Cervantes’s Life

Abstract

Chapter 1 provides a detailed account of Cervantes’s life story addressing his humble beginnings, his travels, his military service—notably his participation in the battle of Lepanto, his captivity, his forays into writing for the stage, his various professions, and finally his stint as a professional writer. Special attention is given to Cervantes’s creation of Don Quixote, Parts I and II, and to the false second part of his great work, published under the pseudonym Avellaneda. Finally, the chapter follows Cervantes through his last days and his death in 1616. Relying on decades of research and internationally acclaimed biographies of the author of Don Quixote, Canavaggio contributes an excellent building block for the volume.