Don Quixote

Don Quixote tells the story of Alonso Quixano, a middle-aged Spanish nobleman who becomes obsessed with chivalric romances. After reading too many tales of knights and their quests, he loses his sanity, adopts the name Don Quixote, and sets out on adventures with his reluctant companion Sancho Panza. The pair travel across Spain on horseback, with Don Quixote seeing fantastical threats and noble causes where only mundane reality exists. Sancho Panza, a peasant farmer who serves as Don Quixote's squire, provides a counterpoint of earthy wisdom to his master's delusional worldview. This early novel from 1605 (Part 1) and 1615 (Part 2) established many of the storytelling techniques still used in modern fiction. The work examines the nature of reality versus imagination, and explores how stories shape our perception of the world around us.

Readers describe this as a humorous yet profound book that works on multiple levels - as comedy, social commentary, and meditation on reality versus fantasy. Many note the accessibility and relevance of the humor despite its age. Positive reviews highlight: - The friendship between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza - Sharp satire of chivalric romances and society - Complex themes about idealism vs reality - Memorable secondary characters and subplots Common criticisms include: - Length and meandering pace - Dense prose in some translations - Repetitive adventures - Too many tangential stories "The humor holds up after 400 years," notes one Amazon reviewer. "But you need patience to get through it." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (248,000+ ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (3,800+ ratings) LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (8,900+ ratings) Most recommend the Edith Grossman translation for its readability and preservation of the humor.

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📚 Don Quixote was published in two parts, ten years apart: Part One in 1605 and Part Two in 1615. A fraudulent sequel by another author was published in between, prompting Cervantes to rush completion of his own Part Two. 🎭 The book is considered the first modern novel in Western literature and has been translated into more languages than any book except the Bible. ✒️ Cervantes wrote much of Don Quixote while in prison for financial troubles, where he worked as a tax collector and was jailed for discrepancies in his accounts. 🗣️ Many common phrases originated from Don Quixote, including "tilting at windmills" and "the proof of the pudding is in the eating." 🎨 The character Don Quixote has inspired countless works of art, including paintings by Picasso and Daumier, the ballet Don Quixote, and the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha with its famous song "The Impossible Dream."