Customer Reviews

Don Quixote (Penguin Classics)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everyone should read Don Quixote at least once. It is the first modern novel ever written. It is also one of the longest - although, I don't see how it could be any shorter. The novel is actually two novels stuck together. Cervantes published the first half, which became an incredible success. Years later, he published the second part which relates the third salley of the Don. The effect that this has on the book is that all the major characters in the Part II have all ready read Part I, making the book incredibly self-referential. Cervantes also has fun in mocking a spurious Part II by another author that was published at the time.

I do not speak Spanish - let alone 17th Century Castilian, so I was forced to read the novel in translation. I have never read another version, but John Rutherford's Penguin Classics version was satisfactory in every way. He does his best to retain Cervantes' humor, which is the most important aspect of the novel. Also, modern audiences my benefit from translation because it puts the book into the modern language - making a four-hundred-year-old book read fresh.

As for the plot, a country hidalgo named Alonzo Quixano spends his time reading chivalric romances. One day, he decides to become a knight errant named Don Quixote (Sir Thighpiece). He convinces a simple neighbor who speaks in proverbs, Sancho Panza, to come along with him to be his squire. Quixote is crazy and Sancho is a fool - except that they seem to be preternaturally sane and wise when the chips are down. If you are only familiar with Man of La Mancha, the book is drastically different. Dulcinae never actually makes an appearance. Sancho is traveling along because he has been promised the governorship of an island - and he gets it! They just spend the book wandering around and getting into adventures. Personally I prefer the second part of the novel (the first is too digressive).

Allow yourself some time, and enjoy this masterpiece of Western Literature.

The phrase 'ahead of it's time' is such a cliche that I tend to avoid it all together. Unfortunately, when trying to describe Don Quixote, no better phrase comes to mind. Written in the 1500's, this book is perhaps the first modern comedy. In Don Quixote's squire, Sancho Panza, you'll find traits later used in the ingenius Dickens' character Samuel Weller (Pickwick Papers) some 300 years later. And the craft of the language used by the translator of this new edition, along with their reassuring preface, gives me the impression that very little was lost in this translation, or at least this translation loses the least of other translations.

This book, which is a little over 1000 pages (though heavily laden with appendixes) is a great read, and the only complaint I have is the clumsy handling of the translator's notes. There is a lot of Latin quoting in the book, along with references to other chivalric novels, and rather than simply supplying a foot note, they've decided to place all of these in the back of the book, which add a lot of page flipping and unnecessary interruptions to your reading if you want to know and understand everything that's happening. Hopefully in the next edition of this translation, they will correct this. I gave this book 5 stars because it's such an excellent book in itself excellently translated, that I decided it more than worthy of the rating, but if the lack of foot notes bothers you, you may want to disqualify it.

DON QUIXOTE was written exactly 400 years ago. Therefore as you can imagine it has been reviewed countless times already. It is called Europe's first narrative novel. I can only comment on the present translation, which I consider excellent. It sticks to the original Spanish in the important ways, but is not slavish ... lots of "thee", "thou" and "thy" have been modernized without really affecting the gist or the flavor of the story.

Comparing some 7-8 translations in-store, judging from the author's preface alone, this penguin edition appeared to be the most faithful, both syntactically and rhythmically. The 'English' translations succeeded in reducing the pace of the original Spanish to pedantic and boorish academic English; the majority of the modern renderings this reviewer viewed appeared to be self-consciously bowdlerized paraphrasings for the purpose of making Cervantes 'accessible' to the literature consuming portion of the dullard masses; the 'cultured' public . . .
the compromises these versions made were unacceptable and facile in the main.

A great translation, don't bother with the leveled down tripe or plodding prose of paraphrast translators of dubious intent.

This book is what great works are all about. Cervantes' classic is timeless, bringing to life all human emotions, often at once. The book swings between absolute optimism, tragedy, despair, humor (a ton of wit everywhere), love, all within the realm of an insane (?) character.

Don Quixote is a nobleman who, after reading for years about chivalry (the middle ages type), decides to set on a journey to right the wrongs in Spain. He is accompanied by Sancho Panza, his squire (and sane companion), to who he promises the governorship of the first island they conquer.

Cervantes obviously pokes fun at the middle ages concept of nobility and chivalry, as he pits Quixote in battles against monsters (who are actually windmills), All of Quixote's battles are in the honor of his love, Dulcinia, who never makes an appearance, and seems to be an idealized character, also similar to the idealized dames of the middle ages. Cervantes' wit vis a vis the chivalry concept is even more interesting when taken in the context of who Cervantes was: a wounded soldier who spend a good portion of his life as a captive in prison. It seems he may have been driven to war by the ideals of chivalry, but was soon rebuffed by the realities of the world. It is clear he seeks to unmask it.

In Quixote's insanity, however, we can see through the strange magic that creates emotions such as love and hatred. Irrationality is not something that can be dismissed, as so much of human activity (and Quixote's in particular) is not driven by pure rationality.

Though written in 1605, the insight into the human soul is timeless.

Considered by many to be one of the first modern novels, it is a hilarious exploration of 16th and 17th century Spain, all through the eyes of the chivalrous knight errant, Don Quixote, and his ever faithful squire, Sancho Panza.

Around the age of fifty, there was a man who, after reading countless chivalric romances, decided to adopt the name of Don Quixote and explore the world, righting wrongs, rescuing maidens and slaying giants. Deluded by the grandeur of his favourite stories, Quixote sees the world differently to normal men. An inn is not an inn but a castle, a monk not a monk but a wandering vagabond to be slain, a life-worn prostitute not a whore but a beautiful princess. After a rapid series of events, Quixote returns home, battered and bruised from the fights he has lost, in his mind a glorious knight errant returning from many victories. He convinces his neighbour, Sancho Panza, of his prowess, and the two set off once more, the first adventure they experience together being the famous windmill fight - the windmill that Quixote took to be a giant.

Over the next nine hundred pages or so, the relationship between Quixote and Panza develops into deep affection. The greatest pleasure is to be derived from reading their addled conversations, how they twist ordinary events into epic circumstances, and how willing Panza is to believe Quixote's exaggerations. He is promised early in the book that he will one day govern an island, and holds on to this for many months through ridiculous adventure after ridiculous adventure. Throughout, he shows an amusing level of stupidity, but also a staggering insight, seemingly able to change between the two within a sentence. And the proverbs!

Don Quixote is a very intelligent man, when he is not discussing chivalry. He is able to converse at great length of all manner of subjects, and every word he says seems wise and true. But turn the conversation to being a knight, or the never-seen love of his life, Dulcinea del Toboso, and he becomes a raving mad-man, spewing forth opinions and ideas that could never be believed. He is much given to grand gestures, turning a simple apology into a two paragraph discourse, highlighting ancient instances of forgiveness and sadness. The amount of references that he crams into his speech is simply amazing, and I am thankful that my Penguin Classics translation saw fit to explain them. From the bible to Greek mythology to current day (at the time) events and people to fictional giants and sorcerers to characters from books, Quixote is willing and able to place them in his speech in a way that feels effortless.

The book is in two parts, of roughly equal size, and the first is the best. In the second, the first part of the book has been published, and everyone is aware of who Quixote and Panza are. Consequently, many people take advantage of them, and it isn't so funny to see the two being ridiculed so harshly. Also, the narrator becomes a little too self-referential for my liking, a technique that wasn't present in the first book and feels awkward in the second.

But the beauty of this book is in the friendship. Sancho Panza is one of the greatest characters I have ever read, I truly feel a fondness for him and wish there were a thousand more books written of him. Don Quixote is larger than life, a caricature of a caricature, and it is a delight to read his rants. There is a sense that - if Cervantes hadn't killed off Quixote at the very end of his book to prevent further stories being written - that the two men would, even know, be travelling the countryside of Spain, bickering and chatting, secure in the knowledge that Don Quixote is an amazing knight, and that Sancho Panza is his ever faithful squire.

This translation of Don Quixote fearlessly brings everyday language, bawdiness, and poetry to the timeless tale. Although the choice of using current slang may be a controversial one for some readers, it succeeds in giving the story an immediacy and restores the humor that was missing from more genteel translations. The novel is interesting because the two parts, written at different points in the author's life, have distinct styles and narrative structure. Just when the reader begins to fear that the plot will involve an endless string of ill-fated choices on the two protagonists' part, the second half of the novel introduces some devilish supporting characters to stir up trouble. Although this edition of the novel is nearly 1000 pages long, the chapters fly by quickly.

The book is a classic and a joy to read, everyone should read this utterly delightful book. About the translation: this is a top-flight translation for sure and since the translator is british the language does have a british flare to it at times, e.g. "bloody hell!". While I personally prefer to Raffel translation, you can't go wrong with this quality production. Buy this now!

Don Quixote is Alonso Quixada, an aging country gentleman of some means who spends his days, as his niece describes it, "reading much and eating little." One day he impetuously decides to become a knight-errant--champion of the oppressed and savior of damsels in distress. He announces to the dismay of his household that he is now to be called Don Quixote of the Mancha and begins making preparations for a journey of great adventure.

Accompanying him on his quest is Sancho Panza, a dimwitted village peasant who agrees to become Quixote's faithful squire in return for the promise of an island when their adventures are through. Together they roam the Spanish countryside in search of chivalrous deeds to perform.

Early in the journey, Quixote meets a young peasant woman named Aldonca. In his imaginary world she becomes Dulcinea del Toboso, his beloved lady fair. From then on he strives to win honor in her name and become worthy of her love.

The story follows the misadventures of Quixote and Panza as they encounter rogues, scholars and noblemen along the way. Among these nobles are the Duke and Duchess who entertain themselves by making sport of and mocking the two men. Throughout it all, Quixote's family and friends seek to bring him home safe and sane.

This translation is actually the best that I have encountered. It is impossible to bring anything terribly critical to such a masterwork (yes, it's one of the few, the proud, the brave). If one were to critique, it would have to be based upon the translation, and again, I find this one to be extraordinarily acceptable and accessible.

I think it's important for readers to know (after reading this particular translation, or any of the recent best) the very crucial gap in time between the first "installment" of this saga and the "second." Problems have arisen in the past, in terms of translations, when the reader is presented with what is essentially one book and a sequel, but this translation militates against some of the usual difficulties.

Essentially, this is one of the great works of human literature that stands the test of time and remains as vibrant today as it was in the day of Cervantes. Supreme characterizations. Supreme wit. Supreme prose. Supreme insight.

If you don't fall in love with Don Quixote and his deliciously hapless "squire," you simply have no soul. Having read it again, I can say that this is a book that brings bittersweet tears to the eyes...simply because it has to end.

Students of the progressive development of the "novel" across what we may very loosely term "modernity" cannot bypass this seminal, pivotal, CRUCIAL component. To do so would be anathema...complete impotence. In fact, I cannot imagine any serious reader of literature (contemporary or otherwise) failing to read and absorb this jewel of human accomplishment.

When an inexpensive edition like this is carefully handled and reverently preserved (for even the most humble library), the enormity of the "pap" we are offered by current "literature" becomes all the more galling.

Long live any and all "Enchanters."