The Death and Life of Miguel De Cervantes [BARGAIN PRICE] (Paperback)

~ Stephen Marlowe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The narrator of this novel is no less than Miguel de Cervantes, the creator of Don Quixote. Marlowe mixes the facts of the life of Cervantes with adventures resembling those of the knight of La Mancha. Through illusion and reality, he paints a passionate portrait of medieval Europe and North Africa in the 16th and 17th centuries when Islam, Judaism, and Christianity coexisted in fertile and chaotic, sometimes savage tension. In this imaginative tour-de-force, Marlowe convincingly speaks in the voice of Cervantes, who at one stage looks into the future to witheringly mock the literary critics who judge his work. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Library Journal

Who's this raucous little brat whose family always leaves town in a hurry, who must rescue his little brother (kidnapped by gypsies for bad debt) and quite possibly defend the honor of his sister, who very nearly sleeps with the crown prince but ends up pregnant by some other man? None other than Miguel de Cervantes, creator of the immortal Don Quixote, who comes wonderfully alive in this imaginative, richly entertaining novel by the author of The Lighthouse at the End of the World (LJ 9/1/95). Working in the Spanish tradition of the picaresque novel, Marlowe follows Cervantes from urchin to schoolmaster to soldier to man of letters who encounters the two great contemporaries who were his equal: Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe. Sly, irreverent, and written in a galloping contemporary style, this book is hugely entertaining. For all collections.?Barbara Hoffert, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 512 pages
• ISBN-10: 1559704039
• ASIN: B000IOEZ7M
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,680,924 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A pleasing novel with plenty to offer., January 3, 1999

By	Robert Mishou (Kearney, Ne USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death and Life of Miguel De Cervantes (Paperback)

This picaresque novel is a sweeping historical/satircal/mock autobiography that should please readers with different interests. Marlowe's novel is a well researched historical story that shows the tensions bewtween the uper and lower class Spaniards as well as the stuggles among Christinas, Muslims and Jews. These stuggles are highlighted by the section devoted to the Algerian prison. marlowe deftly blends in satire throughout the novel whose targets include literary critics, Lope de Vega, Christopher Marlowe and even William Shakespeare. In addition to these two aspects, and most importantly, this is the life of Miguel de Cervantes, told to us by the writer himself. Marlowe traces Cervantes's life and stuggles in a smooth narrative that never loses pace. Cervantes becomes a tangible character who is passionate, depressed, humorous, bitter and ultimately successful. This novel becomes a highly accesible (auto)biography that combines illusion and historical fact with well formed assumptions about Cervantes's life. The only short coming of the novel is Marlowe's hinting at some keen philosophy on writing but not carrying it through to any conclusion. Cervantes (Marlowe) should be more complete in his discussions on the creative process and substance of quality literature. This is a fine novel that should be read by anyone with an interest in Cervantes, Don Quixote de la Manch or the European Renaissance.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly engrossing, April 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Death and Life of Miguel Cervantes (Hardcover)

One of the best books I've ever read - it has humor, intelligence, and imagination - all woven together into a magnificent story that captures the reader from the very first sentence.