As a young man, Cervantes studied in Madrid. He went to Italy and joined the miltary where he fought in the sea battle of Lepanto in 1571. He was wounded and lost the use of his left hand. Four years later he was taken prisoner by pirates and spent the next 5 years in Algiers as their prisoner. Returning to Spain in 1580. He published his first book, La Galatea, in 1585 and wrote some plays during the next two years. However, he was forced to take a position with the government civil service in order to make a living. He returned to writing subsequently and published the first part of his masterpiece, Don Quixote de la Mancha, in 1605 and the second part in 1615. He achieved literary success with the book, although he failed to achieve commercial success. Cervantes published a number of plays (of which 16 have survived), a short novel, Persiles y Sigismunda and a collection of short stories, Novelas Ejemplares (1613). Today he is regarded as the most important figure in Spanish literature. |
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