Don Quijote de la Mancha

Don Quijote de la Mancha is a novel written by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra. First published under the title El ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Honorable Don Quijote de la Mancha) at the beginning of 1605, it is one of the most outstanding works of Spanish and world literature, and one of the most widely translated. In 1615, the second part appeared, entitled El ingenioso caballero don Quijote de la Mancha (The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quijote de la Manch). Don Quijote was the first work to genuinely demystify the knightly code of chivalry through its burlesque treatment. It represents the first literary work that can be classified as a modern novel and also the first polyphonic novel and, as such, had an enormous influence on all later European literature.