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Miguel de Cervantes's Don Quixote, published in Spain in two parts in 1605 and 1615, is often called the first modern novel. Its hero, a country gentleman, reads so many tales of knights that he loses his wits and sets out to become one, with the farmer Sancho Panza as his squire.

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Cervantes (1547–1616) had fought at the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571, where he lost the use of his left hand, and spent five years as a captive in Algiers before he wrote the book. He meant it as a parody of the chivalric romances, long tales of knights and giants that were bestsellers in Spain. What made it new was its interest in ordinary life and in how people see the world through what they read. In 1614 another writer, hiding behind the name Avellaneda, published a fake sequel. Cervantes answered in Part Two, where characters have read Part One and mock the impostor. The book is one of the most translated in the world, and a 2002 poll of writers from more than 50 countries, organised in Norway, named it the greatest work of fiction ever written.

Türkçe oku
Miguel de Cervantes'in Don Kişot'u çoğu zaman ilk modern roman sayılır; İspanya'da iki cilt hâlinde, 1605 ve 1615'te yayımlandı. Kahramanı, şövalye hikâyelerini okuya okuya aklını yitiren bir taşra soylusudur; köylü Sancho Panza'yı yanına silahtar alıp şövalye olmak için yollara düşer.

Cervantes (1547–1616), kitabı yazmadan önce 1571'deki İnebahtı Deniz Savaşı'nda savaşmış, sol elini kullanamaz olmuş ve beş yıl Cezayir'de esir kalmıştı. Romanı, o dönem İspanya'da çok satan şövalye romanslarıyla, yani şövalyeleri ve devleri anlatan uzun macera kitaplarıyla alay etmek için yazdı. Kitabı yeni yapan, sıradan hayatla ilgilenmesi ve insanların dünyayı okudukları kitapların gözüyle nasıl gördüğünü anlatmasıydı. 1614'te Avellaneda takma adını kullanan bir yazar, sahte bir devam kitabı yayımladı. Cervantes buna ikinci ciltte yanıt verdi: Bu kez karakterler birinci cildi okumuştur ve sahte devam kitabıyla dalga geçerler. Don Kişot dünyada en çok çevrilen kitaplardan biridir; 2002'de Norveç'te düzenlenen ve 50'yi aşkın ülkeden yazarın katıldığı bir oylamada tüm zamanların en iyi kurmaca eseri seçildi.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Don Quixote
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