Miguel de Cervantes is the greatest novelist of the Spanish language. His masterpiece, "Don Quixote," is one of the most inspiring book ever written. Miguel de Cervantes was born in the city of Alcala de Henares near Madrid, where he was baptized in October 9,1547. He was the fourth of seven children by Rodrigo de Cervantes and Leonor de Cortinas. Despite his father's frequent visit to Spain, Miguel recieved some early education in the school of humanist Juan Lopez de Hoyos. In 1568, when he was a student, some of his poem was published in Madrid to commemorate the death of the Spanish queen Elizabeth of Valois.

In 1570 Cervantes joined the company of Diego de Urbina in the Spanish forces at Naples. He fought against Turks in the Battle of Lepanto, in which he lost the use of his left hand. While returning to Spain, Cervantes had been captured by Barbary pirates. He was taken to Algeria, where he lived in slavery for 5 years. On September 19, 1580, Cervantes was rescued on board the ship that was to take him to Constantinople. On December 18 in Madrid, he signed a statement about his release and proved himself to be a true Christian soldier.

On May 21, 1581, in Tomar, he was given 50 ducats to accomplish a royal mission to Oran. In a letter addressed to the royal secretary, Cervantes made progress in his first published book called Galatea, but it did not appear until 1585. About the same time, Cervantes turned to writing for the theater, which guaranteed him money if his plays were successful. Some of his work were Viaje Del Parnaso and Ocho comedias y ocho entremese.

On December 12, 1548, Miguel de cervantes married Dona Catalina de Palacios Salazar y Vozmediano, from the wine-making town of Esquivias. Their marriage had no issue, but it was a year or two before his wedding that Cervantes had an affair with Ana Franca de Rojas, with whom he had a daughter name Isabel de Saavedra.

Between 1587 and 1600, he lived in Seville, where he worked as a supplies commissioner and taxman. The failure of a bank in which he had deposited his sum of tax collection took him to jail for a few month in 1597, where he began to write the famous Don Quixote. It was at the age of 57 when he first published the first part of his masterpiece under the title, El ingensioso hidalgo do Quijote de la Mancha.

On June 27, 1605, a Navarrese gentleman, Don Gaspar de Expeleta, was killed outside Cervantes' house in Valladolid. Miguel de Cervantes and his family were taken to jail on suspicion of murder but were soon released. From 1605-1608, Cervantes went back to Madrid, but at this time his daughter Isabel de Saavedra gave him several lawsuit about financial issues. His Novelas ejemplares were published in Madrid in 1613. They are 12 little masterpieces, which Cervantes created the art of short story writing in Spain. Later in 1615 Cervantes published in Madrid his own second part of Don Quixote. On April 19, 1616, he signed the dedication to the Count of Lemos on his death bed. He died 4 days later in Madrid. It was up his widow to publish his last work, and the book appeared in Madrid in 1617.

Describe the adventure of an idealistic Spanish noble man who, as a result of reading many tales of chivalry, comes to believe that he is a knight who must fight the world's problem. He travel with his partner, Sancho Panza, an uneducated but practical peasant. Don Quixote travels in search of adventure, dedicating his action to a simple coutry girl whom he calls Dulcinea. He sets himself the task of defending orphans, protecting maidens and widows, befriending the helpless, and serving the cause of truth and beauty. His imagination ofteh runs away with him, so that he sees windmills as giants, flocks of sheep as enemy armies, and country inns as castles. Don Quixote's romantic view of the world, however, is often balanced by Sancho Panza'a more realistic outlook.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is one of the best auther ever lived. Even though we learn little of his childhood, we lived on his famous works of novel, poem, and short stories. We know how his life went through from the day he was educated to his death. Till now we will never forget Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra from his work of Don Quixote.

Bibliography
Abridged Encyclopedia of World Biography,Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, Copyright 1999, Library of Congress of Cataloging-in-Publication Data, Farmington Hills, MI

Cervantes Saavedra,Miguel de, Microsoft Encyclopedia 98, Copyright 1995

Miguel de Cervantes, www.kirjasto.sci.fi/cervante.htm

Miguel de Cervantes,www.online-literature.com/cervantes/