Don Quixote

Book Overview: Don Quixote

Edith Grossman’s definitive English translation of the Spanish masterpiece, in an expanded P.S. edition and with an introduction by Harold Bloom

“A major literary achievement.”–Carlos Fuentes, New York Times Book Review

Widely regarded as one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the adventures of the self-created knight-errant Don Quixote of La Mancha and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, as they travel through sixteenth-century Spain. You haven’t experienced Don Quixote in English until you’ve read this masterful translation.

This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.

Product Information

ISBN-13	9780060934347
ISBN-10	0060934344
Publisher	Ecco
Publication Date	2005
Edition	Reprint
Language	en
Pages	992
Dimensions	in x in x in
Weight	lbs

Editorial Reviews

“Grossman has given us an honest, robust and freshly revelatory Quixote for our times” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A major literary achievement.” — New York Times Book Review

“Ms. Grossman…has provided a Quixote that is agile, playful, formal and wry…. What she renders splendidly is the book’s very heart.” — New York Times

“It is thrilling to add Grossman’s to the bookshelf of Don Quixote possibilities. Her rendition confirms that Cervantes’ imperfect masterpiece is as much at home in Shakespeare’s tongue as it is in Spanish.” — Los Angeles Times

“This new translation relates the story of the man of La Mancha and his vivid imagination in a way that is more in tune with a 21st-century reader.” — Los Angeles Daily News

“Marvelous new translation.” — The New Yorker

“The Grossman translation blows the dust off Cervantes, leaving his light-footed prose and his sly, gentle mockeries.” — Dallas Morning News

“[Edith Grossman’s] rendering of Cervantes’ prose conveys all of its complex subtleties in a fresh and attractive style that is neither overly traditional nor colloquial.” — San Diego Union-Tribune

“This new version of Don Quixote is thoroughly modern…the words are familiar, the humor’s intact.” — Austin American-Statesman

About the Author

Miguel De Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes, often recognized as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world’s pre-eminent novelists, was born in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, in 1547. Cervantes’ works are efforts of staggering literary complexity and innovation, making him a stellar figure in the Renaissance period. His most notable work, Don Quixote, published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, is widely viewed as the first modern novel and a critical fragment of the western literary canon.

The life of this acclaimed author was an intriguing blend of adventure, military service, captivity, and literary creativity. Cervantes was a soldier who served commendably in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, an event that left him with a crippled left hand. Following this, he was captured by Barbary pirates in 1575 and remained a captive in Algiers until his ransom was paid in 1580, an experience that had a profound influence on his literary work.

Throughout the struggles and hardships of his personal life, Miguel de Cervantes unleashed his creativity remarkably and made significant contributions to literature. His vast volume of work, including novels, plays, poems, and stories, usually explores complex themes of life, love, identity, and human nature. Cervantes’ critical view of traditional chivalric romance and social norms was groundbreaking for his time and has left an unmatchable legacy in the world of literature. He died in Madrid in 1616, but his works continue to be intensely studied and enjoyed by millions worldwide.