Miguel Cervantes short biography and creativity. Biography of Miguel Cervantes
Spanish literature
Saavedra Miguel Cervantes
Biography
Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de (1547-1616), Spanish writer. Born in Alcala de Henares (Prov. Madrid). His father, Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a humble surgeon, and a large family constantly lived in poverty, which did not leave the future writer throughout his sorrowful life. Very little is known about his childhood, other than that he was baptized on October 9, 1547; the next documentary evidence about him, about twenty years later, calls him the author of a sonnet addressed to Queen Isabella of Valois, third wife of Philip II; shortly thereafter, while studying at the City College of Madrid, he is mentioned in connection with several poems on the death of the Queen (3 October 1568).
Cervantes studied, probably in fits and starts, and it did not come to an academic degree. Not finding a livelihood in Spain, he went to Italy and in 1570 decided to serve in the service of Cardinal G. Aquaviva. In 1571 he was a soldier of a naval expedition, which the Spanish king, pope and seigneur of Venice were preparing against the Turks. Cervantes fought bravely at Lepanto (7 October 1571); one of the injuries sustained crippled his hand. He went to Sicily to recover and remained in southern Italy until 1575, when he decided to return to Spain, hoping to be rewarded with the post of captain in the army. On September 26, 1575, the ship on which he sailed was captured by Turkish pirates. Cervantes was taken to Algeria, where he stayed until September 19, 1580. In the end, Trinitarian monks bought him with money collected by the Cervantes family. He counted on a decent reward upon returning home, but his hopes were not justified.
In 1584, 37-year-old Cervantes married 19-year-old Catalina de Palacios in Esquivias (province of Toledo). But family life, like everything with Cervantes, went in fits and starts, he spent many years away from his wife; Isabel de Saavedra, his only child, was born of an extramarital affair.
In 1585 Cervantes became commissioner for the purchase of wheat, barley and olive oil in Andalusia for Philip II's "Invincible Armada". This unremarkable job was also thankless and dangerous. Twice Cervantes had to requisition wheat that belonged to the clergy, and although he obeyed the king's order, he was excommunicated. On top of his misfortune, he was put on trial, and then in prison, as violations were found in his reports. Another disappointment came with an unsuccessful petition for office in the American colonies of Spain in 1590.
It is believed that during one of his imprisonments (1592, 1597 or 1602) Cervantes began his immortal work. However, in 1602 the judges and courts stopped prosecuting him about the alleged debt to the crown, and in 1604 he moved to Valladolid, where the king was at the time. From 1608 he lived permanently in Madrid and devoted himself entirely to writing and publishing books. In the last years of his life, he had a livelihood mainly thanks to pensions from the Count of Lemos and the Archbishop of Toledo. Died Cervantes in Madrid on April 23, 1616.
These facts give only a fragmentary and approximate idea of the life of Cervantes, but, in the end, the largest events in it were the works that brought him immortality. Sixteen years after the publication of school poems, the First Part of Galatea (La primera parte de la Galatea, 1585) appeared, a pastoral novel in the spirit of Diana H. Montemayor (1559). Its content consists of the vicissitudes of love of idealized shepherds and shepherdesses. In Galatea, prose alternates with poetry; there are no main characters, no unity of action, the episodes are connected in the most simple way: the shepherds meet each other and talk about their joys and sorrows. The action unfolds against the background of conventional pictures of nature - these are unchanging forests, springs, clear streams and an eternal spring that allows you to live in the bosom of nature. Here the idea of divine grace, sanctifying the souls of the elect, is humanized, and love is likened to a deity that the lover worships and which strengthens his faith and will to live. Faith, born of human desires, was thus equated with religious beliefs, which probably explains the constant attacks by Catholic moralists on the pastoral novel, which flourished and died out in the second half of the 16th century. Galatea is undeservedly forgotten, because already in this first significant work, the concept of life and the world, characteristic of the author Don Quixote, was outlined. Cervantes has repeatedly promised to release the second part, but the sequel never appeared. In 1605, the first part of El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha (El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote de la Mancha) was published, in 1615 the second part appeared. In 1613, Las novelas exemplares were published; in 1614 the Journey to Parnas (Viaje del Parnaso) was printed; in 1615 - Eight comedies and eight interludes (Ocho comedias y ocho entremeses nuevos). The wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda (Los trabajos de Persiles y Segismunda) were published posthumously in 1617. Cervantes also mentions the names of several works that have not reached us - the second part of Galatea, Week in the Garden (Las semanas del jardn), Deception of the eye (El engao los ojos) and others. The edifying novellas unite twelve stories, and the edification in the title (otherwise, their “exemplary” character) is associated with the “morality” contained in each story. Four of them - El Amante liberal, Senora Cornelia (La Seora Cornelia), Two maidens (Las dos donzellas) and English Spanish woman (La Espaola inglesa) - share a common theme, traditional for the Byzantine novel: a pair of lovers separated unfortunate and capricious circumstances, eventually reunites and finds the long-awaited happiness. Almost all heroines are perfectly beautiful and highly moral; they and their beloved are capable of the greatest sacrifices and with all their souls are drawn to the moral and aristocratic ideal that illuminates their lives. Another group of "edifying" novellas is formed by the Power of Blood (La fuerza de la sangre), The Noble Dishwasher (La ilustre fregona), The Gypsy Girl (La Gitanilla) and the Jealous Extremadurets (El celoso estremeo). The first three offer stories of love and adventure with a happy ending, while the fourth ends tragically. Rinconete y Cortadillo, El casamiento engaoso, El licenciado vidriera and Conversation between two dogs put more emphasis on the characters of the characters in them than on the action - this is the last group of short stories. Rinconete and Cortadillo is one of Cervantes' most charming works. Two young vagabonds are associated with a fraternity of thieves. The comic solemnity of this band of thugs is emphasized by Cervantes' dry humorous tone. Among his dramatic works, the Siege of Numancia (La Numancia) stands out - a description of the heroic resistance of the Iberian city during the conquest of Spain by the Romans in the 2nd century. BC. - and funny sideshows such as the Divorce Judge (El Juez de los divorcios) and the Theater of Miracles (El retablo de las maravillas). Cervantes' greatest work is Don Quixote's one-of-a-kind book. In short, its content boils down to the fact that after reading books about chivalry, the hidalgo Alonso Quihana believed that everything in them was true, and he himself decided to become an itinerant knight. He takes the name of Don Quixote of La Mancha and, accompanied by the peasant Sancho Panza, who serves as his squire, sets out in search of adventure.
Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de was born to a poor Spanish surgeon in 1547. He lived with his large family in the province of Madrid, Alcala de Henares. They baptized Cervantes on October 9, 1547. Due to the poverty of the family, the guy studied in fits and starts. Being broke, he moved to Italy in 1570 and went to serve. From 1570 he entered the ranks of the navy until October 7, 1571, when he was discharged due to a hand injury he received in the battles. He goes to Italy, where he lives until 1575. He is captured by pirates on September 26, 1575, when he sailed to Spain, which took Cervantes to Algeria until 1580 on September 19. Miguel meets Esquivias in the province of Toledo, whom he marries in 1584. Their family life did not work out, Cervantes was often not around, he even had an illegitimate daughter, Isabel de Saavedra. From 1585 Miguel went to work as a commissioner for the purchase of provisions for the army of Philip II, but soon ended up in prison due to violations in his reports. While imprisoned, Cervantes begins to write. He connects prose and poetry, taking as a basis the relationship between a shepherd and a shepherdess. The "First Part of Galatea" is born in 1585. In 1604 he was released, and Miguel moved to Valladolid, and in 1608 to permanent residence in Madrid. He diligently begins to study literature. From under his pen, grandiose masterpieces come out. In 1605 "Don Quixote" was published, in 1613 - "Educational novellas", "Journey to Parnassus" in 1614, and in 1615 the author released the sequel to "Don Quixote", the second part, and "Eight Comedies and Eight Interludes". Cervantes set about writing another book - The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda, which he did not manage to print during his lifetime. It was published in 1617.
The poet became the author of many editions and books, which, of course, did not find such fame as Don Quixote, but nevertheless were published: The Generous Admirer, The English Spaniard, The Two Maidens and Senora Cornelia and many others ...
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Biography, life story of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda is a Spanish writer. Author of the famous novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha".
early years
Miguel was born in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares on September 29, 1547. He became the fourth of seven children of Rodrigo de Cervantes, a physician, and Doña Leonor de Cortina, daughter of a ruined nobleman. On October 9, 1547, Miguel was baptized in the local church of Santa Maria la Mayor.
The youthful years of Miguel de Cervantes are shrouded in mystery, there is no reliable information about his life. Some historians claim that the writer was educated at the University of Salamanca, while others believe that Miguel studied with the Jesuits in Seville or Cordoba.
At a young age, Miguel de Cervantes left for Italy (the reason for his move is unknown). In Rome, de Cervantes fell in love with ancient art, the Renaissance, architecture and poetry.
Military service. Difficult fate
In 1570, Miguel became a soldier in the Spanish Marine Corps located in Naples. In 1571, de Cervantes sailed on the ship "Marquis", which was part of the galley fleet of the Holy League. In October, the Marquis defeated the Ottoman flotilla during the Battle of Patras Gulf. It is curious that on the day of the battle, Miguel was tormented by a fever, but the soldier, despite the fever and fatigue, was called into battle. Miguel fought bravely and was badly wounded. Three bullets pierced his body - two in the chest, one in the left forearm. The last bullet knocked de Cervantes' arm out of motion.
After the end of the battle, Miguel spent six months in the hospital. Then, from 1572 to 1575, he continued to serve in Naples, sometimes participating in expeditions. Visited Seville, Corfu, Navarino and so on. In September 1575, Miguel de Cervantes was captured by the Algerian corsairs. The Algerians asked for a large ransom for Cervantes, who had letters of recommendation from the duke for the king with him. Miguel spent 5 years in captivity. He tried to escape four times, but each time the Algerians caught him and punished him severely.
CONTINUED BELOW
After the long-awaited release from captivity by Christian missionaries, Miguel de Cervantes served in Portugal, Oran and Seville. Then, for some time, Miguel worked as a purchaser of provisions for the military fleet "Invincible Armada" and a collector of arrears. In this field, de Cervantes failed - he naively entrusted a large amount of state money to one banker, and he, without thinking twice, went on the run with them. Because of this, in 1597, Miguel was imprisoned. It was a difficult time for the writer - yes, then he already found his vocation in literature and worked solely in order to buy his own food. Five years later, Cervantes, accused of financial abuse, was again taken into custody. Until the early 1600s, very little is known about the life of Miguel de Cervantes. In 1603, Miguel settled in Valladolid and began to engage in private business, giving him a small income. True, what kind of these cases were - history is silent.
Literature
Miguel de Cervantes' first novel, Galatea, written in 1585, was not a success with readers. The same fate befell a number of his dramatic plays. In difficult years (late 1590s - early 1600s), Miguel continues to write, taking creative inspiration from his own life - the life of a wanderer, rejected by society. In 1604, the first part of Cervantes' novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" was finally published. The public liked the book, and not only Spanish, but also abroad. Unfortunately, despite the novel's warm reception, the writer's pocket was not replenished with coins. However, the commercial collapse did not prevent Miguel from publishing the second part of the novel, and with it several more works. And although all the creations of Miguel de Cervantes are interesting and fascinating, it was the novel "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" that made the author immortal in world literature.
Personal life
On December 12, 1584, Miguel de Cervantes Saaverda married Catalina Palacios de Salazar, a nineteen-year-old noblewoman from Esquías. According to the biographers of the writer, there were no children in this marriage. But Miguel had one illegitimate daughter - Isabel de Cervantes.
Death
On April 22, 1616, in Madrid, Miguel de Cervantes, the creator of the knight Don Quixote and his devoted squire Sancho Panza, died of dropsy. A few days before his death, Miguel was tonsured a monk.
The burial place of the writer was lost for many years. The remains of de Cervantes were discovered by archaeologists only in the spring of 2015 in the crypt at the monastery of de las Trinitarisas. The ceremonial reburial took place in June of the same year at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Madrid.
Born in 1547 in the provincial town of Alcala de Henares, thirty kilometers from Madrid, in the family of a surgeon.
The large family of the future writer lived in poverty, but was famous for the title of hidalgo. In the Cervantes family, Miguel was the fourth among seven children.
Even with such a title, the Cervantes family, headed by Father Rodrigo, had to move from place to place in search of earnings.
There is unverified evidence that he studied at the University of Salamanca. Cervantes left his native land and, having arrived in Italy, got acquainted with the art of ancient times, the Renaissance.
In Rome, he drew inspiration, studied the works of Italian writers, which left its mark on the later works of the author.
In 1570 he joined the Marines of Naples. It is also known that he participated in the Battle of Lepanto, where he lost his left arm. During this battle, the writer showed heroism and courage, which he was rightfully proud of.
In addition, during the service, the writer took part in campaigns to Corfu and Navarino. Was present at the surrender of Tunisia and La Gleta to the Ottoman Empire. Returning home from service, Cervantes is captured by the Algerian pirates, who sold him into slavery. The future writer made several unsuccessful attempts to escape and miraculously escaped execution. After spending five years in captivity, he was ransomed by missionaries.
Miguel de Cervantes started quite late. Upon returning home, he wrote his first work, Galatea, followed by many other dramatic plays. Unfortunately, his works were not in great demand, which forced him to look for other sources of income: either he took up the purchase of provisions for ships, then he worked as a collector of arrears.
The life of the future author was difficult, full of hardships and hardships. He had to go through a lot, nevertheless, Miguel constantly worked on the work of his whole life and in 1604 the first part of the immortal novel "The Dodgy Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" was published for the first time. The work immediately made a splash, the book literally flew off the shelves, translations were made into many languages. However, the financial situation of the author did not improve from this.
Cervantes continued to write actively for 12 years, from 1604 to 1616. numerous short stories, dramatic works, the continuation of the bestseller Don Quixote, as well as a novel published only after the death of the author "Persiles and Sikhismund" were born.
Miguel took monastic vows presumably in 1616, in the same year the world famous writer, who lived a difficult life, died. For a long time, the grave of the writer remained lost, due to the lack of an inscription on his tomb. One cannot overestimate the contribution of Cervantes to world literature, he became the founder of the personal epic.
Cervantes' significance is based mainly on the novel Don Quixote. This work, known all over the world today, fully reveals his versatile genius. Here there is a deep analysis of the nature of people, from two angles: idealism and realism. The destinies of his heroes, who complement each other as best as possible, reflect the whole salt of world irony. Having led his knight through real life, the author reveals a diverse panorama of Spanish society.
Was born thanks to the writer Miguel de Cervantes. Now the parody knightly novel is a monument of world literature, but at one time the book did a disgraceful service to its author - de Cervantes was persecuted for libel and even threatened with death.
Childhood and youth
Miguel de Cervantes was born on September 29, 1547 in the Spanish city of Alcala de Henares. Half a month later, on October 9, the following entry appeared in the baptism register of the Parish Church of Santa Maria la Mayor:
“Miguel, son of Rodrigo de Cervantes and his wife Leonor, was baptized; his godfathers were Juan Pardo; the rite was conducted by the Monk Bartolomé Serrano. "Church where Miguel de Cervantes was baptized / Wikipedia
It is a mistake to believe that the boy received the famous name Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra at birth. In fact, Saavedra appeared already at a conscious age, presumably as a reference to the name of the Chilean commune, where the Cervantes family originated.
Rodrigo's father, a native of Galicia, worked as a barber, "opening blood". On duty, he repaired bones, bleed and dealt with "lesser medical needs." Miguel's mother, Leonor de Cortinas, is the daughter of a ruined nobleman who was sold into marriage in 1543.
Wikipedia
In addition to the future author of Don Quixote, 6 children were brought up in the Cervantes family: Andres (b. 1543), Andrea (b. 1544), Louise (b. 1546), Rodrigo (b. 1550) , Magdalena (born 1554) and Juan. The latter is known only thanks to his father's will.
It is assumed that as a child, Miguel was often transported around the country, and then sent to the Imperial School in Madrid - a Jesuit educational institution for boys. As proof of this fact, they cite laudatory comments about the order of the Roman Catholic Church in the "Novel about a conversation between dogs" from "Edifying novellas". Another point of view - Miguel studied at the University of Salamanca. Both versions are being questioned.
Real Academia de la Historia
At 22, de Cervantes unwittingly found himself involved in a street fight, and a certain Antonio de Sigura was injured at his hand. It is said that fear of arrest prompted Miguel to leave his native Spain. Italy has become a new home - a country that is friendly to talented ambitious young people.
In Rome, de Cervantes discovered the fine arts, architecture, poetry of the Renaissance. In his literary works, connoisseurs later saw references to Italian folklore, a parody of many national writers.
Military service
In 1570, de Cervantes was enlisted in the Spanish Marine Corps Infantería de Marina, which was stationed in Naples (then the city was Spanish territory). A year passed before the young man was called to battle. In September 1571, Miguel sailed to the Gulf of Patras, where on October 7 the Battle of Lepanto took place between the Holy League and the Ottoman Empire.
Documentary film "There lived a poor knight ... Miguel de Cervantes"When the battle was ripe, Miguel de Cervantes lay in a fever. Despite his health condition, the young man demanded to let him fight, saying that he would rather die for his God and king than be covered by his comrades in a cabin. The future writer received three gunshot wounds - two in the chest and one in the left arm, the last bullet actually made de Cervantes one-armed. In his first work Galatea, referring to the imminent success of Don Quixote, he wrote:
"I lost the movement of my left hand to the glory of my right."
It took de Cervantes six months to recover, and in 1572 he returned to duty. Over the next 3 years, the man stayed mainly in Naples, occasionally making expeditions to the islands of Corfu and Navarino. Miguel witnessed the battle for La Gulet, the former capital of Tunisia, and the fall of that state.
In the fall of 1575, de Cervantes sailed from Naples to Barcelona with letters of introduction for the King of Spain. In them, the regiment commander praised the merits of a soldier and offered to raise him in service. Fate decreed otherwise: on the morning of September 26, the corsairs took de Cervantes' ship on board.
Wikipedia
The future writer and, according to some testimonies, his brother Rodrigo was taken to Algeria (then the center of the Ottoman Empire) and taken prisoner. The man was in slavery until 1580, 4 times unsuccessfully tried to escape. Ultimately, the parents bought the freedom of their sons from the Ottomans for a lot of money - letters of recommendation to the king increased the demand for the head of de Cervantes.
This fragment of the biography is repeatedly mentioned in the work of de Cervantes. It is believed that in the story of a captive from Don Quixote, the plays Life in Algeria and The Dungeons of Algeria, there are naturalistic scenes that a person who was not in slavery could not describe.
Career
Freed from captivity, de Cervantes lived with his parents in Madrid. By that time, he had already begun to write, but, like many authors of that time, he could not feed himself on royalties. Creativity had to be combined with ordinary work.
Portrait of Miguel de Cervantes / Fernando Selma, Wikipedia
In Andalusia, Miguel worked as a purchasing agent for the Spanish fleet: he looked for favorable prices for grain, oil, and other products, and then delivered purchases to ships. Once he left the money intended for the manning of the next ship with a banker. He, being dishonest, spent everything. For this, the writer spent several months in prison. Presumably, in the conclusion the idea of "Don Quixote" was born.
Later, de Cervantes worked as a tax collector and accountant. In the last years of his life, from 1610 to 1616, the man lived on a royal pension, which allowed him to devote literature around the clock.
Books
De Cervantes embarked on a literary path when he was 38 years old. The debut "Galatea" (1585) was written in the genre classic for his time - a pastoral novel. The work remained without the attention of high society, and the writer himself was not delighted with the "empty" idea of the first attempt at writing.
In imprisonment, de Cervantes, who by nature had a lively humor, came up with the idea to compose a parody of chivalric novels popular in the 16th century. The prisoner created the image of an elderly madman who, after reading stories about heroes in armor, decided to wander the world in search of adventure.
The noble Don Quixote from the village of La Mancha is accompanied by his antipode Sancho Panza - a simple peasant who is used to a pragmatic view of things. It is important for him to receive the promised donkeys and the island, to isolate the owner from danger and to explain in a timely manner that windmills are not dragons.
The prototype of the crazy romantic is the playwright, whose works surpassed de Cervantes' books in popularity. At one time, the poet, tired of writing autobiographical love stories, went on a trip around the world by ship, leaving his wife and children behind. We can say that Miguel not only created the greatest work of the Golden Age, but also made fun of the enemy.
The novel about the Knight of the Sorrowful Image was published in two volumes: "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha" in 1605, "The second part of the genius knight Don Quixote of La Mancha" in 1615. The continuation was, rather, a necessity: in 1614 a certain Avellaned, whose identity has not yet been revealed, allegedly published the second part of the novel Don Quixote of Avellaneda. The work was directed against de Cervantes.
Wikipedia
Don Quixote is a great contribution to world culture. called the novel de Cervantes "the most sublime work of human thinking." It was in Don Quixote that the quote “to judge the pudding, you have to taste it,” was born, meaning that everything is tested in practice.
De Cervantes believed that his novels should be for the Spaniards what the novels of Giovanni Boccaccio were for the Italians. For this, the writer created "Instructive Novels" (1613) - a collection of 12 stories. In the narrative, the writer acts as a humanist, endows the heroes with the right to freedom and happiness. The characters come to what they want through torment, but this makes the joy of victory only sweeter.
At the dawn of his life, de Cervantes wrote the novel "The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda", which was published after the death of the writer, in 1617. Probably, in this work, the Spaniard tried to imitate the ancient Greek Heliodorus.
Personal life
Little is known about the personal life of Miguel de Cervantes. On December 12, 1584, 19-year-old noblewoman Catalina Palacios de Salazar became the wife of the 37-year-old writer. The girl's dowry helped the couple to exist comfortably for some time. At the same time, de Cervantes had an illegitimate daughter, Isabel, from actress Ana de Rojas. As for the union with the young wife, it turned out to be short-lived and fell apart in the late 1580s.
Death
The 68-year-old de Cervantes died in Madrid on April 22, 1616. According to the testimony of modern doctors, the cause of death was type II diabetes, caused by cirrhosis of the liver. These ailments explain the intense thirst that the writer complained of in the last years of his life.
According to the will on April 23, de Cervantes was buried in the Monastery of the Barefoot Trinitarians in the center of Madrid. In 1673, during the reconstruction of the holy place, the remains of the writer, as well as other people, were transferred to a safe place for storage, and then they could not be found - the tomb had no identification marks.
Wikipedia
In 2014, archaeologists discovered a crypt in which 10 people were buried. The initials MS were embossed on the inside of the lid of one of the coffins. Based on the portraits of the writer, three bullet wounds received in the Battle of Lepanto, and the fact that by the time of his death the author of Don Quixote had only 6 teeth, scientists concluded that they were indeed the remains of de Cervantes. On June 11, 2015, they were buried in the monastery under the tombstone "Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra".
Bibliography
- 1585 - Galatea
- 1605 - "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha"
- 1613 - "Instructive Novels"
- 1614 - "Journey to Parnassus"
- 1615 - "The second part of the genius knight Don Quixote from La Mancha"
- 1615 - "Eight comedies and eight interludes, new, never presented on stage"
- 1617 - "The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismunda"
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, which went 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 fellow prisoners.
Liberation
The biography of Cervantes gives an idea of him as a courageous person who has had many trials. Later, these moments will be reflected in his works - both a description of war and slavery.
Miguel was saved 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's 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 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 carries out minor 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 write actively.
He continued to work even on his deathbed, and shortly before his death he decided 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.