No Ordinary Man: The Life and Times of Miguel de Cervantes
Not many know that Don Quixote de la Mancha was an instant best seller in 17th-century Spain, although unlike today's best-selling authors, Miguel de Cervantes did not reap many financial rewards. Cervantes's life was un vaiven, a pendulum swing of experience that ranged over his occupations as soldier and spy, diplomat and then poet and artist. Wounded in the Battle of Lepanto during Spain's war with the Ottoman Empire, Cervantes was imprisoned by Algerian pirates before being ransomed to return home to serve as a government agent until the death of Philip II inspired a commemorative sonnet and awakened his impulse to write. This incredible life is re-created in this biography by McCrory, former head of Hispanic studies at the American International University in London and author of six volumes of poetry. McCrory's portrait of Cervantes is the most comprehensive in over a decade. Much of his data is owed to scholar Krzysztof Sliwa of Indiana University, whose research uncovered some previously unused documentation related to Cervantes and his family. McCrory blends Sliwa's findings with his own thorough exploration of Spain's history, especially its golden age, his study of other major biographies of Cervantes, and his painstaking examination of Cervantes's work. The result is a thoroughgoing and credible biography that opts for carefully researched conclusions over hearsay. The rich background in Spanish history will be a plus for many readers, and the family tree that McCrory includes is fascinating. Should academic and public libraries consider another biography of Cervantes? Yes, for the lives of the great are always worth reconsidering, and this is one of the few current Cervantes biographies available in English.Nedra C. Evers, Sacramento P.L., CACopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.