Miguel de Cervantes (
1547-
1616) stands out from other
Renaissance writers in that
literature was not his original
vocation. He was a
military man for the first forty years of his life, fighting in the naval battle of
Lepanto against
Turks in
1571, on the side of his native
Spain; and continuing to
battle in northern
Africa and other
Mediterranean areas into his thirties. He spent much time
abroad, and was captured and enslaved for five years by
Algerians on his way back to
Madrid. It wasn’t until
1585 - shortly after his
marriage - that his
literary career truly started.
Cervantes was greatly influenced by
pastoral novels and
chivalrous romances, and it shows in his work. He is best known for his novel,
Don Quixote, - published in two parts: the first in
1605, the second in
1615 - a
satire on
Medieval beliefs and
practices. He has written a number of other works in
prose, none of which are nearly as acclaimed, and his
poetry is not regarded highly.
In his final work,
Persiles y Sigismunda, Cervantes forsaw his own
demise in a moving
introduction; indeed, it was completed just four days before his
death and was published
posthumously.