From galley-slave to renowned novelist – Cervantes

This edited article about Cervantes originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 822 published on 15 October 1977.

Cervantes brought before Hassan Pasha, the King of Algiers, by Fortunino Matania

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a man dogged by ill-luck. He was captured by pirates and made a slave, twice unjustly thrown into prison and, although his immortal work of fiction, “Don Quixote”, was a huge success in his lifetime, he died in poverty.

Cervantes was born at Alcala de Henares in Spain in 1547. The exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 9th October.

The son of a poor surgeon, Cervantes entered the service of a high Church official when he was 23. But soon he was in trouble: according to one story, he killed an alquacil (sheriff) in self-defence. He fled the district and was condemned in his absence to have his right hand amputated.

Cervantes enlisted in the army. Before long he was serving with the Christian forces fighting the Turks, and took part in the Battle of Lepanto. Although he was ill at the time, he showed great bravery during the battle.

Following his military campaigns, Cervantes settled in Italy. After a while, he became very homesick and, in September 1576, he embarked at Naples on the Spanish-bound galley “Sol”.

On her voyage, the “Sol” was attacked by Barbary pirates and Cervantes was taken as a captive to Algiers. Here he became a slave and for a while was chained to the oar of a galley.

At last Cervantes’ parents were able to ransom him; in 1580 he returned to Madrid.

But his bad luck continued. Short of money, he was forced to take a very poorly-paid post as a commissary, buying supplies for the Spanish Armada. Because of fraud by others, and the failure of a bank to which he had entrusted Government funds, he was arrested and imprisoned.

It was during this imprisonment, it is said, that the idea of “Don Quixote” came to him.

When he began the work, he intended it to be a skit on the foolishness of romantic chivalry but, as he wrote, he grew to love his characters. What had been a piece of satire blossomed into a great work of fiction.

Cervantes completed work on the first part of “Don Quixote” in 1604 and it was published in the following year. But, though the book was immediately popular, his luck did not change. A man met a violent death outside his house, Cervantes was blamed for it, and once more found himself in prison. (He was later proved to be innocent.)

Five editions of “Don Quixote” were issued before Cervantes’ death, but he was cheated by his publishers, and the last part of his life was spent in poverty. He died on 23rd April 1616, the year after the second part of “Don Quixote” was published.