A masterpiece of Spanish and world literature that criticises the chivalric and courtly environment of its time and created the modern and polyphonic novel.
“El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha” (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of la Mancha) is a masterpiece of universal literature written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, and published in two parts in 1605 and 1615. The author's aim was didactic, as he satirised the world of chivalry and court life through explicit criticism of novels of chivalry, which enjoyed enormous popularity at the time.
The novel tells the story of the hidalgo Don Quixote, who goes mad by reading chivalrous literature, and decides to leave his village in search of adventures like those of his literary heroes with the noble aim of "resolving injuries, writing wrongs and protecting damsels".
Among the merits of the work are the creation of a modern polyphonic novel. It has become one of the most influential works in history and the most translated Spanish work of all time.
