Awards.
The audiobook is currently being offered with a free full-text e-book |
