The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha
by Miguel de Cervantes

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o commemorate the 4th Centenary of the publication of "El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha" (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha) by Miguel de Cervantes, a de luxe facsimile of the princeps edition dated 1605 has been produced. The original of which is held in the Library of the Spanish Royal Academy.

As a work of art, this literary gem is a perfect caricature of the literature portraying knights of chivalry. It is not known for sure but it is believed that Cervantes may have started writing his masterpiece in prison during one of his spells behind bars.

In a relatively straightforward story with the central character, Alonso Quijano otherwise known as Don Quixote of La Mancha, and his loyal follower, Sancho Panza as well as a whole host of magnificent characters, Cervantes weaves a magnificent parody of the distinctive styles of the books of chivalry, picaresque and pastoral writings, adventure stories or tales, for instance, without ever mixing up their features. And all thanks to a rich, complex content and a technical narrative structure that provides us with an astounding lesson in literary theory and practice.

In the course of this work, the author knits together a subtle network of the psychological and physiological aspects of the character's personality, mixed with the eloquence of his rhetoric.

Cervantes may never have imagined the significance his work was destined to have on world literature, but the influence of Don Quixote has indeed been so important that innumerable authors treat his work as a source of inspiration.

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