Don Quixote Deluxe Edition

by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, Edith Grossman (Translator)

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

Published October 25, 1979

About the author

Miguel de Cervantes y Cortinas, later Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His novel Don Quixote is often considered his magnum opus, as well as the first modern novel.

It is assumed that Miguel de Cervantes was born in Alcalá de Henares. His father was Rodrigo de Cervantes, a surgeon of cordoban descent. Little is known of his mother Leonor de Cortinas, except that she was a native of Arganda del Rey.

In 1569, Cervantes moved to Italy, where he served as a valet to Giulio Acquaviva, a wealthy priest who was elevated to cardinal the next year. By then, Cervantes had enlisted as a soldier in a Spanish Navy infantry regiment and continued his military life until 1575, when he was captured by Algerian corsairs. He was then released on ransom from his captors by his parents and the Trinitarians, a Catholic religious order.

He subsequently returned to his family in Madrid.
In Esquivias (Province of Toledo), on 12 December 1584, he married the much younger Catalina de Salazar y Palacios (Toledo, Esquivias –, 31 October 1626), daughter of Fernando de Salazar y Vozmediano and Catalina de Palacios. Her uncle Alonso de Quesada y Salazar is said to have inspired the character of Don Quixote. During the next 20 years Cervantes led a nomadic existence, working as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Armada and as a tax collector. He suffered a bankruptcy and was imprisoned at least twice (1597 and 1602) for irregularities in his accounts. Between 1596 and 1600, he lived primarily in Seville. In 1606, Cervantes settled in Madrid, where he remained for the rest of his life.
Cervantes died in Madrid on April 23, 1616.
-Copied from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Swayze Rainey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally!!! I conquered this classic! I started this hunk of a book in January as part of The Bookshelf’s “Conquer a Classic” series. We read this throughout the year and I’m so glad I did this with a group. Although I wouldn’t say this book was great, it was entertaining and I’m glad I read it! Don Quixote and Sancho were quite the pair. I came to relate their many adventures to SNL skits! The adventures were quirky and characters would pop up at random points! Don Quixote was a chaotic character and I didn’t expect to say this, but I was so sad when he passed at the end! He and Sancho were bros! Not how I expected it to end but was ok with the ending! Conquer a classic 2025 ✅

[Brandon Johansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because I heard that it was brilliant (with raving reviews from Dostoevsky and Nabokov) and that it was, in a way, a piece of history. This book, did not disappoint; I’m leaving it better than when I started it. Its length was a bit intimidating and I would be lying if I said I loved every page or every chapter; at times it was a real slog. However, I’ve never laughed so much while reading a book, and I, unknowingly, began to admire the insane knight of La Mancha and his “simple” squire. This book shocked me with its cultural history and drew me into the insanity. I can’t give it 5 stars but it’s pretty close. I would recommend this book to anyone in love with the art of writing great stories that elevate a reader’s sense of wonder.

[Ginger · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was “my fate and my misfortune” to read Don Quixote with Annie & Hunter from The Bookshelf in Thomasville, GA as we “Conquered a Classic” throughout 2025.

This is not an epic and heroic journey. Instead it’s written in episodic sections, the first one having no relation to the next one, the next one being more insane than the previous one. Just one trouble and misadventure after another – like fighting windmills, or puppets, or lions – but always caused by Don Quixote’s delusions and absurd ideals.

BUT, and here’s the wildest part, IT WAS RELEVANT. In Don Quixote’s misguided ideals and misadventures, I could see current-day politicians, entrepreneurs, pastors, etc. … and, in some weird way, it helped me understand them. At one point, they burn all the books about chivalry hoping it'll cure Don Quixote (spoiler alert: it doesn’t). I looked around at all the modern-day nonsense and thought “there really is nothing new under the sun” and maybe we’ll all be okay. That is the power of art. It can speak to us at any time and any place, if we are willing to listen. It was somehow the perfect Year of Our Lord to pick up this book and process what I was seeing in my news cycle.

In between being a madman, DQ had some beautiful moments of clarity. Here are some of my favorite quotes.

“The madness of the master, without the simplicity of the servant, would not be worth anything.”
“God endures the wicked but not forever.”
“You have leaped from the high peak of your madness into the profound abyss of your foolishness.”
“From which one can deduce that those who govern, even if they are fools, are occasionally guided by God in their judgments.”
“Every day we see new things in the world: deceptions become the truth, and deceivers find themselves deceived.”

[Courtney Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this slowly over 10 months time meant that some months I was laughing out loud and some months I was bored. Don Quixote provokes thoughts about madness, obsession, loyalty, class, poverty, wealth, literary value, and so much more. The writing in places is brilliant. The stories within a story are sometimes confusing, but sometimes delightful. Some of the scenes are certainly slapstick, like watching Monty Python or an improv act. In other words, Don Quixote is a work of contradiction that is great for book club or discussion. I’m glad to have finished it and I won’t be picking it back up anytime soon. Having said that, DQ is an endearing character, like that frustrating friend you love, but can’t quite understand.

[Theresa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't get done quick enough. 1,000 pages of parody is not my cup of tea!

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books ever.

[Kelsey Frizzell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m so proud to have conquered this classic!

[Ellen Harvey · Rating 1 out of 5]

It was like torture getting through this book. The first part was fairly enjoyable. The second part didn't need to be written. Ironically my favourite part of the book were the interpolated stories.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did it.
I read Don Quixote.
The whole damn thing!

I turned the final page of Edith Grossman’s translation, her elegant, faithful, and at times torturous work, and closed the book with something between a sigh and a bow.
1,000+ pages of madness, illusion, satire, repetition, genius, and heartbreak.

Let’s be honest: I didn’t love it.
But I deeply respect it.

This is the book that changed the shape of literature. The first modern novel.
And you can feel it in the scaffolding, the structure, the way Cervantes plays not just with characters, but with you.
There were times I felt like a character in the book myself, watching Quixote tilt at windmills while wondering whether I, too, had lost the plot.

If you like Monty Python humor, you might love it.
(I don’t, and I didn’t.)
But beneath the absurdity lies a tender, devastating core.

The thing is Don Quixote is all of us.

He believes in something the world no longer honors. He holds on, long past reason.
And when the world laughs, mocks, humiliates, and finally breaks him, what remains is something quiet and tragic and achingly human.
And Sancho?
The sidekick who becomes the soul of the novel?
He’s the one who reminds us how to stay grounded even as the dream collapses.

It’s long.
It’s uneven.
It’s brilliant.
It’s a slog.
It’s a mirror.
And I’ll never forget it.

[K Lightman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes so this was fucking perfect and broke and splintered my heart for months sancho you deserve the world, dulcinea ill fucking find you bc don is a bitch, AND DON WHY DID YOU DO THAT GOD DOES NOT CARE HE WANTS YOU TO PLAY FOR LONGER WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND AND (lover?) SANCHOOOOOOOO WHYYYYYYYYYYY

[Susan D'Entremont · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this as part of a yearlong readalong. I would not have gotten through it without the group. The first section is rather meandering and random, but the story and writing gets a lot better as it moves along. I am thankful that we have editors nowadays! I am happy I read it because this book is referenced in so many things in contemporary life.

The section of Don Quixote and the windmills is extremely short and not very important in the story. It is at the beginning of the book, though, so maybe there are a lot of references to it so people can show that they read Don Quixote without really reading it, ha, ha.

We think we are so innovative introducing the fourth wall in our writing, TV, and movies, but Cervantes did it centuries ago in this book! That was a lot of fun.

The translation is excellent. There is a brief essay about the translator at the end of the book that I recommend readers start with.

Thanks, Annie and Hunter at Conquer a Classic. You made reading this book a lot of fun, and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

[Jennifer Cowan · Rating 4 out of 5]

992 pages....I conquered a classic! Thanks to Annie and Hunter and The Bookshelf I would have never read Don Quixote. But the mix of it broken down over 10 months and monthly podcasts kept me accountable.

Did I love this book....NO. Am I glad I read it....YES. Overall it was an enjoyable read and I easily followed the story (even though it was very repetitive). My take aways....Don Quixote is crazy, Sancho is the best friend anyone could have and Don Quixote would do anything for Dulcinea (even though she was a figment of his imagination). Overall there were many lessons in all the vignettes, I will not forget this book for a long time.

[Charlotte Hagen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely massive book both physically and metaphorically in the impact it had on novel writing. I really adored how meta the humor and subject of (particularly the second) book came across and paid off. Because this was written in the midst of the Spanish Inquisition and Spain's Imperial conquests, there's also lots of racism within the book. In the future, I'm hoping to read how postcolonial movements in theory have addressed this within one of the most famous books in history. But it's definitely worth a look at some of the episodes.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐

Bucket list read checked off. This was a beast of a read. (I'm currently reading 2 books over 900 pages at the same time). The 1st part was entertaining but the 2nd half was a bit of a chore to get through. There's a reason this story is still so popular after 400 years - it just wasn't for me.

[Viraj Chegu · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a 7.5/10. The translation was excellent and the story is historic, funny, and entertaining. The only problem is that I felt that there was a bit too much filler, and that it didn't need to be 900+ pages. It is a dense read that will take some time to finish imo.

[Colin Chambers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great characters that will live long in the memory. Very readable and could even be a classic bedtime story ( the translation is beautifully unfussy and clear).

[Ginath13]

I have a hard time rating classics. Some days I enjoyed this, some days I didn't but I'm glad I got through it!

[Khadija · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quixote is probably the first modern European novel, and a foundational example of metafiction. Like many readers, I began thinking it was hilarious, and then was embarassed

[James Best · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was nearly a thousand pages but could stand to be substantially shorter. I started reading it back in college, but never finished it until now and I can see why I put it down all those years ago. If you were hoping to read about the Man of La Mancha himself, it’s hard not to be frustrated with the many, many tangents the book goes on. I was rolling my eyes every time some lovesick young man or beautiful woman came into the story because it meant the main plot was going to get sidelined for the next several chapters.

Complaints of frequent diversions aside, which Cervantes himself seemed annoyingly aware of, I still liked the book. Quixote and his squire, Sancho Panza, make for an interesting (and even somewhat relatable pair). The adventures on which they embark are sometimes comic, sometimes inspiring, sometimes regrettable, sometimes frustrating, but always entertaining. At the end of it all, however, when Don Quixote finally overcomes his “madness”, it comes off not as a triumph, but as a tragedy. It marks the end not only of his adventures, but his entire life as well. “Madness” his actions may have been, but there was a profound sense of loss when he totally renounced them, leaving the story with an overarching sense of melancholy that left me somewhat depressed. It’s always so reassuring for a story to end on promises of future adventures or at least some fond retrospection. But for Don Quixote to die so utterly and completely, renouncing everything to do with the chivalric quest we followed him on, is more grievous a wound than any he sustained in his travels.