DON QUIXOTE -- the world's first novel and by far the best-known book in Spanish literature -- was originally intended by Cervantes as a skit on traditional popular ballads, yet he also parodied the romance of chivalry.
By happy coincidence he produced one of the most entertaining adventure stories of all time and, in Don Quixote and his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, two of the greatest characters in fiction.
The first part of DON QUIXOTE was published in 1604 and brought Cervantes immediate popularity. It wasn't until 1614 that the tale was completed. By 1615, when he died, "old, a soldier, a gentleman and poor," his book was already famous in both French and English. Time has only enhanced his and the book's reputation.