The novel (; , fully titled "The history of the valorous and wittie Knight-Errant Don-Quixote of the Mancha" ), was written by the Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes. Published in two volumes a decade apart (in 1605 and 1615), Don Quixote is one of the most influential works of literature from the Spanish Golden Age in the Spanish literary canon. As a founding work of modern Western literature, it regularly appears high on lists of the greatest works of fiction ever published. It has been the inspiration for a wide array of cultural adaptations.
Influence on literature
Drama
1612 The Knight of the Burning Pestle by Francis Beaumont has been described as "the first English imitation of Don Quixote". 1613 Cardenio, a lost, presumably Shakespearean play, is believed to be based on an episode in Part One of Don Quixote. 1694 The Comical History of Don Quixote is a comic play by Thomas D'Urfey with music and songs by composers including Henry Purcell. The play was written in three parts, adding up to more than seven hours of playing time. It is seldom if ever performed today, and never at its full length. 1734 Don Quixote in England by Henry Fielding was written in 1728 as an attack on Prime Minister Robert Walpole. 1785–1787 Don Chisciotti e Sanciu Panza by Giovanni Meli is a Sicilian parody of Don Quixote. 1864 Don Quichotte, a play in three acts by Victorien Sardou. Recently (2009) translated into English as "Don Quixote". 1953 Camino Real by Tennessee Williams features a cast of classic literary characters that includes Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. 1982 Don Quixote, theatre adaptation by Keith Dewhurst, first performed at Royal National Theatre with Paul Scofield in the title role. 2016 The Royal Shakespeare Company's version of Don Quixote, with David Threlfall in the title role and Rufus Hound as Sancho Panza, played at the Swan Theatre and was revived in 2018 for shows at the Garrick Theatre in London.