Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616), Spanish dramatist, poet, and author wrote Don Quixote de la Mancha (Part I, 1605; Part II, 1615);

Published when Cervantes was fifty-eight years old, his oft-quoted burlesque of 16th century Spanish society explores the universal themes of human nature "Every man is as Heaven made him, and sometimes a great deal worse." (ibid). Don Quixote exerted a profound influence on European literature--it was published to great success and widely lauded for its satire of existing tales of chivalry and 'mischief';