Ivana Books Are Magic's Reviews > Don Quixote

How I love this book! Even among timeless classics, this novel deserved a special place. It's brilliantly written and wonderfully original. Not just for the time period it was written in, but in general, it is a book like no other. It's no wonder that its two key character are still iconic: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. This tale of an impoverished nobleman driven mad by reading about knights (mostly romances), and venturing the world with a help of a pragmatic but ultimately equally kind peasant Sancho Panza. These two form a touching friendship, one of original bromance in novel form (we had some bromance in epic form, haven't we but how many in novel form?). Speaking of its form, it is quite interesting piece of writing. Written in episodes, Don Quixote is forerunner to a modern novel but retains many of the traditions of its time. It spans over a long time period, but it manages to keep its reader interest every step of the way.

I found it to be deeply touching and masterfully written. The verbal playfulness of Cerventas' writing is extraordinary. I was fortunate to read a Croatian edition in which the translator took the time explain every single idiom and word play. especially when it came to Sanzo Panza and his timeless peasant logic. What else to say? This novel keeps amazing me with the diversity of its themes and possible interpretations. It can be read both as a comedy and a tragedy or something it between. It can be read as a comic novel or a tragic one. It can be read as a social critique. In our modern times, when mental illnesses and issues are so widely distributed it is perhaps more relevant than ever. Must a man loose his sanity to keep his ideals? Is that not the most timeless of questions? One of the best known works of the Spanish Golden Age, this novel has had such a profound impact on world's literature as a whole. Linguistically, psychologically and emotionally, Don Quixote is a fascinating piece of writing. Highly recommended.