Book - 24, Don Quixote

Don Quixote (1605, 1615)

by

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Book Read: 27 July - 21 August 2015

Note Written: 25 August 2015

'Don Quixote' was one of those books which I always dreamt of reading the full version- and I finally got to it. The edition which I read (Penguin Classics) is 941 pages long, it took me three weeks to complete reading it (during commute and in office free-time), but what an adventure it turned out to be! 'Don Quixote' could easily be called the greatest work of literature in the world. I say this mainly because most literary epics say the story within an leave it at that- but Cervantes, through Don Quixote critiques himself and his own creation, the novel itself, through his characters. And to do this at that period of time (500 years ago)- incredible indeed. The novel (both parts) contain sonnets, poems, and long stories within the narrative, supplementing the adventure saga of the Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote de La Mancha, Knight of the Sad Countenance, Knight of the Lions and Sancho Panza, his most trusted squire. The poems and the sonnets were a little difficult for my non-poetry-trained mind to comprehend, but I managed to read the whole thing through.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza are one of my favourite literary and cinematic duos now. The chemistry between them is fun. They give us laughs, insights, sadness, bravery, courage and much more through their adventure. Sancho inspired me with his wisdom as shown in the second part of the book when he becomes the Governor of Bartaria for some time, and even after he had to reject the position. Since the novel is written in the 16th Century, the wireframe of the characterizations is according to the era he lived in, and some things could be objectionable to readers of a modern world- examples are his portrayal of women, non-Christians etc. I think this can be forgiven owing to the era he lived in and I frankly think he was a liberal of the times. 

The visual imagery in 'Don Quixote' is so strong that you travel according to the story in your mind and form your own world for the story and its events. While reading the novel I had a strong urge to make a movie out of it, when I have ample resources and experience for it. 

I understand that the first part of the novel was published in 1605 and when it became a success, another author attempted a second part of the novel and challenged Cervantes. He gave an apt reply to the challenger by coming up with a second half himself in 1615 which was not only superior to the other author's work, but even to his own first part of Don Quixote. Genius work it is. Nothing I have read yet has come close to the magnanimity and brilliance of Cervantes's Don Quixote de La Mancha. Right from when I started getting addicted to the brilliance of the novel, I felt an urge to translate Don Quixote completely into Malayalam, my mother tongue, even if it takes me years. Someone else has already translated the novel, but I think I should give it a try myself, as a tribute to the genius of Cervantes and his valiant creation, Don Quixote, the novel and the character.