Miguel de Cervantes

Miguel de Cervantes is the author of the best-selling book of all time. He was from a town near Madrid yet moved constantly growing up due to his father's rocky financial situation, always with a book by his side. A book that was particularly influential for Cervantes was Lazarillo de Tormes, which epitomized the picaresque novel style that was imitated by many other works of the period. At the start of his career, Cervantes produced a series of poetry.

As an adult, Cervantes moved to Italy, where he served his nation as a soldier. Returning home after his time abroad, Cervantes' ship was captured, and he was sold into slavery. His family was eventually able to gather enough ransom money, and he returned home to Spain in 1580. Cervantes' next chapter was in the bureaucracy, a short-winded one at that. He continued writing during this time, publishing a blend of poetry, novels, and short stories.

Cervantes began work on Don Quixote in 1599, choosing to release the story in two parts. In 1604, Cervantes sold the rights of Don Quixote to Francisco de Robles, who turned the story into an instant success. Don Quixote was translated into 60 different languages over time, and today, its characters serve as some of the most widely recognized personalities in world literature. Even so, at the end of his life, Cervantes went in and out of financial peril, publishing his greatest work of poetry just before he died.