Mounting his skinny steed, the protagonist of Don Quixote charges an army of giants. In his eyes, it is his duty to vanquish these behemoths in the name of his beloved lady, Dulcinea. However, this act of valor is ill conceived. As his squire Sancho Panza explains to him time and again, these aren’t giants; they are merely windmills. Don Quixote is undeterred, but his piercing lance is soon caught in their sails. Never discouraged, the knight stands proudly, and becomes even more convinced of his mission.
Jašući na svom mršavom pastuvu, glavni lik „Don Kihota“ juriša na armiju džinova. U njegovim očima, njegova je dužnost da savlada ova čudovišta u ime njegove ljubljene dame Dulsineje. Međutim, sam čin junaštva je rđavo skrojen. Kao što mu njegov štitonoša Sančo Pansa objašnjava iznova i iznova, to nisu džinovi: to su samo vetrenjače. Don Kihot je odlučan, ali njegovo oštro koplje je uskoro uhvaćeno u njihovim jedrima. Nikad obeshrabren, vitez ponosno stoji i postaje čak i ubeđeniji u svoju misiju.
This sequence encapsulates much of what is loved about Don Quixote, the epic, illogical, and soulful tale of Alonso Quijano, who becomes the clumsy but valiant Don Quixote of la Mancha, known as the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance. Originally published in two volumes, the narrative follows Don Quixote as he travels through central and northern Spain fighting the forces of evil.
Ova epizoda sadrži sve što volimo kod Don Kihota: epsku, nelogičnu priču s dušom o Alonsu Kihanu koji postaje smotani, ali hrabri Don Kihot od Manče, poznat kao Vitez Tužnog Lika. Prvobitno objavljen u dva toma, pripovedanje prati Don Kihota dok putuje kroz centralnu i severnu Španiju, boreći se protiv sila zla. Uprkos Don Kihotovoj bujnoj mašti,
Despite Don Quixote’s lofty imagination, his creator, Miguel de Cervantes, could never have imagined his book would become the best-selling novel of all time. Barring 5 years as a soldier, and 5 more enslaved by pirates, Cervantes spent most of his life as a struggling poet and playwright. It wasn’t until his late 50’s that he published his greatest creation: an epic satire of chivalry novels.
njegov tvorac, Migel de Servantes, nije mogao ni da zamisli da će njegova knjiga da postane najprodavaniji roman svih vremena. Služeći pet godina kao vojnik i još pet u zarobljeništvu kod gusara, Servantes je proveo veći deo života kao siromašni pisac i dramaturg. Tek je u kasnim pedesetim godinama objavio svoje najveće delo: epsku satiru na viteške romane.
At this time, medieval books chronicling the adventures of knights and their moral code dominated European culture. While Cervantes was a fan, he was weary of these repetitive tomes, which focused more on listing heroic feats than character development. To challenge them, he wrote Don Quixote, the story of a hidalgo, or idle nobleman, who spends his days and nights reading chivalry novels. Driven mad by these stories, he fashions himself a champion for the downtrodden. Everyone in his village tries to convince him to give up his lunacy, going so far as to burn some of the lurid books in his personal library. But Don Quixote is unstoppable. He dresses up in old shining armor, mounts his skinny horse, and leaves his village in search of glory.
U to vreme, srednjovekovne knjige koje su beležile avanture vitezova i njihovih moralnih načela dominirale su evropskom kulturom. Iako je Servantes bio ljubitelj žanra, umorio se od tih šablonskih tomova, koji su se više usredsređivali na nabrajanje junačkih podviga nego na razvoj likova. Da bi ih izazvao, napisao je Don Kihota, priču o idalgu, to jest dokonom plemiću koji provodi dane i noći čitajući viteške romane. Nakon što ga ove priče izlude, on sebe počinje da doživljava kao borca za ugnjetavane. Svi u njegovom selu pokušavaju da ga ubede da odustane od svog ludila, idući toliko daleko da su spalili neke od grozomornih knjiga iz njegove lične biblioteke. Međutim, Don Kihot je nezaustavljiv. Oblači stari blistavi oklop, skače na svog mršavog konja i napušta selo u potrazi za slavom.
Cervantes’ novel unfolds as a collection of episodes detailing the mishaps of the valiant knight. Yet unlike the chivalry books and perhaps all other prior fiction, Cervantes’ story deeply investigates the protagonist’s inner life. Don Quixote matures as the narrative develops, undergoing a noticeable transformation. This literary revelation has led many scholars to call Don Quixote the first modern novel. And this character development doesn’t happen in isolation. Early on, Don Quixote is joined by a villager-turned-squire named Sancho Panza. Sancho and Don Quixote are a study in opposites: with one as the grounded realist to the other’s idealism. Their lively, evolving friendship is often credited as the original hero and sidekick duo, inspiring centuries of fictional partnerships.
Servantesov roman se razvija kao zbirka epizoda koje opisuju nedaće odvažnog viteza. Ipak, nasuprot viteškim knjigama i možda svoj drugoj fikciji koja joj je prethodila, Servantesova priča podrobno ispituje unutrašnji život glavnog junaka. Don Kihot sazreva, kako se pripovedanje razvija, prolazeći kroz vidljiv preobražaj. Ovo književno otkrovenje je navelo mnoge akademike da proglase „Don Kihota“ prvim modernim romanom. A razvoj lika se ne dešava u izolaciji. Već na početku, Don Kihotu se pridružuje seljak naimenovan u štitonošu po imenu Sančo Pansa. Sančo i Don Kihot su studija o suprotnostima: jedan služi kao prizemljeni realista idealizmu onog drugog. Njihovo živahno, rastuće prijateljstvo se često smatra prvobitnim parom heroj-pomoćnik, koje će da inspiriše vekove fiktivnih partnerstava. „Don Kihot“ je postigao veliki uspeh.
Don Quixote was a huge success. Numerous editions were published across Europe in the seventeenth century. Even in the Americas, where the Church banned all novels for being sinful distractions, audiences were known to enjoy pirated editions. The book was so well received that readers clamored for more. After a rival author attempted to cash in on a fake follow-up, Cervantes released the official sequel in response. Now published alongside the first volume as a completed text, this second volume picks up where the original left off, only now Don Quixote and Sancho have become folk heroes. Just as in real-life, Cervantes included his novel’s success in the world of his characters. This unconventional meta-awareness created philosophical complexity, as the knight and his squire ponder the meaning of their story.
Brojna izdanja su objavljena širom Evrope u XVII veku. Čak i u Amerikama, gde je crkva zabranila sve romane smatrajući ih poročnom zabavom, poznato je da je publika uživala u piratskim izdanjima. Knjiga je toliko dobro prihvaćena da su čitaoci vapili za još. Nakon što je suparnički pisac pokušao da se okoristi lažnim nastavkom, Servantes je objavio zvanični nastavak kao odgovor. Sada objavljen uz prvi deo kao završen tekst, drugi deo nastavlja gde je prvi deo stao, samo što su sada Don Kihot i Sančo postali narodni junaci. Baš kao i u stvarnom životu, Servantes je uključio uspeh svog romana u svet njegovih junaka. Ova nekonvencionalna meta-svest je stvorila filozofsku složenost dok vitez i njegov štitonoša ispituju značenje njihove priče.
Unfortunately, Cervantes had sold the book’s publishing rights for very little. He died rich in fame alone. But his treatise on the power of creativity and individualism has inspired art, literature, popular culture, and even political revolution. Don Quixote argues that our imagination greatly informs our actions, making us capable of change, and, indeed, making us human.
Nažalost, Servantes je prodao autorska prava za knjigu veoma jeftino. Umro je jedino bogat slavom. Međutim, njegova rasprava o snazi kreativnosti i individualizmu inspirisala je: slikarstvo, književnost, popularnu kulturu, pa čak i političke revolucije. „Don Kihot“ tvrdi da naša mašta uveliko utiče na naše postupke, čineći nas podložnim promenama i, uistinu, čineći nas ljudima.