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Miguel de Cervantes: Biography, Books & Where to Start

1547–1616 · Alcalá de Henares, Spain · also known as Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes booksMiguel de Cervantes biographyDon QuixoteExemplary NovelsCervantesMiguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Who was Miguel de Cervantes?

Miguel de Cervantes lived a life as dramatic as his fiction. He was badly wounded at the naval Battle of Lepanto (1571), losing the use of his left hand; captured by Barbary pirates, he spent five years as a captive in Algiers and tried to escape four times. Back in Spain he worked as a tax collector and was jailed more than once. In his late fifties he published Don Quixote (Part One 1605, Part Two 1615) — the tale of a country gentleman who reads so many romances of chivalry that he rides out as a knight with his squire Sancho Panza. Often called the first modern novel, it is one of the best-selling books ever written. Spanish is called “la lengua de Cervantes.”

Where to start

Read Don Quixote in two stages: Part One (1605) is episodic and comic; Part Two (1615) is deeper, as the characters learn they are famous from Part One. His Exemplary Novels are short and a good second step.

Miguel de Cervantes’s books, in order

  1. Don Quixote (1605) — Part One 1605, Part Two 1615. Read free →
  2. Exemplary Novels (1613)
    Free at: Project Gutenberg · Standard Ebooks · LibriVox · Wikisource · Internet Archive · Open Library Find a free edition →

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More Spanish authors

Lope de Vega · Pedro Calderón de la Barca · Benito Pérez Galdós · Emilia Pardo Bazán · Vicente Blasco Ibáñez · Miguel de Unamuno · Federico García Lorca · Camilo José Cela

Frequently asked questions

Who was Miguel de Cervantes?

Miguel de Cervantes lived a life as dramatic as his fiction. He was badly wounded at the naval Battle of Lepanto (1571), losing the use of his left hand; captured by Barbary pirates, he spent five years as a captive in Algiers and tried to escape four times.

What is Miguel de Cervantes’s most famous book?

Don Quixote is usually considered Miguel de Cervantes’s best-known work, followed by Exemplary Novels.

Which Miguel de Cervantes book should I read first?

Read Don Quixote in two stages: Part One (1605) is episodic and comic; Part Two (1615) is deeper, as the characters learn they are famous from Part One. His Exemplary Novels are short and a good second step.

Is it Miguel de Cervantes or Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra?

Both refer to the same writer. Other spellings and names include Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.

Can I read Miguel de Cervantes’s books free online?

Yes — 1 of Miguel de Cervantes’s books are free to read online in Pagine, the free e-reader and reading tracker.

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