Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (1547–1616) was born at Alcalá de Henares. He served as a soldier at the battle of Lepanto in 1571, where he lost the use of his left hand, and was held captive in Algiers from 1575 to 1580. Back in Spain he worked as a requisitioner and tax collector and was twice imprisoned. Don Quixote appeared in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, with the Novelas ejemplares between them in 1613. He died in Madrid.