Cervantes short biography dates. Cervantes, Miguel - biography and works. Military service. hard fate

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Short biography of Miguel Cervantes

Miguel Cervantes is an outstanding Spanish writer of the 16th century, the author of the world-famous novel about Don Quixote of Laman. Born September 29, 1547 in Alcala de Henares in a poor noble family. The father of the future writer was a surgeon. Miguel was the fourth child in a large family. There are suggestions that in his youth Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca, as well as with the Jesuits of Seville or Cordoba. In 1569, after a serious street skirmish, he fled to Rome, where he worked for some time in the retinue of Cardinal Acquaviva.

In 1571, Cervantes took part in a naval battle and was seriously wounded in the forearm. After that, his left arm remained forever inactive. He took part in many sea expeditions, visited Tunisia, Spain and even in Algerian captivity for five years. In 1580, he was finally able to return to his homeland. In December 1584 he married Catalina de Palacios. In the same year, an illegitimate daughter was born to him by another woman. As a retired soldier, he decided to devote himself to the literary arts. Cervantes' first plays were not very successful on the stage. Recognition came with the pastoral novel Galatea (1585).

However, there was no large income from writing, so Cervantes moved to Seville and took a job as a food procurement commissioner. He kept the documentation carelessly, for which he was arrested more than once. During one of his stays in prison, an image of a man capable of chivalrous deeds appeared in his head. This was the intention of Don Quixote. He worked on his main book over the years, opening up new perspectives for the plot. From 1600 to 1604 he worked diligently on the creation of the first part of the novel. In 1604 he moved to Valladolid, from where he negotiated with a Madrid bookseller.

At the end of 1604, "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of Laman" came out in a small edition. The novel was undoubtedly a success. This is evidenced at least by the fact that soon a second edition appeared in Madrid. The author himself has twice republished his book with author's corrections. Don Quixote and Sancho Panza became national heroes and participants in carnival processions in the cities of Spain. Financial situation the writer, however, did not improve in any way, but on the contrary, a hostile attitude towards him manifested itself with greater force. For the last decade of his life, he worked hard and published new works. Miguel Cervantes died of dropsy on April 23, 1616, the same day as the great Shakespeare.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra(Spanish) Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ; presumably September 29, Alcala de Henares - April 22, Madrid) is a world famous Spanish writer. First of all, he is known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel "Cunning hidalgo Don Quixote La Mancha".

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Biography

early years

Miguel Cervantes was born into a family of impoverished nobles, in the city of Alcala de Henares. His father, hidalgo Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a modest doctor, his mother, Doña Leonor de Cortina, the daughter of a nobleman who had lost his fortune. There were seven children in their family, Miguel was the fourth child [ ] . O early stages Very little is known about Cervantes' life. The date of his birth is September 29, 1547 (the day of the Archangel Michael). This date was established approximately on the basis of the records of the church book and the tradition that existed then to give the child a name in honor of the saint whose feast falls on his birthday. It is authentically known that Cervantes was baptized on October 9, 1547 in the church of Santa Maria la Mayor in the city of Alcala de Henares.

Some biographers claim that Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca, but there is no convincing evidence for this version. There is also an unconfirmed version that he studied with the Jesuits in Cordoba or Seville.

According to Abraham Chaim, president of the Sephardic community in Jerusalem, Cervantes' mother came from a family of baptized Jews. Cervantes' father was from the nobility, but in his hometown Alcala de Henares is the home of his ancestors, which is located in the center of the hooderia, that is, the Jewish quarter. The house of Cervantes is located in the former Jewish part of the city [ ] .

The activity of the writer in Italy

The reasons that motivated Cervantes to leave Castile remain unknown. Whether he was a student, or a fugitive from justice, or a royal arrest warrant for wounding Antonio de Siguru in a duel, is another mystery of his life. In any case, when he left for Italy, he did what other young Spaniards did in one way or another for their careers. Rome revealed its church rituals and grandeur to the young writer. In a city teeming with ancient ruins, Cervantes discovered ancient art, and also concentrated on Renaissance art, architecture and poetry (his knowledge of Italian literature can be traced in his works). He was able to find in achievements ancient world powerful impetus for the revival of art. Thus, the enduring love for Italy that is visible in his later work was, in a way, a desire to return to the early Renaissance period.

Military career and the Battle of Lepanto

There is another, unlikely, version of the loss of a hand. Due to the poverty of his parents, Cervantes received a meager education and, unable to find a livelihood, was forced to steal. Allegedly, it was for stealing that he was deprived of his hand, after which he had to leave for Italy. However, this version does not inspire confidence - if only because the hands of thieves at that time were no longer chopped off, as they were sent to the galleys, where both hands were required.

The Duke de Sesse, presumably in 1575, gave Miguel letters of recommendation (lost by Miguel during his capture) for the king and ministers, as he said in his certificate of July 25, 1578. He also asked the king to provide mercy and help to the brave soldier.

In Algerian captivity

In September 1575, Miguel Cervantes and his brother Rodrigo were returning from Naples to Barcelona aboard the galley "Sun" (la Galera del Sol). On the morning of September 26, on the approach to the Catalan coast, the galley was attacked by Algerian corsairs. The attackers were resisted, as a result of which many members of the Sun team were killed, and the rest were taken prisoner and taken to Algeria. :236 Letters of recommendation found in Miguel Cervantes led to an increase in the amount of the required ransom. In Algerian captivity, Cervantes spent 5 years (-), tried to escape four times and was only miraculously not executed. In captivity, he was often subjected to various torments.

Father Rodrigo de Cervantes, according to his petition of March 17, 1578, indicated that his son "was captured in a galley" Sun“, under the command of Carrillo de Quesada”, and that he “was wounded by two arquebus shots in the chest, and maimed in left hand which cannot be used." The father did not have the funds to ransom Miguel due to the fact that he had previously ransomed his other son, Rodrigo, who was also on that ship, from captivity. A witness to this petition, Mateo de Santisteban, noted that he had known Miguel for eight years, and met him when he was 22 or 23 years old, on the day of the battle of Lepanto. He testified that Miguel " on the day of the battle he was sick and had a fever", and he was advised to stay in bed, but he decided to take part in the battle. For distinction in battle, the captain rewarded him with four ducats on top of his usual pay.

The news (in the form of letters) about Miguel's stay in Algerian captivity was brought by the soldier Gabriel de Castañeda, a resident of the Carriedo mountain valley from the village of Salazar. According to his information, Miguel was in captivity for about two years (that is, since 1575) with a Greek converted to Islam, captain Arnautriomas.

In the petition of Miguel's mother dated 1580, it was reported that she asked " give permission for the export of 2,000 ducats in the form of goods from the kingdom Valencia for the ransom of her son.

Service in Seville

In Seville, he handled the affairs of the Spanish fleet on the orders of Antonio de Guevara.

Intention to go to America

Miguel de Cervantes. Instructive novels. Translation from Spanish by B. Krzhevsky. Moscow. Publishing house " Fiction". 1983

Personal life

Almost on his deathbed, Cervantes did not stop working; a few days before his death, he took the vows as a monk. On April 22, 1616, life ended (he died of dropsy), which the carrier himself in his philosophical humor called “long indiscretion” and, leaving which, he “carried away a stone with an inscription on his shoulders, in which the destruction of his hopes was read.” However, according to the customs of that time, the date of his death was recorded as the date of his funeral - April 23. Because of this, it is sometimes said that the date of Cervantes' death coincides with the date of the death of another great writer - William Shakespeare, in fact, Cervantes died 11 days earlier (since, at that time, the Gregorian calendar was in force in Spain, and in England - Julian). April 23, 1616 is sometimes considered the end of the Renaissance.

Heritage

The monument to Cervantes was erected in Madrid only in 1835 (sculptor Antonio Sola); on the pedestal are two inscriptions in Latin and Spanish: "To Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, king of the Spanish poets, year M.D.CCC.XXXV".

The world significance of Cervantes rests mainly on his novel Don Quixote, a full, comprehensive expression of his diverse genius. Conceived as a satire on the chivalric novels that flooded all literature at that time, which the author definitely declares in the Prologue, this work little by little, perhaps even regardless of the will of the author, turned into a deep psychological analysis of human nature, two sides of mental activity - noble, but crushed by the reality of idealism and realistic practicality.

Both of these sides found a brilliant manifestation in the immortal types of the hero of the novel and his squire; in their sharp contrast, they - and this is the deep psychological truth - constitute, however, one person; only the fusion of these two essential aspects of the human spirit constitutes a harmonious whole. Don Quixote is ridiculous, his adventures depicted by a brilliant brush - if you do not think about their inner meaning - cause uncontrollable laughter; but it is soon replaced in the thinking and feeling reader by another kind of laughter, "laughter through tears," which is the essential and indispensable condition of every great humorous creation.

In the novel of Cervantes, in the fate of his hero, it was precisely the world irony that was reflected in a high ethical form. In beatings and all sorts of other insults to which a knight is subjected - despite their somewhat anti-artistic in literary terms - is one of the best expressions of this irony. Turgenev noted another very important moment in the novel - the death of his hero: at this moment, all the great significance of this person becomes available to everyone. When his former squire, wanting to console him, tells him that they will soon go on knightly adventures, “No,” the dying man answers, “all this has gone forever, and I ask everyone for forgiveness.”

Bibliography

  • "Galatea", 1585
  • "Destruction of Numancia"
  • "Algerian manners"
  • "Naval battle" (not preserved)
  • "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha", 1605, 1615
  • "Instructive Novels", collection, 1613
  • "Journey to Parnassus", 1614
  • "Eight comedies and eight interludes, new, never presented on the stage", collection, 1615
  • "The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismund", 1617

Russian translations

The first Russian translator of Cervantes, according to the latest data, is N. I. Oznobishin, who translated the short story "Cornelia" in 1761. Then it was translated by M. Yu. Lermontov and V. A. Zhukovsky.

Memory

  • In honor of the heroine of Cervantes' short story "Gypsy Girl", the asteroid (529)  Preciosa, discovered in 1904, was named (according to another version, it received the name from the title of the play by Pius Alexander Wolf, written in 1810).
  • The asteroids (571) Dulcinea (discovered in 1905) and (3552) Don Quixote (discovered in 1983) are named after the heroine and hero of the novel The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha.
  • In 1965, Salvador Dali made a series of "Five Immortal Spaniards" which included Cervantes, El Cid, El Greco, Velázquez and Don Quixote.
  • In 1966, a USSR postage stamp dedicated to Cervantes was issued.
  • In 1976, a crater named after Cervantes Cervantes on Mercury.
  • On September 18, 2005, in honor of Cervantes, the asteroid discovered on February 2, 1992 by E. V. Elst at the European Southern Observatory was named "79144 Cervantes".
  • The Plaza de España in Madrid is adorned with a sculptural composition, the central figure of which is Cervantes and his most famous heroes.
  • The monument to Miguel Cervantes was erected in Moscow in the Friendship Park.
  • Argentine is named after Cervantes
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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 doctor, and Doña Leonor de Cortina, the 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 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. hard fate

In 1570 Miguel became a soldier of the regiment marines Spain, located in Naples. In 1571, de Cervantes sailed on the Marquis, which was part of the galley fleet of the Holy League. In October, the Marquis defeated the Ottoman flotilla during the Battle of the Gulf of Patras. 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 hit the chest, one - the left forearm. The last bullet rendered de Cervantes' arm motionless.

After the end of the battle, Miguel spent six months in the hospital. Then, from 1572 to 1575, he continued his service in Naples, sometimes participating in expeditions. I 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. Four times he tried to escape, but each time the Algerians caught him and severely punished him.

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 Invincible Armada navy 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, set off on the run with them. Because of this, in 1597 Miguel was imprisoned. It was a difficult time for the writer - yes, then he had already found his calling in literature and worked solely for the sake of buying food for himself. Five years later, Cervantes, accused of monetary 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 affairs, 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. AT difficult years(late 1590s - early 1600s) Miguel continues to write, drawing inspiration from his own life as 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 book was liked by the public, not only in Spain, but abroad. Unfortunately, despite the warm reception of the novel, the writer's pocket did not replenish with coins. However, the commercial failure did not prevent Miguel from publishing the second part of the novel, and with it several more works. And although all the works 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 Esquivias. According to the statement of the writer's biographers, there were no children in this marriage. But Miguel had one illegitimate daughter - Isabel de Cervantes.

Death

April 22, 1616 in Madrid, Miguel de Cervantes, creator of the knight Don Quixote and his devoted squire Sancho Panza, died of dropsy. A few days before his death, Miguel took monastic vows.

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 a crypt at the monastery de las Trinitarisas. The solemn reburial took place in June of the same year in the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in Madrid.

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra(Spanish) Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ; presumably September 29, Alcala de Henares - April 22, Madrid) is a world famous Spanish writer. First of all, he is known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha.

Biography

early years

Church where Cervantes was baptized, Alcala de Henares

Miguel Cervantes was born into a family of impoverished nobles, in the city of Alcala de Henares. His father, Hidalgo Rodrigo de Cervantes, was a modest doctor, his mother, Doña Leonor de Cortina, was the daughter of a nobleman who had lost his fortune. There were seven children in their family, Miguel was the fourth child [ ] . Very little is known about Cervantes' early life. The date of his birth is September 29, 1547 (the day of the Archangel Michael). This date was established approximately on the basis of the records of the church book and the tradition that existed then to give the child a name in honor of the saint whose feast falls on his birthday. It is authentically known that Cervantes was baptized on October 9, 1547 in the church of Santa Maria la Mayor in the city of Alcala de Henares.

Some biographers claim that Cervantes studied at the University of Salamanca, but there is no conclusive evidence for this version. There is also an unconfirmed version that he studied with the Jesuits in Cordoba or Seville.

According to Abraham Chaim, president of the Sephardic community in Jerusalem, Cervantes' mother came from a family of baptized Jews. Cervantes' father was from the nobility, but in his hometown of Alcala de Henares, the house of his ancestors, which is located in the center of the hooderia, that is, the Jewish quarter. The house of Cervantes is located in the former Jewish part of the city [ ] .

The activity of the writer in Italy

The reasons that motivated Cervantes to leave Castile remain unknown. Whether he was a student, or a fugitive from justice, or a royal arrest warrant for wounding Antonio de Siguru in a duel, is another mystery of his life. In any case, when he left for Italy, he did what other young Spaniards did in one way or another for their careers. Rome revealed its church rituals and grandeur to the young writer. In a city teeming with ancient ruins, Cervantes discovered ancient art, and also concentrated on Renaissance art, architecture and poetry (his knowledge of Italian literature can be seen in his works). He was able to find in the achievements of the ancient world a powerful impetus for the revival of art. Thus, the enduring love for Italy, which is visible in his later work, was a kind of desire to return to the early period of the Renaissance.

Military career and the Battle of Lepanto

There is another, unlikely, version of the loss of a hand. Due to the poverty of his parents, Cervantes received a meager education and, unable to find a livelihood, was forced to steal. Allegedly, it was for stealing that he was deprived of his hand, after which he had to leave for Italy. However, this version does not inspire confidence - if only because the hands of thieves at that time were no longer chopped off, as they were sent to the galleys, where both hands were required.

The Duke de Sesse, presumably in 1575, gave Miguel letters of introduction (lost by Miguel during his capture) for the king and ministers, as he reported in his certificate of July 25, 1578. He also asked the king to provide mercy and help to the brave soldier.

In Algerian captivity

In September 1575, Miguel Cervantes and his brother Rodrigo were returning from Naples to Barcelona aboard the galley "Sun" (la Galera del Sol). On the morning of September 26, on the approach to the Catalan coast, the galley was attacked by Algerian corsairs. The attackers were resisted, as a result of which many members of the Sun team were killed, and the rest were taken prisoner and taken to Algeria. :236 Letters of recommendation found in Miguel Cervantes led to an increase in the amount of the required ransom. In Algerian captivity, Cervantes spent 5 years (-), tried to escape four times and was only miraculously not executed. In captivity, he was often subjected to various torments.

Father Rodrigo de Cervantes, according to his petition of March 17, 1578, indicated that his son "was captured in a galley" Sun“, under the command of Carrillo de Quesada,” and that he “was wounded by two arquebus shots in the chest, and was injured in his left arm, which he cannot use.” The father did not have the funds to ransom Miguel due to the fact that he had previously ransomed his other son, Rodrigo, who was also on that ship, from captivity. A witness to this petition, Mateo de Santisteban, noted that he had known Miguel for eight years, and met him when he was 22 or 23 years old, on the day of the battle of Lepanto. He testified that Miguel " on the day of the battle he was sick and had a fever", and he was advised to stay in bed, but he decided to take part in the battle. For distinction in battle, the captain rewarded him with four ducats on top of his usual pay.

The news (in the form of letters) about Miguel's stay in Algerian captivity was brought by the soldier Gabriel de Castañeda, a resident of the Carriedo mountain valley from the village of Salazar. According to his information, Miguel was in captivity for about two years (that is, since 1575) with a Greek converted to Islam, captain Arnautriomas.

Miguel's mother's petition of 1580 reported that she requested " to authorize the export of 2,000 ducats in the form of goods from the Kingdom of Valencia for the ransom of her son.

Service in Seville

Intention to go to America

Miguel de Cervantes. Instructive novels. Translation from Spanish by B. Krzhevsky. Moscow. Publishing house "Fiction". 1983

Personal life

Almost on his deathbed, Cervantes did not stop working; a few days before his death, he took the vows as a monk. On April 22, 1616, life ended (he died of dropsy), which the carrier himself in his philosophical humor called “long imprudence” and, leaving which, he “carried away a stone with an inscription on his shoulders, in which the destruction of his hopes was read.” However, according to the customs of that time, the date of his death was recorded as the date of his funeral - April 23. Because of this, it is sometimes said that the date of Cervantes' death coincides with the date of death of another great writer - William Shakespeare, in fact, Cervantes died 11 days earlier (since, at that time, the Gregorian calendar was in effect in Spain, and the Julian calendar in England). April 23, 1616 is sometimes considered the end of the Renaissance. For a long time no one knew the exact burial place of the outstanding Spanish writer. Only in 2015, archaeologists managed to discover his remains, which were solemnly reburied in Madrid's Cathedral of the Holy Trinity.

Heritage

Monument to Miguel de Cervantes in Madrid (1835)

The monument to Cervantes was erected in Madrid only in 1835 (sculptor Antonio Sola); on the pedestal are two inscriptions in Latin and Spanish: "To Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, king of the Spanish poets, year M.D.CCC.XXXV".

The world significance of Cervantes rests mainly on his novel Don Quixote, a full, comprehensive expression of his diverse genius. Conceived as a satire on the chivalric novels that flooded all literature at that time, which the author definitely declares in the Prologue, this work little by little, perhaps even regardless of the will of the author, turned into a deep psychological analysis of human nature, two sides of mental activity - noble, but crushed by the reality of idealism and realistic practicality.

Both of these sides found a brilliant manifestation in the immortal types of the hero of the novel and his squire; in their sharp contrast, they - and this is the deep psychological truth - constitute, however, one person; only the fusion of these two essential aspects of the human spirit constitutes a harmonious whole. Don Quixote is ridiculous, his adventures depicted by a brilliant brush - if you do not think about their inner meaning - cause uncontrollable laughter; but it is soon replaced in the thinking and feeling reader by another kind of laughter, "laughter through tears," which is the essential and indispensable condition of every great humorous creation.

In the novel of Cervantes, in the fate of his hero, it was precisely the world irony that was reflected in a high ethical form. In beatings and all sorts of other insults to which a knight is subjected - despite their somewhat anti-artistic in literary terms - is one of the best expressions of this irony. Turgenev noted another very important moment in the novel - the death of his hero: at this moment, all the great significance of this person becomes available to everyone. When his former squire, wanting to console him, tells him that they will soon go on knightly adventures, “No,” the dying man answers, “all this has gone forever, and I ask everyone for forgiveness.”

Bibliography

  • "Galatea", 1585
  • "Destruction of Numancia"
  • "Algerian manners"
  • "Naval battle" (not preserved)
  • "The cunning hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha", 1605, 1615
  • "Instructive Novels", collection, 1613
  • "Journey to Parnassus", 1614
  • "Eight comedies and eight interludes, new, never presented on the stage", collection, 1615
  • "The Wanderings of Persiles and Sikhismund", 1617

Russian translations

The first Russian translator of Cervantes, according to the latest data, is N. I. Oznobishin, who translated the short story "Cornelia" in 1761. Then it was translated by M. Yu. Lermontov and V. A. Zhukovsky.

Memory

  • The asteroid (529) Preciosa, discovered in 1904, was named after the heroine of Cervantes' short story "Gypsy Girl" (according to another version, it was named after the title of a play by Pius Alexander Wolf, written in 1810).
  • The asteroids (571) Dulcinea (discovered in 1905) and (3552) Don Quixote (discovered in 1983) are named after the heroine and hero of the novel The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha.
  • In 1965, Salvador Dali made a series of "Five Immortal Spaniards" which included Cervantes, El Cid, El Greco, Velázquez and Don Quixote.
  • In 1966, a USSR postage stamp dedicated to Cervantes was issued.
  • Crater named after Cervantes in 1976 Cervantes on Mercury.
  • On September 18, 2005, in honor of Cervantes, the asteroid discovered on February 2, 1992 by E. V. Elst at the European Southern Observatory was named "79144 Cervantes".
  • Plaza de España in Madrid is adorned with a sculptural composition, the central figure of which is Cervantes and his most famous heroes.
  • A monument to Miguel Cervantes was erected in Moscow in Friendship Park.
  • The Argentine Churruca-class destroyer is named after Cervantes.
  • A monument to Cervantes is installed in the Spanish city of Toledo.
  • A monument to Cervantes is installed in the city of Seville.
  • The monument to Cervantes is installed in the Greek city of Nafpaktos (the former name is Lepanto).
  • A street in the Sosenskoye settlement of the Novomoskovsk administrative district of the city of Moscow is named after Cervantes.

see also

Notes

  1. Cervantes Saavedra Miguel de // Great Soviet Encyclopedia: [in 30 volumes] / ch. ed. A. M. Prokhorov. - 3rd ed. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1969-1978.
  2. "Cervantes, Miguel de", The Encyclopedia Americana, 1994

Life of Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was born in early October 1547 in Alcala de Henares. His parents were poor, but gave him a good upbringing. Young Cervantes studied first in his hometown, then in Madrid and Salamanca, attracted the attention of teachers with his curiosity and poetic talent. In the preface to Journey to Parnassus, he says: "From childhood I loved the sweet art of beautiful poetry." Poverty forced him to seek his fortune abroad. Cardinal Acquaviva, who came to Madrid on behalf of the pope, took him into his service. Through Catalonia and Provence, Cervantes went with Acquaviva to Rome, stayed there for some time in his service, and then entered the Spanish army, which was supposed to sail from Italy to the war with the Turks. He fought bravely in the famous sea Battle of Lepanto, lost his left hand there, which he often mentions with pride in his works. In his novel "Persiles and Sigismund" he says that best warriors- those people who go to the battlefield from the field of science: whoever became a warrior from a scientist has always been a brave soldier.

Before recovering from his wound, Cervantes lived in Messina, then again went under the command of Marcantonio Colonna to the war with the Turks and participated in the assault on Navarino. After that, he served in the Spanish squadron, which sailed under the command of Don Juan to Tunisia, then a year remained in one of the detachments that were garrisoned in Sicily and Naples. In 1575 he went to Spain with a letter of recommendation from don Juan to the king. But the ship on which he sailed was captured by corsairs and taken to Algiers. There Cervantes spent five years as a slave to harsh masters. Several times he, with other Spaniards taken as slaves, tried to escape, showing in these attempts unshakable courage and high nobility. But they all ended in failure, and each time the position of Cervantes became worse; he was put in chains and taken to interrogations. The Muslim mob scolded and beat him; from interrogations they took him to the dungeon. Memories of experiences experienced during the years of military service and slavery are quite common in the works of Cervantes. Persiles and Sigismund reflects the impressions of his wanderings in Spain, Portugal, Italy; in Don Quixote, the episode recounted in the short story about the prisoner depicts his life in slavery.

Portrait of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. 1600

Cervantes' mother, who was already a widow at that time, donated her small property to ransom her son, and he (in 1580) returned to his homeland. His comrades in slavery were sad when they parted from him, because he was their adviser and comforter. Having neither money nor patrons, he did not find himself any other way to live, except for entering military service again. Cervantes was in the Spanish army, who went to Lisbon, participated in an expedition that sailed to conquer the Azores; he always had a love for Portugal.

Returning to Spain, he chose poetry as his main occupation; Cervantes wrote from his youth, he even wrote in Algerian dungeons, but only now literary activity became his profession. Under the influence of Montemayor and "Diana" Gil Polo, he wrote a shepherd's novel "Galatea" and dedicated this "first fruit of his feeble mind" to the son of the Column under whose command he fought in the East. This work is rich in reminiscences from the life of the author and inserts of poems in Spanish and Italian tastes; but it met with little success. In Don Quixote, when the barber reads the title of this book, the priest says: "Cervantes has been my friend for a long time, and I know that he is more skilled at enduring adversity than at writing poetry." The novel was left unfinished; but it has a close relation to the life of the author. Under the name of Galatea, it is believed that the girl whom Cervantes loved and whom he married soon after (in 1584) is depicted. She was from a good family who lived in Esquivias (near Madrid) and always remained a loving wife. But she had no dowry, so Cervantes and she endured poverty.

He began to write for the theater, hoping to receive a livelihood through this; wrote, as we know from him, 20 or 30 plays. But only two of them have come down to us; not even the comedy Lost, which he called his best drama in Journey to Parnassus, has survived. Those two plays that have come down to us were found and printed only two hundred years after his death. One of them, "Life in Algiers" (El trato de Argel), is borrowed from the personal life of the author; another depicting doom of Numantia, imbued with a patriotic feeling; both have good pathetic scenes, but on the whole neither has artistic merit. Cervantes could not be Lope de Vega's rival.

Oppressed by poverty, he left for Seville, where he received a position with a small salary in the financial department. He applied for a position in America, but to no avail. Cervantes lived in Seville for ten years, and we have little information about him over the years. He was probably still in need, because the income from his position as Provisional Commissioner of the Indian Navy was meager and unreliable, and besides himself and his wife, he had to support his sister, who gave her small share of her father's inheritance to ransom him from African slavery. He wrote at this time several sonnets and other poems: perhaps then he wrote the short stories "The Spanish Woman in England" and "Rinconet and Cortadilla". But if this is so, after all, he wrote very little in these ten years. But he, in all likelihood, made many observations on the characters of people in Seville, the center of relations between Spain and America; adventurers gathered there from all over Western Europe, and one could hear from them about many different adventures. At the same time, Cervantes studied Andalusian customs, the descriptions of which are found in his following works. Life with the cheerful citizens of Seville, who loved jokes, probably contributed to the development of jocularity in his works. AT early XVII centuries, we find Cervantes living in Valladolid, where the court was then the seat. He seems to be in need. The sources of his income were business assignments of private people and literary work. Once, a night duel took place near his house, in which one of the courtiers who fought with each other was killed. Cervantes was interrogated at the trial in this case, and he spent some time under arrest, as suspected of some kind of complicity or withholding information about the course of the quarrel.

The first part of Don Quixote

At this time he began to write great romance who gave immortality to his name. In 1605, the first part of Don Quixote was printed in Madrid, and the public liked it so much that in the same year several new editions of it appeared in Madrid and some provincial cities. (See articles Cervantes "Don Quixote" - summary and analysis, Image of Don Quixote, Image of Sancho Panza.) In the next five years, 11 more editions appeared, and during the life of Cervantes, translations into other Western languages ​​\u200b\u200bappeared. But, despite the brilliant success of Don Quixote, Cervantes spent the last ten years of his life in poverty, although fame brought him the patronage of the Count of Lemos and the Archbishop of Toledo. Lope de Vega, who was then the object of admiration of the Spanish public, apparently looked with contempt on the poor Cervantes, although he did not stand on ceremony to make many borrowings from his dramatic works. Cervantes was probably offended by Lope de Vega's arrogance; but in his good nature and nobility never expressed hostility towards him. Lope de Vega, for his part, was careful not to speak disrespectfully of him. When they mention one another, they always express themselves kindly, although coldly.

"Instructive Novels" by Cervantes

In 1613, Cervantes published his Instructive Novels, the contents of which, as he himself says, are borrowed from his own memoirs. They are less fascinating than The Decameron, but rich in fine descriptions of manners and nature; in the liveliness of these images, Cervantes is superior to all Spanish writers. The short story "Gypsy of Madrid", the content of which served as material for the libretto of Weber's famous opera Preziosa, depicts the life of nobles and common people with charming liveliness. There are many songs inserted in this novella; "The Magnanimous Lover" reproduces the impressions of the Algerian slavery of Cervantes; the action of this novel has been transferred to Cyprus. "Rinconet and Cortadilla" - a series of paintings from the life of itinerant people in southern Spain. Such is the content of "A Conversation of Two Dogs," a short story that represents the Spanish combination of fraudulent tricks with the diligent performance of religious rites. "The Spanish Woman in England" is a story about a Spanish girl captured by the British during the capture and robbery of Cadiz by Admiral Howard and the Count Essex. These short stories are exactly the same as The Jealous Extremaduran. "The Power of Blood", "False Marriage", "Vidrier's Lucentiat" and all the other stories in Cervantes's collection admirably portray folk life in Andalusia. They were the best Spanish novels and are still unparalleled in Spanish literature.

Poems, dramas and sideshows by Cervantes

After a collection of short stories, Cervantes published Journey to Parnassus, a satirical poem written by tercines; its content is an assessment of the works of contemporary poets. Cervantes speaks of himself with cheerful humor and judges his works very correctly. Mercury, who judges him, rightly mentions that the dignity of his dramas and novels was not sufficiently appreciated by the public. Cervantes wanted to prove to her that in vain she remained indifferent to his former plays, addicted exclusively to Lope de Vega; he has now published eight new dramas and eight interludes. Almost all dramas have three acts, (Jornadas), each with many actors, among them there is certainly a jester or some other amusing person. Particularly good are "Life in Algiers", "The Brave Spaniard", "Sultana", "Happy Villain" (repentant of those bad deeds), "Labyrinth of Love", they have many fascinating scenes. Sideshows are small merry pieces played during intermissions. The best of them are "Attentive sentry" and "Jealous old man" (an adaptation of the short story "Jealous Extremadurian"), "Salamanca Cave"; but all other sideshows are very funny and realistic. But for all the merits of his plays, Cervantes did not gain fame among his contemporaries as a playwright.

Second part of Don Quixote

In the preface to the collection of short stories, Cervantes says that he is publishing the second part of Don Quixote; but while he was writing it, a book appeared under the title The Second Part of Don Quixote, Knight of La Mancha. Its author disappeared under the pseudonym Alonso Fernando de Avellaneda. Avellaneda's book has good places, but it is far inferior in dignity to Cervantes' novel. In the preface, Avellaneda rudely mocks Cervantes, speaks with vulgar mockery about his old age and poverty, even laughs at the wounds he received in the war with the infidels. The appearance of Avellaneda's book forced Cervantes to hasten the finishing of the second part of his novel. He published it in 1615. The remarks made by Sancho Panza about the book of Avelland indicate that Cervantes was indignant at this forgery. Written by a sick old man, the second part of Don Quixote equals the freshness and strength of the brilliant creativity of the first. The old man who wrote this story, in which there are so many jokes and gaiety, suffered from illness and poverty, felt the closeness of death.

Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Monument in Plaza de España in Madrid, 1930

The meaning of "Don Quixote" in world literature

More than two and a half centuries have passed since the appearance of Don Quixote by Cervantes, and to this day it remains one of the favorite books of all civilized nations; there is hardly any other novel that has received such a strong and wide popularity. Morals have completely changed since that time, and Don Quixote still retains the interest of living modernity. This is because, under the form of a joke, it contains a picture of the eternal passions of the human heart and eternal wisdom. In order to understand the form of this book, we must remember that chivalric ideas, long dead in other countries, were still alive in Cervantes' Spain, that conquests in the New World kept the Spaniards inclined towards fantastic aspirations, that the Amadis novels were still the favorite reading of the Spaniards. that not only the Spaniards, but also other peoples still believed the tales of Eldorado and the source that gives eternal youth. Novels of Amadis and other heroes fighting giants and evil wizards were so beloved in Spain that Kings Charles V and Philip II felt it necessary to ban these books. Castilian Cortes(parliament) in 1555 decided that the "Amadis" and similar "false books, which young men and girls are engaged in, considering the absurdities told in them to be true, so that they speak and write in the style of these books" should be destroyed. Don Quixote was needed to stop this medieval fantasy. And indeed he stopped it. New novels in the style of Amadis did not appear after him. The former ones were still being reprinted, but this too soon ended.

"The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismund" by Cervantes

Shortly after the second part of Don Quixote, Cervantes finished his novel The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismund. In the dedication of this book to Count Lemos, Cervantes says that he expects an imminent death, and the playful preface ends with the words: “Fare the jokes, farewell the merry friends; I feel like I'm dying; and my only wish is to see you happily in another life.” Four days after he wrote these words, he died on April 23, 1616, at the age of 69. By the digit of the date and month, this seems to be the same day that Shakespeare died; but the English then still held to the old style, and in Spain a new one had already been introduced. In the 17th century, the style difference was 10 days; so the English poet died ten days later than the Spanish.

"The Wanderings of Persiles and Sigismund" - a series of adventures taking place in different countries and on the sea; geography and history in this novel is a mixture of fantasy and truth. The book was published after the death of the author (in 1517). “The wanderings of Persiles and Sigismund,” says the literary critic Rosencrantz, “a series of stories about the amazing adventures of these individuals. Persiles, second son of the king of Iceland; Sigismund is the only daughter and heiress of the Queen of Friesland. She was betrothed to Persiles' brother Maximinus, a rude man. He could not please a meek, noble beauty; she fell in love with Persiles. They run away, they want to go to Rome, to beg the pope to release Sigismund from the promise she made to her former fiancé. Persiles calls himself Periander, Sigismund - Avristela, so that the chase would not find them by their true names. They pretend to be brother and sister; their true names and relationships are only revealed to the reader at the end of the book. On the way to Rome, they suffer all sorts of troubles, fall into different lands; more than once they are taken prisoner by savages and want to devour them; villains try to kill or poison. They are shipwrecked several times, many times fate separates them. But the kidnappers quarrel among themselves for possession of them, fight and die. Finally, the lovers reach Rome and receive permission from the pope to marry. The fabulous geography and fantastic history that served as the setting for the adventures of Persiles and Sigismund gave reason to reproach Cervantes for writing a book similar to knightly novels about Amadis which he laughed at. But it's not fair. The fantastic setting in his novel is a secondary element. The true content consists in depicting the feelings of the human heart, and it is true.

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