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Don Quixote of the Mancha: Retold by Judge Parry; Illustrated by Walter Crane
The story of the Spanish knight whose devotion to tales of chivalry leads him and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, into a series of bizarre adventures blends fantasy, comedy, and drama in a way that has gripped the world's imagination for centuries. This edition has been abridged and adapted for children, and enhanced by the delightful illustrations of Walter Crane.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2014
11 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
4,876 books3,546 followersMiguel 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 20, 2023
Master is resting today with injuries and broken bones. Twas a gruesome battle to decimate gigantic evil creatures.
Recovering with lots of TLC. Send us your love and prayers.
Silly me retorted with "What Giants?" when he beckoned me to see yonder thirty or forty hulking giants. What vigilance and bravery!
Physical suffering will not deter our knight-errant. As he proclaims, "The wounds received in battle bestow honor, they do not take it away..."
All ye mischief mongers and tyrants, watch out!
Damsels in distress, worry not, you will be rescued.
#DonQuixote #hero #courage #battle #chivalry #knights #adventures #protector #supportDQ
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This is what a post could look like on Instagram if social media existed in the 17th century. Given that one doesn't require refined language skills or a college degree to be a pro on Insta, our dimwit (apologies to Sancho) would do well in keeping the world informed on latest developments of his master and garner an enviable list of followers. Although Don Quixote (DQ) would remind us of "wit and humor not residing in slow minds."
Would DQ have a fan following or be mocked by netizens for his foolishness? Worse, targeted politically for being inspired by banned books and attacks on religious groups? He could end up in a sanatorium for being delusional or be labeled a heretic or put under house arrest and tortured by being forced to witness the burning of all his favorite knight-errant classics. And his attempts would be futile at educating the ignorant with "no book being so bad...that it does not have something good in it."
It could go either way depending on how content is churned out and the PR machine is influenced.
Would you fellow-Goodreadsers cheer them on?
Maybe you'd post snarky comments on their YouTube videos:
Sancho! Get your ass on your ass. Go home. Take your master and horse. End this madness. Now!
To which you must remember words of wisdom from DQ -
"When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!"
Going by all the wonderful (and well-written) reviews here, I'd say you will be tolerant if not charitable.
What do I think of Don Quixote? He was a good human being, with good intentions.
"The truth may be stretched thin, but it never breaks, and it always surfaces above lies, as oil floats on water."
Pure of heart, chivalrous, ready to defend the fairer sex. He genuinely believed in his fantasies as a result of the knight-errant tales he savoured. He was an avid reader (that's one point on which the GR community should rally for him), ambitious, brave, resilient (he bounced back after all the beatings and discouragements) and passionate. He could be a star on LinkedIn and share his five nuggests of wisdom on how to strive against all odds.
"To dream the impossible dream, that is my quest."
DQ was deeply devoted to his love (Lady Dulcinea was no lady and the love a figment of his imagination) and cause. He spoke respectfully although was prone to losing his cool particularly with his squire and could debate when the need arose.
"It is not the responsibility of knights errant to discover whether the afflicted, the enchained and the oppressed whom they encounter on the road are reduced to these circumstances and suffer this distress for their vices, or for their virtues: the knight's sole responsibility is to succour them as people in need, having eyes only for their sufferings, not for their misdeeds.""
Perhaps if there were disclaimers in those troublesome novels just like the adverts today -Do not attempt at home, special effects and stunt experts used to convey the story, the exploits mentioned do not reflect reality - the Spanish wannabe-hero may have been more prudent before endangering life and limb and causing unintentional mayhem.
Clearly Miguel de Cervantes created a fascinating, immortal character. One that stood the test of time over hundreds of years. The book is written in a simple manner in short chapters. Both Don Quixote and his squire Sancho Panza are incredibly entertaining but what's also noteworthy is their endearing relationship - one of true friendship and loyalty. The other characters appear with interesting stories of their own (I thought of Arabian Nights) but some can get repetitive -it sounded like there was an epidemic of forlorn lovers taking to shepherding and singing and reciting poems of mourning in the wilderness after being rejected by fair maidens whose beauty was known far and wide.
I will not count this legendary book in my Top 5 funniest books list, but there were plenty of scenes that made me chortle (the blanket one in the inn was hilarious), just like some of the characters themselves couldn't suppress their laughter watching DQ's antics. There is a word Quixotic in the dictionary, I suppose added in the English language after the popularity of this literary character. Most global citizens have heard of, if not read about Don Quixote.
I end with another Insta post from Sancho, do please like, share and comment :)
"For neither good nor evil can last for ever; and so it follows that as evil has lasted a long time, good must now be close at hand." - Don Quixote
Another day with Master, Rocinate and Dapple in the country. May God take us to glory. May truth prevail.
#DonQuixote #hero #courage #knight-errant #Spaniard #protector #supportDQ #EradicateEvil
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February 3, 2010
OK, I know this is an all-time classic but I think I should've read it while in high school or college with someone there to elucidate the symbolism for me, because read as a novel it was tiresome and the character of Quixote was too incredulous and ridiculous to capture my interest.
June 14, 2014
What a bore! And this was the condensed version!
July 27, 2015
Painfully boring. A story of two major and several minor static characters. They do a lot of aimless wandering, much physical violence ensues, and nothing actually changes.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews