The first biography to be aimed at the general reader as much as at students and historians, No Ordinary Man is a fascinating study of the life and work of Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616), the writer known as the "Spanish Shakespeare" and author of the timeless classic Don Quixote. A renaissance man in all senses of the term, Cervantes was, in his time, an adventurer, spy, soldier, hostage, and creator of the first European novel. This biography is based on the latest original research and incorporates previously unpublished material on Cervantes’ long period of captivity in Algiers, his involvement in piracy in the Mediterranean, espionage, and the Spanish Armada, and his work for the Spanish government. Containing much information never before available in English, No Ordinary Man makes an important contribution to the understanding of this unique literary and historical figure.

“A heroic history of novel-reading itself.” --The Atlantic In the early seventeenth century, a crippled, graying, almost toothless veteran of Spain's wars against the Ottoman Empire published a book. It was the story of a poor nobleman, his brain addled from reading too many books of chivalry, who deludes himself that he is a knight errant and sets off on hilarious adventures. That book, Don Quixote, went on to sell more copies than any other book beside the Bible, making its author, Miguel de Cervantes, the single most-read author in human history. Cervantes did more than just publish a bestseller, though. He invented a way of writing. This book is about how Cervantes came to create what we now call fiction, and how fiction changed the world. The Man Who Invented Fiction explores Cervantes's life and the world he lived in, showing how his influences converged in his work, and how his work--especially Don Quixote--radically changed the nature of literature and created a new way of viewing the world. Finally, it explains how that worldview went on to infiltrate art, politics, and science, and how the world today would be unimaginable without it. William Egginton has brought thrilling new meaning to an immortal novel.

Excerpt from The Life and Writings of Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra: With Literary and Historical Illustrations From Authentic Documents Supplied by Spanish Biographers and Other Editors of His Works Some descendants Of this numerous race aecom panied the King Don Fernando in his conquest of Baeza and Seville, and shared in the spoils Of that expedition; and others of, the name, who emulated the actions Of their ancestors, were amongst the con querors of the new world, where they established themselves and flourished. Another kindred branch are descended from Juan de Cervantes, a man of dis tinction, and corregidor Of Ossuna, Where he acquired by his noble qualities the respect of the natives of that place. He had a son, Rodrigo de Cervantes, who intermarried in the year 1540 with Donna Lee nora de Cortinos, a lady'of noble birth, and a. Native, as it appears, of the town of Barrajos., The issueof this marriage were, Donna Andrea and Donna, Louisa, Roderigo and Miguel. Miguel de Cervantes, who was the younger son Of this noble but reduced family, was born in Alcala' de Henares, ' and baptised'in the parish church of Santa maria, la, mayor ninth day of: October, 1547; a fact which is now most satisfactorily established, andiwhich' consequently for ever destroys the pretensions of Madrid, Seville, Ln Esquerios, Alcazar de San Juan and Consuegra, which cities had long eontended.f0r.the honour of giving birth to so illustrious a person. But there is still, unfortunately, room for, them to contest, the honour Of possessing his tomb the traveller and, the pilgrim Of the world know not yet, where to paytheir devotions to the relics scervantes - more sacred for; the nobleness and greatness Of his character. One of the virtuous few. Who season human kind, and redeem humanity in our eyes, he showed us, that. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1861 Edition.