Miguel de Cervantes
Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), Spanish novelist, poet, and dramatist, creator of Don Quixote. He served as a soldier in Italy and lost the use of his left hand at the battle of Lepanto (1571). He was held prisoner in Algiers for five years, where he worked as slave until he was ransomed by his family in 1580. He began writing in 1585, enjoying his first major success with Don ‘Quixote (1605), the tale of an impoverished gentleman who imagines he is a knight and rides about the country on chivalrous exploits. Cervantes wrote a second part in 1615 and also wrote plays and short stories.
