Cervantes brief biography dates. All books by miguel Cervantes

29.06.2019

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Miguel de Servantes Saavedra(Spanish Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra; September 29, 1547, Alcala de Henares, Castile - April 23, 1616, Madrid) - world famous Spanish writer and soldier.
Born in Alcala de Henares (Prov. Madrid). His father, Hidalgo Rodrigo de Cervantes (the origin of Cervantes' second surname - "Saavedra", which is on the titles of his books, is not established), was a modest surgeon, a nobleman by blood, his mother - Dona Leonor de Cortina; their large family constantly lived in poverty, which did not leave the future writer throughout his sorrowful life. Very little is known about the early stages of his life. Since the 1970s. in Spain, a version about the Jewish origin of Cervantes is widespread, which influenced his work, probably his mother, descended from a family of baptized Jews.
The Cervantes family often moved from city to city, so the future writer could not receive a formal education. In 1566-1569, Miguel studied at the Madrid city school with the famous humanist grammar Juan Lopez de Hoyos, a follower of Erasmus of Rotterdam.
In literature, Miguel made his debut with four poems published in Madrid under the patronage of his teacher Lopez de Hoyos.
In 1569, after a street skirmish that ended with the injury of one of its participants, Cervantes fled to Italy, where he served in Rome in the retinue of Cardinal Aquaviva, and then enlisted as a soldier. On October 7, 1571, he took part in the naval battle of Lepanto, was wounded in the forearm (his left hand remained inactive for life).
Miguel Cervantes took part in military campaigns in Italy (he was in Naples), Navarino (1572), Portugal, and also carried out service trips to Oran (1580s); served in Seville. He also took part in a number of sea expeditions, including to Tunisia. In 1575, carrying a letter of recommendation (lost by Miguel during his capture) from Juan of Austria, commander-in-chief of the Spanish army in Italy, sailed from Italy to Spain. The galley carrying Cervantes and his younger brother Rodrigo was attacked by Algerian pirates. He spent five years in captivity. He tried to escape four times, but each time he failed, only by a miracle he was not executed, in captivity he was subjected to various tortures. In the end, he was ransomed from captivity by the monks of the Holy Trinity and returned to Madrid.
In 1585 he married Catalina de Salazar and published the pastoral novel La Galatea. At the same time, his plays are being staged in Madrid theaters, which, unfortunately, have not survived to this day. From the early dramatic experiments of Cervantes, the tragedy "Numancia" and the "comedy" "Algerian customs" have survived.
Two years later, he moved from the capital to Andalusia, where for ten years he served first as a supplier of the Great Armada, and then as a tax collector. For a financial shortage in 1597 (In 1597 he was imprisoned in a Seville prison for seven months on charges of embezzling state money (the bank in which Cervantes kept the collected taxes collapsed) was imprisoned in a Seville prison, where he began to write a novel " Cunning hidalgo Don Quixote de La Mancha "(" Del ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de La Mancha ").

In 1605 he was released, and in the same year the first part of Don Quixote was published, which immediately became incredibly popular.
In 1607, Cervantes came to Madrid, where he spent the last nine years of his life. In 1613 he published the collection Novelas ejemplares, and in 1615 the second part of Don Quixote. In 1614, at the height of Cervantes' work on it, a fake continuation of the novel appeared, penned by an anonymous writer hiding under the pseudonym "Alonso Fernandez de Avellaneda." The Prologue to "Pseudo Quixote" contained rude attacks against Cervantes personally, and its content showed a complete lack of understanding by the author (or authors?) Of the forgery of the entire complexity of the original concept. The "False Quixote" contains a number of episodes that coincide in plot with episodes from the second part of Cervantes' novel. The researchers' dispute over the priority of Cervantes or the anonymous author cannot be resolved conclusively. Most likely, Miguel Cervantes specifically included in the second part of Don Quixote revised episodes from Avellaneda's work to once again demonstrate his ability to turn artistically insignificant texts into art (similar to his treatment of chivalrous epics).
“The second part of the ingenious caballero of Don Quixote of La Mancha” was published in 1615 in Madrid in the same printing house as Don Quixote of the 1605 edition. For the first time, both parts of Don Quixote were published under the same cover in 1637.
His last book "The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda" ("Los trabajos de Persiles y Sigismunda"), a love-adventure novel in the style of the antique novel "Ethiopica" Cervantes finished just three days before his death, which followed on April 23, 1616; this book was published by the widow of the writer in 1617.
A few days before his death, he was tonsured a monk. His grave remained lost for a long time, since there was not even an inscription on his tomb (in one of the churches). A monument to him was erected in Madrid only in 1835; on the pedestal there is a Latin inscription: "To Michael Cervantes Saavedre, king of the Spanish poets." A crater on Mercury is named after Cervantes.
According to the latest data, the first Russian translator of Cervantes is NI Oznobishin, who translated the novel "Cornelia" in 1761.

Miguel de Servantes Saavedra(Spanish. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ; presumably September 29, Alcala de Henares - April 22, Madrid) - world famous Spanish writer. First of all, he is known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha".

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Biography

early years

Miguel Cervantes was born into a family of impoverished nobles in the town of Alcala de Henares. His father, Hidalgo Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a modest physician, his mother, Doña Leonor de Cortina, was the daughter of a nobleman who had lost his fortune. Their family had seven children, Miguel was the fourth child [ ]. Very little is known about Cervantes' early life. The date of his birth is September 29, 1547 (the day of the Archangel Michael). This date is set approximately on the basis of the records of the church book and the then tradition of giving a child a name in honor of a saint whose holiday falls on a birthday. It is known for certain that Cervantes was baptized on October 9, 1547 in the church of Santa Maria la Mayor in Alcala de Henares.

Some biographers claim that Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca, but there is no convincing evidence for this version. There is also an unconfirmed version that he studied with the Jesuits in Cordoba or Seville.

According to Abraham Chaim, president of the Sephardic community of Jerusalem, Cervantes's mother came from a family of baptized Jews. Cervantes's father was from the nobility, but in his hometown Alcala de Henares is the home of his ancestors, which is located in the center of the Hudéria, that is, the Jewish quarter. The house of Cervantes is located in the former Jewish part of the city [ ] .

Writer's activities in Italy

The reasons that prompted Cervantes to leave Castile remain unknown. Whether he was a student, or fled from justice, or escaped a royal arrest warrant for wounded Antonio de Sigura in a duel, is another mystery in his life. In any case, having left for Italy, he did what other young Spaniards did for their careers in one way or another. Rome opened its church rituals and grandeur to the young writer. In a city teeming with ancient ruins, Cervantes discovered ancient art, and also concentrated his attention on Renaissance art, architecture and poetry (knowledge of Italian literature can be traced in his works). He was able to find in the achievements of the ancient world a powerful impetus to the revival of art. Thus, the enduring love for Italy that is visible in his later works was in a way a desire to return to the early Renaissance period.

Military career and the Battle of Lepanto

There is another, unlikely, version of the loss of a hand. Due to the poverty of his parents, Cervantes received a meager education and, unable to find a livelihood, was forced to steal. Allegedly, it was for theft that he was deprived of his hand, after which he had to leave for Italy. However, this version does not inspire confidence - if only because the thieves at that time were no longer chopped off their hands, as they were sent to the galleys, where both hands were required.

The Duke de Sesse, presumably in 1575, gave Miguel letters of recommendation (lost by Miguel during his captivity) for the king and ministers, as he reported in his testimony of July 25, 1578. He also asked the king for mercy and assistance to the brave soldier.

In Algerian captivity

In September 1575, Miguel Cervantes with his brother Rodrigo was returning from Naples to Barcelona aboard the galley "Sun" (la Galera del Sol). On the morning of September 26, on the way to the Catalan coast, the galley was attacked by Algerian corsairs. The attackers were resisted, as a result of which many members of the "Sun" team were killed, and the rest were captured and taken to Algeria. : 236 The letters of recommendation found at Cervantes' entailed an increase in the amount of the required ransom. In Algerian captivity, Cervantes spent 5 years (-), tried to escape four times and only miraculously was not executed. In captivity, he was often subjected to various tortures.

Father Rodrigo de Cervantes, according to his petition of March 17, 1578, indicated that his son "was captured in the gallery" The sun“Under the command of Carrillo de Quesada,” and that he “was wounded by two arquebus shots in the chest, and injured in his left arm, which he could not use”. The father did not have the funds to ransom Miguel due to the fact that he had previously ransomed his other son, Rodrigo, who was also on that ship, from captivity. Mateo de Santisteban, a witness to this petition, noted that he had known Miguel for eight years and met him when he was 22 or 23 years old, on the day of the Battle of Lepanto. He also testified that Miguel “ on the day of the battle he was ill and had a fever”, And he was advised to stay in bed, but he decided to take part in the battle. For his distinction in battle, the captain presented him with four ducats over and above his usual pay.

The news (in the form of letters) about Miguel's stay in Algerian captivity was delivered by the soldier Gabriel de Castaneda, a resident of the Carriedo mountain valley from the village of Salazar. According to his information, Miguel was in captivity for about two years (that is, since 1575) with a Greek converted to Islam, captain Arnautriomas.

In the petition of Miguel's mother in 1580, it was reported that she asked " give permission to export 2,000 ducats in the form of goods from the kingdom of Valencia»For the ransom of her son.

Service in Seville

In Seville, he was engaged in the affairs of the Spanish fleet on the orders of Antonio de Guevara.

Intention to go to America

Miguel de Cervantes. Instructive novellas. Translated from Spanish by B. Krzhevsky. Moscow. Publishing house "Khudozhestvennaya literatura". 1983

Personal life

Heritage

The monument to Cervantes was erected in Madrid only in 1835 (sculptor Antonio Sola); on the pedestal there are two inscriptions in Latin and Spanish: “Miguel de Cervantes Saavedre, king of Spanish poets, year M.D.CCC.XXXV”.

Cervantes' world significance rests mainly on his novel Don Quixote, a complete, comprehensive expression of his diverse genius. Conceived as a satire on the knightly novels that flooded all literature at that time, as the author definitely states in the Prologue, this work gradually, perhaps even independently of the author's will, turned into a deep psychological analysis of human nature, two sides of mental activity - noble, but crushed by the reality of idealism and realistic practicality.

Both of these sides found themselves brilliantly manifested in the immortal types of the hero of the novel and his squire; in their sharp opposition, they - and this is the deep psychological truth - constitute, however, one person; only the fusion of these two essential aspects of the human spirit constitutes a harmonious whole. Don Quixote is ridiculous, his adventures depicted with a brilliant brush - if you do not ponder over their inner meaning - cause irrepressible laughter; but it is soon replaced in the thinking and feeling reader by another laugh, "laughter through tears," which is an essential and inalienable condition for every great humorous creation.

In Cervantes' novel, in the fate of his hero, it was the world irony that was reflected in a high ethical form. One of the best expressions of this irony is the beatings and all kinds of other insults to which the knight is subjected - with a certain anti-artistic character of them in the literary sense. Turgenev noted another very important moment in the novel - the death of his hero: at that moment all the great meaning of this person becomes available to everyone. When his former squire, wishing to console him, tells him that they will soon go on knightly adventures, "No," the dying man replies, "all this is forever gone, and I ask everyone for forgiveness."

Russian translations

The first Russian translator of Cervantes, according to the latest data, is N. I. Oznobishin, who translated the novel "Cornelia" in 1761.

Memory

In honor of the heroine of Cervantes's short story "The Gypsy" is named the asteroid (529) Preziosa, discovered in 1904 (according to another version, it was named after the play by Pius Alexander Wolf, written in 1810).
The asteroids (571) Dulcinea (discovered in 1905) and (3552) Don Quixote (opened in 1983) are named in honor of the heroine and hero of the novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha".
In 1965, Salvador Dali made the series Five Immortal Spaniards, which included Cervantes, El Cid, El Greco, Velazquez and Don Quixote.
In 1966, a postage stamp of the USSR was issued, dedicated to Cervantes.
In 1976, a crater was named in honor of Cervantes Cervantes on Mercury.
On September 18, 2005, in honor of Cervantes, the asteroid discovered on February 2, 1992 by E. V. Elst at the European Southern Observatory was named "79144 Cervantes".
Plaza de España in Madrid is decorated with a sculptural composition, the central figure of which is Cervantes and his most famous heroes.
The monument to Miguel Cervantes was erected in Moscow in the Friendship Park.
An Argentine destroyer of the Churruka class is named in honor of Cervantes.
A monument to Cervantes was erected in the Spanish city of Toledo.
A monument to Cervantes was erected in the city of Seville.
The monument to Cervantes was erected in the Greek city of Nafpaktos (formerly Lepanto).
A street in the Sosenskoye settlement of the Novomoskovsk administrative district of Moscow is named after Cervantes.

Miguel was born on September 29, 1547 in a ruined noble family, in the Spanish town of Alcala de Henares. There is no reliable information about the writer's childhood and adolescence.

At the age of 23, Cervantes joined the Spanish Marine Regiment. During one of the battles he was seriously wounded: a bullet pierced the forearm of a young soldier, permanently immobilizing his left arm.

Having restored his health in the hospital, Miguel returned to work. He had the opportunity to participate in sea expeditions and visit many overseas countries. During another voyage in 1575, he was captured by the Algerian pirates, who demanded a large ransom for him. Cervantes spent five years in captivity, making several attempts to escape. However, each time the fugitive was caught and severely punished.

The long-awaited release came with the Christian missionaries, and Miguel returned to the service.

Creation

Cervantes realized his true vocation at a fairly mature age. His first novel, Galatea, was written in 1585. Like several dramatic plays that followed him, he was unsuccessful.

However, even in the most difficult times, when the money earned was barely enough to feed, Miguel did not stop writing, drawing inspiration from his wandering life.

The muse took pity on the persistent writer only in 1604, when he wrote the first part of his imperishable novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha". The book immediately aroused keen interest among readers not only in their native Spain, but also in other countries.

Unfortunately, the publication of the novel did not bring the long-awaited financial stability to Cervantes, but he did not give up. Soon he published a sequel to the "heroic" exploits of the hidalgo, as well as several other works.

Personal life

Miguel's wife was the noblewoman Catalina Palacios de Salazar. According to a short biography of Cervantes, this marriage was childless, but the writer had one illegitimate daughter, whom he recognized - Isabella de Cervantes.

Death

While serving in the Marine Corps, Cervantes established himself as a brave soldier. He took part in battles even during a strong fever, not wanting to let down his comrades and lie down on the deck of the ship.
Unfortunately for Miguel, during his capture, a letter of recommendation was found in his possession, which is why the Algerian pirates decided that they had gotten an influential person. As a result, the ransom amount was increased several times, and the writer's widowed mother had to sell all her modest property in order to free her son from captivity.
Cervantes' first fee was three silver spoons, which he received in a poetry competition.
At the end of his life, Miguel de Cervantes completely revised his position in life, and literally a few days before his death he cut his hair as a monk.
For a long time, no one knew the exact burial place of the outstanding Spanish writer. Only in 2015, archaeologists managed to find his remains, which were solemnly reburied in Madrid's Holy Trinity Cathedral.

early years

Church where Cervantes was baptized, Alcala de Henares

Miguel Cervantes was born into a family of impoverished nobles in the town of Alcala de Henares. His father, Hidalgo Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a modest physician, his mother, Doña Leonor de Cortina, was the daughter of a nobleman who had lost his fortune. Their family had seven children, Miguel was the fourth child. Very little is known about Cervantes' early life. The date of his birth is September 29, 1547 (the day of the Archangel Michael). This date is set approximately on the basis of the records of the church book and the then tradition of giving a child a name in honor of a saint whose holiday falls on a birthday. It is known for certain that Cervantes was baptized on October 9, 1547 in the church of Santa Maria la Mayor in Alcala de Henares.

Writer's activities in Italy

The reasons that prompted Cervantes to leave Castile remain unknown. Whether he was a student, or escaped justice, or escaped a royal arrest warrant for wounded Antonio de Sigura in a duel, is another mystery in his life. In any case, having left for Italy, he did what other young Spaniards did for their careers in one way or another. Rome opened its church rituals and grandeur to the young writer. In a city teeming with ancient ruins, Cervantes discovered ancient art, and also focused on Renaissance art, architecture and poetry (knowledge of Italian literature can be traced in his works). He was able to find in the achievements of the ancient world a powerful impetus to the revival of art. Thus, the enduring love for Italy that is visible in his later works was in a way a desire to return to the early Renaissance period.

Military career and the Battle of Lepanto

By 1570, Cervantes was enlisted as a soldier in the Spanish Marine Regiment located in Naples. He stayed there for about a year before starting active service. In September 1571, Cervantes sailed aboard the Marquis, part of the Holy League galley fleet, which defeated the Ottoman flotilla on October 7 at the Battle of Lepanto in the Gulf of Patras. Despite the fact that Cervantes was sick with a fever that day, he refused to stay in bed and asked to fight. According to eyewitnesses, he said: "I prefer, even being sick and in the heat, to fight, as befits a good soldier ... and not hide under the protection of the deck." He fought bravely aboard the ship and received three gunshot wounds - two in the chest and one in the forearm. The last wound rendered his left arm mobile. In his poem "Journey to Parnassus" he had to say that he "lost the functionality of his left hand for the sake of the glory of his right" (he thought about the success of the first part of Don Quixote). Cervantes always remembered with pride his participation in this battle: he believed that he had taken part in an event that would determine the course of European history.

After the Battle of Lepanto, Miguel Cervantes remained in the hospital for 6 months until his wounds healed enough for him to continue serving. From 1572 to 1575, he continued his service, being mainly in Naples. In addition, he participated in expeditions to Corfu and Navarino, witnessed the capture of Tunis and La Guletta by the Turks in 1574. In addition, Cervantes was in Portugal and also made service trips to Oran (1580s); served in Seville.

In Algerian captivity

In September 1575, Miguel Cervantes with his brother Rodrigo was returning from Naples to Barcelona aboard the galley "Sun" (la Galera del Sol). On the morning of September 26, on the way to the Catalan coast, the galley was attacked by Algerian corsairs. The attackers were resisted, as a result of which many members of the "Sun" team were killed, and the rest were captured and taken to Algeria. The letters of recommendation found at Cervantes' entailed an increase in the amount of the required ransom. In Algerian captivity, Cervantes spent 5 years (1575-1580), tried to escape four times and only miraculously was not executed. In captivity, he was often subjected to various tortures.

Father Rodrigo de Cervantes, according to his petition of March 17, 1578, indicated that his son "was captured in the gallery Sun, under the command of Carrillo de Quesada", and that he "received two wounds from the arquebus in the chest, and was injured in his left hand, which he cannot use. " The father did not have the funds to ransom Miguel due to the fact that he had previously ransomed his other son, Rodrigo, who was also on that ship, from captivity. Mateo de Santisteban, a witness to this petition, noted that he had known Miguel for eight years and met him when he was 22 or 23 years old, on the day of the Battle of Lepanto. He also testified that Miguel "was ill and had a fever on the day of the battle," and he was advised to stay in bed, but he decided to take part in the battle. For his distinction in battle, the captain presented him with four ducats over and above his usual pay.

In a petition from 1580, Miguel's mother stated that she had requested "permission to export 2,000 ducats in the form of goods from the Kingdom of Valencia" to ransom her son.

On October 10, 1580, a notarial deed was drawn up in Algeria in the presence of Miguel Cervantes and 11 witnesses in order to redeem him from captivity. On October 22, a monk from the Order of the Holy Trinity (Trinitarian) Juan Gil "Liberator of Captives" made a report on the basis of this notarial deed confirming Cervantes' merits before the king.

Service in Portugal

After his release from captivity, Miguel served with his brother in Portugal, as well as with the Marquis de Santa Cruz.

Trip to Oran

By order of the king, Miguel made a trip to Oran in the 1590s.

Service in Seville

In Seville, he was engaged in the affairs of the Spanish fleet on the orders of Antonio de Guevara.

Intention to go to America

On May 21, 1590, in Madrid, Miguel submits a petition to the Council of India for a vacancy in the American colonies, in particular in the "Audit Office of the New Kingdom of Granada or the Governorate of the Province of Sokonusco in Guatemala, or the Bookkeeper in the Galleys of Cartagena, or the Corregidor of the city of La Paz" , and all because he still has not been shown favors for his long (22 years) service to the Crown. On June 6, 1590, the President of the Council of the Indies left a note on the petition that the applicant "deserves to be given some kind of service, and he can be trusted."

Cervantes about myself

In the prologue of the Instructive Novels in 1613, Miguel de Cervantes wrote:

Under the portrait, my friend could write: “The man you see here, with an oval face, brown hair, an open and large forehead, cheerful eyes and a humped, albeit regular nose; with a silver beard, which was still golden twenty years ago; long mustache, small mouth; with teeth that are not very rare, but also not thick, because he has only six of them, and, moreover, very unprepossessing and poorly spaced, because there is no correspondence between them; ordinary growth - neither large nor small; with a good complexion, rather light than dark; slightly stooped and heavy on his feet, he is the author of Galatea and Don Quixote of La Mancha, who, in imitation of Cesare Caporali of Perugia, composed Journey to Parnassus and other works that go from hand to hand distorted, and sometimes without the name of the author. His name is colloquially Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. He served as a soldier for more than one year and spent five and a half years in captivity, where he managed to learn to patiently endure misfortunes. In the naval battle of Lepanto, a shot from an arquebus injured his hand, and although this injury seems otherwise ugly, it is beautiful in his eyes, for he received it in one of the most famous battles that were known in the past centuries and which can happen in the future, fighting under the victorious banners of the son of the "Thunderstorm of Wars" - the blessed memory of Charles the Fifth. "

Miguel de Cervantes. Instructive novellas. Translated from Spanish by B. Krzhevsky. Moscow. Publishing house "Khudozhestvennaya literatura". 1983

Personal life

On December 12, 1584, Miguel Cervantes married a nineteen-year-old noblewoman of the city of Eskivias, Catalina Palacios de Salazar, from whom he inherited a small dowry. He had one illegitimate daughter, Isabel de Cervantes.

Character

The best biographer of Cervantes, Shal, characterized him as follows: “The poet, windy and dreamy, lacked worldly skill, and he did not benefit from either his military campaigns or from his works. It was an unselfish soul, incapable of gaining fame for itself or counting on success, alternately charmed or indignant, irresistibly surrendering to all its impulses ... He was seen naively in love with everything beautiful, generous and noble, indulging in romantic dreams or love dreams, ardent on the battlefield, then immersed in deep thought, then carefreely cheerful ... He emerges from the analysis of his life with honor, full of magnanimous and noble activity, an amazing and naive prophet, heroic in his misfortunes and kind in his genius. "

Literary activity

Miguel's literary career began quite late, when he was 38 years old. The first work, the pastoral novel Galatea (1585), was followed by a large number of dramatic plays with little success.

To get his daily bread, the future author of Don Quixote enters the quartermaster service; he is assigned to buy provisions for the "Invincible Armada", then appointed as a collector of arrears. In the performance of these duties, he suffers great setbacks. Having entrusted the state money to one banker who escaped with them, Cervantes was imprisoned in 1597 on charges of embezzlement. Five years later, he was destined to be imprisoned again on charges of financial abuse. His life in those years was a whole chain of severe hardships, hardships and calamities.

In the midst of all this, he does not stop his writing as long as he does not publish anything. The wanderings prepare the material for his future work, serving as a vehicle for the study of Spanish life in its various manifestations.

From 1598 to 1603 there is almost no news of Cervantes' life. In 1603 he appears in Valladolid, where he is engaged in small private affairs, giving him meager earnings, and in 1604 the first part of the novel "The Dodgy Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" was published, which had tremendous success in Spain (in a few weeks the 1st publication and 4 others in the same year) and abroad (translations into many languages). However, she did not improve the material position of the author, but only strengthened the hostile attitude towards him, expressed in ridicule, slander, and persecution.

From that time until his death, Cervantes's literary activity did not stop: in the interval between 1604 and 1616, the second part of Don Quixote appeared, all the novellas, many dramatic works, the poem Journey to Parnassus, and the novel was written after the author's death. Persiles and Sikhismunda ".

Almost on his deathbed, Cervantes did not stop working; a few days before his death, he was tonsured a monk. On April 22, 1616, life ended (he died of dropsy), which the bearer himself in his philosophical humor called "long imprudence" and, leaving which, he "carried a stone on his shoulders with an inscription that read the destruction of his hopes." However, according to the customs of that time, the date of his burial was recorded as the date of his death - April 23rd. Because of this, it is sometimes said that the date of death of Cervantes coincides with the date of death of another great writer - William Shakespeare, in fact, Cervantes died 11 days earlier (since, at that time, the Gregorian calendar was in effect in Spain, and in England - the Julian calendar). April 23, 1616 is sometimes considered the end of the Renaissance.

Heritage

Cervantes died in Madrid, where he moved from Valladolid shortly before his death. The irony of fate pursued the great humorist behind the grave: his grave remained lost, since there was not even an inscription on his tomb (in one of the churches). The remains of the writer were discovered and identified only in March 2015 in one of the crypts in the Monastery de las Trinitarias. In June of the same year, they were reburied.

Miguel de Cervantes is a famous Spanish writer of the 16th century. The most popular is his novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha", which had a tremendous influence on the development of all world literature.

Miguel de Cervantes: biography. early years

The future writer came from an impoverished noble family who lived in Alcala de Henares. His father was a simple doctor, his name was Hidalgo Rodrigo. Mother, Leonora de Cortina, was the daughter of a nobleman who squandered his entire fortune. In addition to Miguel, the family had six children, the writer himself was born the fourth.

It is officially considered the date of birth of Cervantes on September 29, 1547. Since there is very little information about this period of his life, the day was calculated according to the church calendar - there was a tradition to give children names in honor of the saints, whose holiday coincided with the time of the child's birth. And on September 29, the day of the Archangel Michael was celebrated. The Spanish version of the name is Miguel.

There are several assumptions about the formation of Cervantes. Some historians are sure that he graduated from the University of Salamanca. Others say that the writer was trained by the Jesuits in Seville or Cordoba. Both versions have the right to exist, since no evidence has survived.

It is known for certain that Cervantes left his hometown and moved to Madrid. But the reasons for this act are unclear. Perhaps he decided to pursue his career, since he could not have succeeded in his homeland.

Military career

The biography of Cervantes is quite variable, since the writer lived a very long time, and before he gained fame, no one was interested in his life and did not document the events.

Cervantes settled in Madrid. It was in this city that the young man was noticed by Cardinal Aquaviva, who invited Miguel to go to his service. The future writer agreed, and soon found himself in Rome, where he stayed for several years. Then he left the church service and joined the Spanish army, going to war with the Turks.

Cervantes took part in the Battle of Lepanto, where he fought bravely and lost his hand. He always spoke of his injury with pride. Later, the author wrote that the best warriors are those who come to the battlefield from the classroom. In his opinion, no one fights as bravely as pundits.

The injury was not the reason for his resignation. As soon as the wounds healed, Cervantes went to fight again. He came under the command of Marcantonius Colonna and took part in the assault on Navarino. Then he served in the Spanish squadron and in the garrisons of Naples and Sicily.

In 1575, the writer decides to return to Spain. But on the way, his ship is captured by pirates. And Cervantes ends up in Algeria, where he spends 5 years in slavery. During this time, he tried to escape several times and gained incredible respect from his fellow prisoners.

Liberation

The biography of Cervantes gives an idea of him as a courageous man who had many trials. Later, these moments will be reflected in his works - both a description of war and slavery.

Miguel was rescued from captivity by her mother, who, being a widow, gave all her fortune to ransom her son from captivity. And in 1580 the future writer returned to his homeland. But his financial situation deteriorated. He had no savings or parental capital. This forced Cervantes to return to military service. He took part in a campaign to Lisbon, then went with an expedition to conquer the Azov Islands. He never gave up and it was impossible to break him.

First piece

Cervantes' biography is full of trials and dangers. Despite his active lifestyle, he managed to find time to write even in the dungeons of Algeria. But he did it professionally only after the end of his military career and returning to Spain.

His first work was the shepherd's novel "Galatea", dedicated to the son of Colonna. In the work there were inserts from the life of the author and various poems in Italian and Spanish tastes. However, the book was not very successful.

It is believed that the name of Galatea was the writer's beloved, whom he married in 1584. She was of high birth, but was a dowry. Therefore, the couple lived in poverty for a long time.

Literary career

Miguel Cervantes wrote a lot for the theater. A short biography of the writer says that there were about 20-30 plays in total. Unfortunately, only two of them have survived. Even the comedy Lost, which Cervantes himself called his best play, was even lost.

But writing failed to feed his family, and life in Madrid was not cheap. The plight forced the writer to move his family to Seville. Here he managed to get a position in the financial department. But the salary was extremely low. Cervantes lived in Seville for 10 years, but very little is known about this period. It is clear that he continued to be in dire need of money, since he also supported his sister, who gave her part of the inheritance in order to ransom her brother from captivity. During this time he wrote several poems and sonnets.

Last years and death

For a while, the biography of Cervantes Saavedra ends. Researchers have been hidden for several years. He reappears on stage in 1603 in Valladolid. Here the writer performs small assignments, which make up all his income. In 1604, the first part of Don Quixote appeared, which brought its author a dizzying success. However, this did not improve the financial situation, but it helped Cervantes to be convinced of his literary talent. From that time until his death, he began to actively write.

He continued to work even on his deathbed, and shortly before his death decides to take a monk's hair. Cervantes died of dropsy, which tormented him for a long time. It happened on April 23, 1616 in Madrid, where the writer moved shortly before his death. For many years his grave was lost, as there was no inscription on the tombstone. The remains of Cervantes were found only in 2015 in the crypt of the monastery de las Trinitarias.

"Don Quixote"

The biography of Cervantes is primarily the life story of the author of Don Quixote. This novel is recognized as one of the greatest literary creations in the entire history of mankind. The work received recognition during the life of the author. The name of Cervantes became known not only at home, but also in other European countries. The first part of the novel was published in 1605, and the second exactly 10 years later.

Not only did the book bring success to its author, but also ridicule and mockery. And shortly before the publication of the second part, the novel "The Second Part of Don Quixote" was published, which was written by a certain Alonso de Avellaneda. This book was noticeably inferior to the original and contained many rude allusions and mockery of Miguel himself.

Other works

We have outlined the biography of Cervantes. Now let's talk briefly about his works. In 1613, a collection of the author's "Educational novellas" was published, in which everyday stories were collected. Many people compare this book for its fascination and subject matter with The Decameron.

The biography and work of Cervantes make it possible to get an idea of the author's personality. We can say that he was a brave, witty and talented person who was often unlucky in life.