This year we remember the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. But 1616 also saw the passing of another great writer: Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra, who we know best as the author of Don Quijote.
As Shakespeare left an indelible mark on the English language, Spanish has been referred to as “la lengua de Cervantes,” the language of Cervantes. This is due not just to the inventiveness of Cervantes’ writing, but also to its orality. To read Don Quijote is to engage deeply with the act of storytelling in many forms, from chivalric romance, folktales, and satire, to the pastoral and the picaresque. One of the great pleasures of Don Quijote comes from encountering the distinctive speech patterns of diverse segments of Spanish society. Almost any given character becomes a storyteller, through writing or reciting, dialogue, monologue, or digression.
![[Don Quixote. English] The history of the most renowned Don Quixote of Mancha and his trusty squire Sancho Pancha : now made English according to the humour of our modern language, and adorned with several copper plates](https://d3k85wy3v9cru9.cloudfront.net/uploads/2016/02/Cervantes_042969.jpg)
[Don Quixote. English] The history of the most renowned Don Quixote of Mancha and his trusty squire Sancho Pancha : now made English according to the humour of our modern language, and adorned with several copper plates. Folger Shakespeare Library.
April 23, 1616, is given as the death date for both Shakespeare and Cervantes, but neither man died on that day. Spanish records from that time write down the date of death as the date of burial. So we know Cervantes was buried on April 23, which means he probably died on April 22. Shakespeare actually died 11 days after Cervantes— May 3 by the Gregorian calendar that Spain adopted in 1582, but April 23 on the Julian calendar that England used until 1752.
It is reported but not confirmed that Cervantes’ remains were located just last year in Madrid, under the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians. Spain hopes the church will draw tourists like those who flock to Stratford-upon-Avon.
Why do we commemorate the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare? Some might point to a particular story, play, or poem. Others might answer with a specific character: Hamlet or Falstaff, Sancho Panza or don Quijote. But what about the elusive figures of the authors themselves? For devotees of Shakespeare, there is a desire to draw closer to the writer who is at once so present to us and yet so unknown. Similarly, throughout Cervantes’ works, a distinctive narrative voice bonds readers with the author, even if the narrator(s) cannot be taken as Cervantes himself. Cervantes addresses the Novelas ejemplares to his “amantísimo lector,” most beloved reader, and we in turn love him back.
Stay connected
Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.
Comments
This post has inspired me to read Don Quijote. Can you recommend an edition? Is there an audiobook that does justice to the story?
Deborah J. Leslie — February 8, 2016
The English translation of Don Quixote considered the best at the moment is Edith Grossman’s. You can find it easily online. Cohen’s translation in the Penguin edition is also quite good, as is John Rutherford’s. I would go with Grossman, though, I think.
Aaron Kahn — March 9, 2016
Thank you Dr. Swanton, this is a very nice abstract which highlights the two greatest authors of their age.
Daniel — February 10, 2016