Don Quixote: Translated by Edith Grossman

I read this book when I was in my twenties and I liked the narrative and loved the people of Spain. Now that I am 50 years old I am reading it again and it is giving me a different perspective about life. I admire Don Quixote for seeing the world as a place to make true his dreams and fantasiesAccording to experts, this is one of the best books ever written, and always appears on the lists of best novels that have been published. It is the second most translated book after the Bible. It was given the distinction of "Best literary work ever written" by the Norwegian Book Club based on a vote of 100 weel known writers from 54 countries. It was one of the favorite books of Thomas Jefferson and was used as a reference by famous American writers such as Mark Twain, Herman Melville and William Faulkner. The Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky referred to this book as "the only conclusion that can be drawn from life if the world came to an end" Masterpieces of world literature such as Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert, and Dostoevsky's The Idiot, are inspired by Don Quixote and were deliberately written based on the admiration that these writers felt for Cervantes’ book.Don Quixote has all the basic ingredients to entertain: humor, romance, fights and horse chasing, among others. It was innovative at the time of publication and it is considered the first novel in modern literature. This was the first book in which different opinions and viewpoints coexisted harmoniously in the same environment. The dialogues between the characters are masterfully written and inspired by the Spanish theatrical tradition of writers such as Lope de Vega.Don Quixote follows his quest as a knight with deep passion and commitment, always certain that his actions make a great contribution to the world. He shows the highest respect for all the people that he finds in his journey; being friends or rivals. But each time his fantasies crash with crude reality, as he and Sancho get beaten, injured, mocked and deceived. The confrontation between reality and fantasy is in episode of this book. Although Don Quixote tries desperately to become a hero he cannot be different than any other human being: proud and humble, strong and weak, wise and crazySancho is always aware of Don Quixote’s madness, but he follows him loyally despite the fact that he often gets the worst part of the beatings. A great theme of this book is the friendship that these two different men develop based on mutual respect; Sancho learns from Don Quixote to put fantasies into his life and Don Quixote sees reality through Sancho’s’ companionship. The dialogues between Don Quixote and Sancho are very rich, often riddled with humor, but always revealing deeper human natureAll who have read Don Quixote have their own interpretation that often changes with age. After all, this interpretation depends on how everyone sees life. In this sense, Don Quixote can be seen as a description of life in form, rhythm and substance. The Peruvian writer,recipient of the Nobel Price of Literature, Mario Vargas Llosa said that Don Quixote is the personification of a disproportionate love of freedom and a rebellious spirit

Although perhaps arguably lacking a certain antiquated charm of some other translations, and, in particular absent some of the amusing malopropisms and mixed-up anecdotes characteristic of Sancho's, very readable and enjoyable with thoughtful footnotes informative as to the original archaic Spanish linguistic particularities and also literary references explanitive of passages touching on books of chivalry of the period that will likely not be familiar to 99.99% of readers.Cheers, -- n.

By Jay Kim, 8th gradeDon Quixote is the main character of The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha. He is the hero of the story, but he is certainly a strange one. Don Quixote starts as a poor and elderly noble who reads books for pleasure. These books of chivalry drive him insane, and lead him to believe that he must revive the profession of knight errantry. Before losing his sanity, Don Quixote was named Alonso Quixano, but he named himself Don Quixote to suit the role he is playing of a knight errant. Don is a spanish title and Quixote is a section of armor that covers the thigh. His face is described as being very long and serious, and he is very gaunt and tall. Throughout the book, Don Quixote is ridiculed by many but he never seems to notice. He also has a sense of chivalry as he wants to embody the idea of a knight errant, trying to right wrongs and using force when force is needed. Knight errants are thought to be courageous, and Don Quixote is nothing but courageous. Throughout his adventures, he almost never fails to confront his fears and right perceived wrongs although doing so loses him several teeth and a part of his ear. It is also remarked many times that apart from anything related to chivalry, Don Quixote is perfectly sane and intelligent. In fact, throughout the book he gives many admirable speeches and many morals that I agree with. I admire Don Quixote because even though he is elderly and can live off his estate as a noble, he refuses to do so and becomes a knight errant. Yes, this is because he is not completely sane but he is trying to do good for others.Sancho Panza is Don Quixote’s poor peasant neighbor. Poor, but fat and short. For whatever reason, Sancho agrees to be Don Quixote’s squire even though Don Quixote is quite obviously mad. He plays a counterpart to Don Quixote, behaving cowardly when Don Quixote is rushing forward to meet his imaginary enemies, and greedy to Don Quixote’s apparent non-materialism. But he sticks through all of Don Quixote’s adventures next to him, and he seems to regard the knight errant as a very good friend by the book’s end. Sancho Panza tries to do the best for his family, bringing money from the adventure back to them, and his donkey, being very careful not to lose him. Sancho Panza is also extremely simpleminded, as evident by him agreeing to be a squire to Don Quixote. Also, his proverbs, of which he has many, are always off the mark and make no sense. However, he is not without his moments, as when he becomes a governor he creates several very intelligent laws that are followed even after he leaves his position. I like Sancho Panza because he gives humor to the story with his strange acts and simple mindedness. You can also sense a bond growing between Sancho Panza and Don Quixote through the story, and I really enjoy seeing their friendship grow.The Barber is an un named character in Don Quixote who is a friend of Don Quixote. They seem to be good friends, although the barber does enjoy poking fun at Don Quixote at times. His friend the Priest is also a good friend of Don Quixote, and the Barber seems to defer to the Priest’s judgement a lot. There is not much to be said about the Barber except that he is a true friend of Don Quixote.The Priest is an un named character in Don Quixote who is a friend of Don Quixote. He graduated from what is said to be a bad college, but he seems quite intelligent. He takes pride in being a priest, one time saying that he refuses to wear a the clothing of a women because he would dishonor priests. His friend the Barber defers to him in many matters of judgement. Books of chivalry seem to be a pet peeve to the priest since they have so changed his friend, Don Quixote, and he also seems to find many of them distasteful since they are so unreal as to not give him any enjoyment in reading them. I agree with him about chivalry novels and generally think he is another true friend to Don Quixote.The Niece of Don Quixote is a woman who loves Don Quixote as a family member and tries to care for him when he is sick. Their familial bond and love is further shown when Don Quixote gives her land in his will. The Niece tries her best to stop Don Quixote from going out on adventures, but it’s for his own good. I feel she is not trying hard enough, however, since Don Quixote manages to go out and have adventures a total of three times.The Housekeeper for Don Quixote is similar to his Niece in that both care for him. In fact, the Housekeeper continues working for Don Quixote even when he is gone on his adventures and doesn’t pay her. She just wants the best for Don Quixote, and I think that is an admirable thing.Dulcinea of Toboso is the name Don Quixote gives to a peasant girl he had a crush on when he was young. Her real name is Aldonza Lorenzo, but Don Quixote decides he needs a maiden to serve and so changes her name to better fit that. They never meet in the book, but it is said she was pretty when she was young. I am not sure what to think of her as there is not much information about her, but she must be a good person if Don Quixote likes her so much.Cardenio is a man who runs away to die alone when he hears his beloved marries another. Eventually, it is found that this was not true and he goes back and presumably marries her. I think Cardenio had a hard life and I am glad his story ends happily.Luscinda is Cardenio’s sweetheart who refused an offer of marriage even though she was pressed into accepting it by many. She is considered inordinately beautiful, and it is said her beauty was matched only by Dorotea. There is not much said about her, but she remains faithful to her sweetheart so I admire her for that.Don Fernando is a rich noble who said he loved Dorotea, but then tried to marry Luscinda. Of course, he was also Cardenio’s good friend until he tried to steal away Luscinda. He eventually agrees to marry Dorotea and it is presumed they live happily ever after. I think Don Fernando is a womanizer and quite rude, since he broke his promise to Dorotea.Dorotea is the rich daughter of a peasant family. When Don Fernando ran away from his obligations to her, she was so ashamed that she ran away. Eventually, she found Don Fernando and they married. She is considered to be as beautiful as Luscinda, and very intelligent for she managed to get Don Fernando to marry her. I like that Dorotea’s story ended happily because she seems like a good person.The Duke and Duchess are characters in the second part of Don Quixote who, having read the first part, decide to play tricks on Don Quixote and his squire for their amusement. These tricks are not very nice, but they are funny and the Duke and Duchess seem to genuinely like both Don Quixote and his squire. In fact, they even gift Sancho Panza with a town to govern, although he loses his job after a mere 10 days. I like the Duke and Duchess since they are basically harmless and just play a lot of jokes that are a little funny.The Knight of the Green Coat is a person Don Quixote meets on the road. The Knight invites him to his house, and so Don Quixote and Sancho Panza stay there for a while. The Knight seems to be a rich farmer, and his real name is Don Diego de Miranda. He and his son believe that Don Quixote is sometimes intelligent and other times mad. His son aspires to be a famous poet. I think that this Knight is a nice guy for allowing Don Quixote to stay at his house, but I wish that Don Quixote had a chance to tell the Knight his adventures after the knight errant parted ways with Don Diego. Unfortunately, Don Quixote dies at the end of the book so I don’t think this will ever happen.Bachelor Sanson Carrasco is a bachelor of a university. He, along with the Priest and Barber, plan to stop Don Quixote’s madness. Sanson dresses as a knight and fights Don Quixote, so that the loser must proclaim the winner’s maiden as the most beautiful, but he loses. He is not daunted by this loss, however, and he meets Don Quixote again near the end of the book to fight him. This time he wins, and it is considered that the depression brought about by this defeat led to Don Quixote’s death. I think Sanson’s cause is worthy, but the end result is utterly sad.Connection:I chose this project because I like reading, and I thought that this would take less effort and be more enjoyable than the other options. The other options just sounded like work, while reading sounded more like resting. The Ingenious Gentlemen of La Mancha influenced spanish culture because so many people read the book and enjoyed it. This led them to incorporate the book into plays and art. Don Quixote helped me understand a little more about spanish . For example, footnotes in the book indicate that Don Quixote uses more formal language to indicate anger at Sancho Panza, but this formal language is not seen in the translation. English and spanish have differences, and Don Quixote helped me see that more clearly.Reflection:I learned a little about the spanish language, but mostly I learned about knight errantry and some of the culture of Spain. I felt bored for some parts of the book, like through the sonnets and poems, but otherwise I felt engaged and understood most of it. I do think that I would recommend this project to another student because I feel like I had fun reading Don Quixote and there was little to no effort involved. Footnotes increased my understanding of the text, so if someone has a copy of the book with footnotes I think they should definitely give it a try. However, the reading did consume a lot of time, so if people don’t have a lot of time they should not do this project. I planned it so that I would read 50 pages a day for several weeks, but it turned out that it was very hard to keep to this schedule. I think a better way would be to read 300 pages on the weekends so the reading doesn’t interfere with schoolwork but it still gets done. At some points in the book, I wasn’t sure if I liked the book or not, but when I finished the book I felt sad so I guess that means I liked the book after all. Honestly, I feel that it was worth it to experience what people have called the, “first modern novel”.

Great translation of a great book. Spend a couple bucks more that the standard edition and get this deluxe edition of the same book by the same publisher. The paper and cover are so much nicer to hold and read.

Enjoyable Read

"Don Quixote" by Miguel de Cervantes isn't just a novel; it's a literary masterpiece that transcends time, inviting readers into the labyrinth of imagination and challenging the very fabric of reality. This iconic work, often regarded as the first modern European novel, is a tapestry of wit, adventure, and profound insight that continues to captivate hearts across generations. "Don Quixote" is a literary treasure that continues to enchant and provoke thought centuries after its creation. Cervantes' magnum opus is more than a novel; it's an odyssey into the boundless realms of the human mind. If you seek a journey that combines humor, wisdom, and the enduring power of storytelling, "Don Quixote" beckons you to mount your proverbial steed and set forth into the timeless landscape of literary exploration.

It arrived a bit damaged

Belle histoire et belle traduction !