Did you know that Cervantes conceptualised the plot of Don Quixote in prison?  

Many of you must have grown up reading and being amused by the adventures of the iconic fictional character Don Quixote. Well, this Spanish epic novel penned by Early Modern Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes is often deemed as the world’s first modern novel, for its avantgarde approach. Originally published in 1605, it also had a sequel that came out in 1615. Popularly called Don Quixote, its actual title is The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha.  

Regarded as one of the best-selling novels and most-translated books of all time, the piece revolves around its male protagonist Alonso Quijano and his adventures. He belongs to the lowest order of Spanish nobility and spends his time reading heroic romances. Being obsessed with fictional books, he pretends to lose his mind (delusional) and transform himself into a knight to not only revive the lost culture of chivalry but also his nation under the disguised persona of Don Quixote of Mancha. Today, we are going to explore facts that are not many know of.  

Cervantes envisioned the plot while in prison 
Before becoming a world-renowned author, Miguel de Cervantes was a tax collector for the Spanish government. Now, back in those days, there were a lot of money laundering cases that tax collectors were often accused of, due to mathematical irregularities in their work. As a result, between 1597 and 1602, Cervantes ended up in the Crown Jail of Seville (in Spanish capital Madrid) twice. It was during this time that Cervantes envisioned the story of Don Quixote while in prison. In fact, experts believe that the famous scene of Quixote and his aid Sancho Panza rescuing a group of slaves from captivity in the very first part of the novel was probably inspired by Cervantes’ own experience in prison as well as his servitude in Algiers (capital of Algeria) for five years during 1570s.  

The protagonist is based on the author’s uncle-in-law 
For those who have read both the volumes of the novel know that it is only towards the end of the sequel that Cervantes reveals the real name of his hero Don Quixote. It is Alonso Quijano. Now, when asked from where he thought of this name, Cervantes on more than one occasions, has revealed that he borrowed the name from his wife Catalina de Salazar y Palacios’ uncle Alonso de Quesada y Salazar. In fact, the author also mentioned how he not only derived the name from his uncle-in-law but also the character traits of the hero. As for the nickname Quixote, it was based on the Spanish term which means ‘thigh armour’.  

A fake sequel convinced Cervantes to write the second part 
Just a year after the first volume of Don Quixote was released, an unofficial sequel also came out. It was written under the pseudonym of Alonso Fernandez de Avellaneda, and was infamous for its poor quality and direct criticism of Cervantes and his masterpiece. Now, the original author had already declared that a second part was brewing, but he was delaying the process and the readers were also getting impatient. In fact, it so happened that the fake sequel became wide in circulation just because people wanted to know the real identity of Don Quixote and whether or not he fulfils his ambition. Critics believe that this pushed Cervantes to start writing part II, long before he was ready. Not only didn’t he not want anyone else to destroy his legacy (the characters and the plot), but was also angered with the audacity that someone actually dared to malign his work.  

Dostoevsky’s all-time favourite novel 
While taking about Russian literature, one name always appears at the top. It is that of the famous novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. Now, on more than one occasions, Dostoevsky had gone on record and declared that Cervantes’ Don Quixote was his all-time favourite literary work. In fact, in a famous letter written to his niece Sophia Ivanova, the Russian author had mentioned that Don Quixote was one of world literature’s most superior hero. In fact, his statement, “He (Don Quixote) is beautiful only because he is ridiculous” is still considered to be one of the most popular praises of all-time.